Land Release in Sri Lanka’s North: Balancing Property Rights with National Security Imperatives

The process of releasing military-held land in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka back to its legitimate civilian owners is a necessary and significant step towards post-conflict reconciliation and normalisation. It is an acknowledgement of the fundamental right to property and a move toward restoring the lives of those displaced by a brutal, three-decade-long war. However, this critical process cannot, and must not, be pursued in isolation. It m

Misunderstanding over Muslim dress

There seems to be a widespread misunderstanding about the Muslim dress — the Abaya. Recently, I had a friendly discussion with a former Minister’s wife, who is also a close friend of mine, regarding this very topic. While we often exchange views on various current issues, I felt the need to clarify the real reason why Muslim women wear the Abaya.

Debt restructuring overwhelms the poor: Crisis, Production and the Co-operative Alternative

Every crisis forces us as a people, and for that matter as a country, to rethink our future. The failed post-war reconstruction in the North a decade ago made many of us approach rural development with a focus on rebuilding co-operatives.

Context more important than venue:Will “Maha Jana Handa” become another “Mahinda Sulanga”?

For the second time in two months the Opposition parties have announced they are forming an alliance against the government, this time with a title for it.

Killing of Lasantha Wickramasekara alias “Midigama Lasa” : Political Assassination or Gangland Execution?

An elected chairman of a Pradeshiya Sabha (divisional council) is shot dead by a lone gunman while meeting members of the public in his council office.

Public Transport: Time to revive the wheels

Public transport is, in a way, a yardstick that measures the level of a country’s socio-economic development. In the developed world, people rely heavily on well-structured systems that include monorails, light rails, low-floor buses, high-capacity electric trains, and trams- all designed for efficient urban mass transportation.

Redefining National Security: From Stability to Resilience in a Changing World

National security in the twenty-first century can no longer be confined to the traditional domains of political sovereignty, territorial integrity, and regime stability. For nations like Sri Lanka, emerging from decades of internal conflict and adapting to global transformations, the concept of security must evolve into one that safeguards people, ecosystems, and institutions from multifaceted threats — both man-made and environmental. This artic

Why elephants should never be diplomatic gifts

Sri Lanka has received several elephants as diplomatic gifts over the past decades. But many of these elephants have faced tragic circumstances, often due to neglect and unprofessional handling by mahouts. Recently, Thailand announced that it would take back two elephants gifted to Sri Lanka due to animal cruelty and neglect.

The blurred line between ratings and ethical reporting

It has now become a norm to have extremely sensitive videos, either of fatal road accidents, CCTV footage of robberies, murders and various other crimes aired on mainstream media. What is even more disturbing is that these videos can now be uploaded to social media platforms, and users have the chance to watch them on repeat. The recent saga over the arrest of the main suspect who gunned down the Weligama Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman speaks volumes

Prevention Is Better Than Cure

I recently read in the Daily Mirror that outpatient department (OPD) visits in our country outnumber the total population by six times. The government now plans to establish both preventive and curative health centres—a positive step toward improving national health.

The National Social Protection Strategy: Acute need to reduce caregiving burden of migrant worker families

October 29 marks the International Day of Care and Support. This article looks at the government’s new social protection strategy, and whether its promise of ‘leaving no one behind’ will respond to the care deficits in migrant worker households.

Advice to young writers: “Don’t lose your heads when flowers bloom”

Sepalika is the name of a flower. It also evokes songs by Srilankan singers Karunarathna Divulgane and Jayasiri Amarasekara. And don’t get this mixed up with a teledrama called Sepalika, either, telecast many years ago. Right now, Sepalika is the name of the latest Sinhala literary sensation.

So much for good governance: Weligama PS chairman killing yet again reveals underworld nexus in politics

Last week’s killing of Lasantha Wickremesekara, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) controlled Weligama Pradeshiya Sabha chairman, inside the chamber by a gunman, and subsequent allegations and counter-allegations over the killing have rekindled the fear of the return of political violence.

Curbing crime: no time for grandstanding

Following the arrest of the person who allegedly killed Weligama Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman Lasantha Wickramasekara, a video footage went viral on social media showing his capture.

Gangs want political power for themselves

There was a time in our history, when political assasinations had a political twist. The SWRD murder springs to mind.

Politicisation of crimes might save the real criminals

The killing of Weligama Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman Lasantha Wickramasekara on a busy day of his council in broad daylight on October 22 and its aftermath has raised many questions with regard to the safety of people’s representatives, insensitivity of politicians and the media towards victims of crimes and the continued politicisation of crimes.

Radical Islamists on the upswing in Bangladesh and Pakistan

Radical Islamists are gaining ground in Bangladesh and Pakistan. In Pakistan, they are getting more organised, militant and terroristic, while in Bangladesh, they are expanding their ideological reach, a development which could reshape domestic electoral outcomes and relations with India.

When elephants were neighbours, not foes

The Human-elephant conflict has become an urgent issue in Sri Lanka, with frequent encounters leading to crop damage, injuries, and sometimes the tragic loss of life. Yet, history shows us that coexistence is possible if approached with care, respect, and understanding.

The pros and cons of a future world with no superpowers

The global order established in the aftermath of World War II, characterised for decades by the unipolar dominance of the United States, is exhibiting pronounced signs of stress and transition.

The Cost of Religious Extravagance:Katina-Wasteful Illuminations, Amplified Devotion

In the quiet hours before dawn, when communities should be at rest, Sri Lanka’s residential neighbourhoods are jolted awake by amplified loudspeakers from religious institutions.

Raising the resilient generation

When I was growing up, slippers could fly. Not figuratively, but quite literally across the room. Discipline was swift, emotional, and entirely unfiltered. It was how many of us learned boundaries, accountability, and a certain rough-edged resilience.

Why are Women still barred from voting in the Diyawadana Nilame election

A sizable chunk of voters will not cast their vote this year in the election of the Diyawadana Nilame, as the “Vihara and Devalagam Act” under which the election is conducted has no provisions allowing women to use their vote.

Enhancement of Efficiency in Human Resources through Training

Training is a vital component of Human Resource Development (HRD). In the context of HRD, Human Resources means a collective of personnel in organisations, either in the public or private sector.

Sri Lankan Tamil leaders left high and dry:The UNHRC, a toothless tiger?

The National People’s Power (NPP) government’s approach towards the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolutions on Sri Lanka is somewhat different from that of the previous governments.

People have such short memories

It has become fashionable to blame the government for failing to curb the crime wave. The murder of a provincial counsellor sparked more outrage and critics are lambasting the government.

Mao’s Long March: The foundation stone of today’s China

China’s rise to prosperity and the place it holds today as a world power is spectacular. But the road was long and hard. When Chinese President Xi Jinping talks of a ‘century of humiliation,’ he is referring to the chaos that Mao and his followers inherited after four decades of civil war.

Are Zohran Mamdani’s proposals the answer to inequality in the US?

The divide between the rich and the poor has always been there in the United States, but it has become pronounced in recent months, say Ben Casselman and Colby Smith in a recent piece in The New York Times.

A chilling indictment on law and order

The daylight murder of the Welgama Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman sent shockwaves across the country, not merely because a local politician was slain, but because it revealed — once again — the frightening extent to which the rule of law has eroded in Sri Lanka. It was not just a criminal act; it was a public execution that symbolised the growing collapse of order in our society.

Third-state complicity in Gaza genocide: Whither international law and ICJ rulings?

A foundational question tackled in the study of international law is, ‘Is international law really law?’ Nothing provides a more robust response to this question than the actions of Israel and the imperial West that sucks up to Zionism, Israel’s state ideology

Be vigilant at the Banks

“Everything needs money” this concept again came to my mind because of an experience that happened to me at a reputed bank here a few weeks ago. I went to the bank in which I have been a customer for more than two decades to withdraw some money from my account and deposit it in another company’s account.