No Agreement for Permanent US Base in SL - US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Alaina Teplitz

US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Alaina Teplitz in her first interview with the print media after the Easter Sunday attack exclusively told the ......how the United States is committed to aid Sri Lanka to combat and defeat terrorism on the request of the Sri Lankan Government and how President Donald Trump offered the necessary resources in the aftermath of the Easter

“President doesn’t trust anybody other than Namal Kumara,” SF

Former Army Commander, the first Field Marshal and the 2010 Presidential Candidate, Sarath Fonseka in an interview with the Daily Mirror airs his views on how to fight a war and battle terrorism. One of the most experienced Army Commanders in the world, Field Marshal Fonseka, describes how and why Sri Lanka failed to prevent the Easter Sunday attacks. Fonseka, who marshalled his troops to win the 26-year-old war against Liberation Tigers of Tami

A WAY TO LIVE AND A WAY TO DIE

What is Buddhism? Is it a religion or a philosophy?A true Buddhist would accept the basic Buddhist analysis of life as one that accommodates the teachings of the Buddha. It involves no dogmatism, no form of worship. One could say it is a code of morality, a way of life as it were.

Cinnamon Grand bomber’s copper factory case takes a new turn

Wellampitiya Police OIC Gamini Senarath Hewawithana had complained to the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) early this week demanding an inquiry against Colombo Magistrate Court Judge Priyantha Liyanage over the release on bail of nine employees of the copper factory in Wellampitiya.

Riots in Minuwangoda: Pasta company owner says ‘yes to law and no to divisions’

As mob violence erupted in Minuwangoda on May 13, fire ripped through the country’s largest pasta manufacturing facility, endangering the lives of seven employees present at the time. Diamond pasta, a sister company of the PMM Group of companies....

Anti-Muslim attacks question security coordination

Tears in the eyes of the families mourning the loss of Easter Sunday terror victims had not dried up when Sri Lankans heard that another group of citizens- Muslims- had come under attack by angry mobs on Monday (May 13).

An island now ‘hoping for the best’

Going by the recent spate of violence in certain areas in Wayamba and western Provinces one is left to think whether Sri Lankans truly value peace. There is an old saying which comes to my mind at this juncture, ‘you need two people to start a fight’.

Outside hand suspected in Kuliyapitiya violence

Daylight in Wayamba gives its residents the opportunity to assess the situation of their neighbourhood, following a grim and fearful start to the holy Vesak week. The Police curfew enforced early Monday (May 13) evening in the North Western Province however, prevents them from setting about their daily work.

The ‘Martyrdom’ Myth

Submerged in our current encounter with terrorism, devastation and anger provoke us to impulsively ascribe suicide bombing to the lunacy of the bombers themselves, or to something inherent in the ‘ideals’ of the bomber’s ethnic or religious group- which to those of us on the outside is blatantly brutal, inhumane and regressive. The world

Wahhabism and radicalization of local Muslims Fix it For Good

Intelligence-driven kinetic means can only do so much. The acid test would be to prevent the recurrence of the monstrosity that surfaced on the Easter Sunday. A good part of that responsibility lies with the local Muslim community. Their contribution to the success of intelligence operations has so far been crucial. However, confronting the ideology that is at the heart of Islamic terrorism needs greater perseverance and introspection, because of

A Sri Lankan Octogenarian Speaks

In my eighties - Do I look forward or backward April 21 Easter Sunday I was numb with grief but my mind went racing with multiple thoughts. Let calm descend over me to take stock of the situation. This reprehensible dastardly act was the work of criminal minded cowards who have forgotten the Quran’s message of mercy, forgiveness the categorical statement - Those who commit murder of even one person it is as if the whole human race has been annihi

How Bangladesh has kept Islamic radicals in check

Muslim-majority Bangladesh was born out of an explicitly secular and linguistic movement spearheaded by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. But it did not take long for the new born to show that it was “Islamic” as well as “Bengali”.

Rs.190 Million worth of Priorities ?

‘A supplementary budget of 190 million rupees for two bulletproof vehicles for the President and the newly-appointed Secretary of the Ministry of Defence has been passed in parliament! One of my neighbours made it a point to approach me during my morning walk to share this news.

Civil society responds... in a way

The response of civil society, the harbingers of political radicalism, was telling. It took days for the activists (and I don’t mean the Friday Forum, English-speaking, Colombo ones) to get up on stage and condemn what happened.

Identifying the killer ideology

The terrorist group that was behind the barbaric suicide bomb attacks on three churches and three five-star hotels on Easter Sunday (April 21) which killed nearly 300 innocent men, women and children seem to have been contained.

Mainstream Muslims must unite to bring about a progressive Islam

The Easter Sunday terror attacks have opened the Pandora’s Box of questions on various aspects of Islam, its teachings and commands, amid an avalanche of Islamophobia, hate speech, distrust and scorn.

Refugees become refugees again in Sri Lanka

There was a collective anguish over helplessness and isolation inside the garage of a police station in Negombo, Sri Lanka where dozens of asylum seekers and refugees, having fled Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and Yemen, were staying for 17 days fearing retaliation for the Easter Sunday terror attacks.

“Polluter Pays” Delving into the Chunnakam Landmark Judgement Role of CEA and the health of residents

In a much hailed landmark judgment delivered in early April, the Supreme Court ordered the Northern Power Company to pay compensation amounting to Rs. 20 million to residents in Chunnakam who have been adversely affected by the contamination of ground water by its thermal power station.

Easter Sunday carnage: The big picture of Intelligence failure and how to fix it Only the tip of the iceberg of a wider intelligence failure

Sri Lanka’s battle against Islamic extremism would involve two integral parts: (a) an intelligence driven kinetic approach to flush out, arrest or neutralize violent extremists; and (b) a State facilitated and community- led approach to combat non-violent extremism, reverse the spread of Wahhabism and Arabization of local Muslims and restore the primacy of moderate Sufi Islam among Sri Lankan Muslim community. For each task at hand, the Govern

Refugee Crisis in Sri Lanka after Easter Sunday Bombings

“Pakistan is a country where suicide bombings happen on a regular basis, mobs gather and kill minorities and people who think differently, houses and settlements are attacked, people are forced to leave their homes.

Terrorist attack on Easter Sunday What does ‘National Security’ mean?

It is apparent that the outgoing Secretary of Defence by his controversial statement on national security, inferred that protecting luxury hotels was not the responsibility of the Security forces, on the basis that these hotels earn large profits and as such they should provide their own security.

Anti – Terrorist Action Must Not Become a Witch Hunt Against Sri Lankan Muslims

Mohammed Zahran the founder-leader of the National Thawheed Jama’at and suspected ring leader of the Islamic State (IS) inspired attacks on Easter Sunday has been officially reported dead by the Sri Lankan Police.

The Making of a deadly ideology

Thawheed, a household word in Sri Lanka and Christian communities around the world these days is not alien to Muslims. In fact, the concept of Thawheed is the foundation of Islam. In a way, it is what Islam is all about.

Battle of Sainthamaruthu

Sri Lanka’s security forces have engaged in many battles and armed confrontations during the long war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The military defeat of the LTTE in May 2009 brought an end to the conflict. Thereafter for ten years, the country has been experiencing peace and relative tranquillity. The armed forces too were confined to

Unveiling the face-veil ban

It was almost a decade ago that countries across Europe began wrestling with the issue of the Muslim veil – in its various forms. The debate encapsulated religious freedom, female equality, secular traditions and even fears of terrorism. The conversation explored the multiculturalism in Europe, as many argued that there needed to be a greater effort to assimilate

The veil and the ‘Arabanisation’ of Lankan Muslims

Girls too young to understand the essence of religion adorn the Nikab. Some forced due to cultural imposition, and others too young to know why. Madrasas spread across the island ignore history, art culture, literature and theology which form the core of religious education.

How Wahhabism was fostered until it’s too late

On Friday, the imam of a Sufi mosque in Saindamarudu was alerted by the locals about a suspicious crowd in a house in the neighbourhood housing scheme called, Bolivia village. That is an exclusively Muslim housing scheme of 400 houses built after the Indian Ocean tsunami. The owner of one of the houses there had given his residence on rent to a man who claims to be a telecom engineer from Kattankudy; since new tenants moved in, he has observed a

Are Laws to Combat International Terrorism adequate?

In the wake of the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks, a question has emerged regarding the inadequacy of the existing laws to combat terrorism, and whether new laws should be brought in to counter international terrorism. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told Skynews that there were no laws in Sri Lanka to arrest those who joined foreign terrorist groups and returned to the country.

“One form of extremism breeds other forms of extremism” : HRC

The Human Rights Commission (HRC) of Sri Lanka has urged all citizens to refrain from engaging in hate speech or inciting violence, and to act responsibly against all forms of extremism, in the aftermath of the Easter Sunday terror attacks....

Those Terrorists have no Religion: Displaced Asylum Seekers

“We understand how sad and angry they must be feeling for the loss of their relatives. But, we also hate terrorism. We love peace and freedom which is why we came to peace-loving Sri Lanka,” Hafza, a Pakistani national, said. Hafza...