Media reports indicate that while several members of Parliament have received pistols for their protection, another twenty MPs have requested firearms to ensure their personal security.

President Dissanayake issued an ultimatum to police and military personnel involved in narcotics trafficking: resign immediately or face decisive action without protection. However, these treacherous officers are unlikely to voluntarily come forward.

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 funda

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

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.

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.

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 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

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 adapt

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 t

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

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 improvi

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

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 n

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

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.

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

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

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 elect

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 follow

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.

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