The ascension of Junius Richard Jayewardene to the premier seat of political power in 1977 paved the way for a drastic transformation of Sri Lanka’s politico-economic landscape and environment. J.R. Jayewardene known popularly as “JR” ushered

In February 2023, Adani Green Energy (Sri Lanka) Ltd was given provisional approval for two wind power projects of 250 MW in Mannar and 234 MW in Pooneryn. The proposed project site in Mannar spans....

Foreign Affairs Minister Ali Sabry recently said that tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka may exceed 2.5 million in 2024. While the figures....

The Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) known in English as the Federal Party (FP) is in the eye of a legal storm. The premier political party representing the Sri Lankan Tamils of the Northern and Eastern provinces is currently undergoing an internal

Today (Feb 17) is the birthday of Sri Lanka’s popular business magnate Philip Upali Wijewardene. If Upali Wijewardene were among the living now, he would have celebrated his 86th birthday this year. Alas, this was not to be as the Lear Jet he was

The Presidential and General elections are two much anticipated events in Sri Lanka’s political calendar this year (2024). The lack of funds to conduct an election has been one of the key factors that supposedly delayed the local government electio

“The best laid schemes of mice and men often go awry,” penned the Scottish bard, Robert Burns in his poem, “To A Mouse”. This truth was brought home in an explosive manner to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), 37 years ago, when a m

The discovery of an elephant carcass in Giribawa on February 6 raised the total count of elephant deaths to 21 for this year. In 2023, Sri Lanka made history as the country with the highest number of elephant deaths, hitting a record high of 400 or m

National People’s Power or NPP, the major alliance of JanathaVimukthi Peramuna (JVP), is in a historical juncture of its political journey as its leaders have visited India on an invitation by the Indian Government. In the 1980s the JVP took a stro

The media spotlight is focused to a great extent on Jaffna District Parliamentarian, Sivagnanam Shritharan these days. The 55 year old former school principal has been elected as the President of Sri Lanka’s premier Tamil political party, the Ilank

On Thursday (January 18), a sub-inspector attached to the Narammala Police Station opened fire at a civilian. The civilian, identified as K. A Roshan Kumarasiri succumbed to injuries instantly. The reason....

Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa was portrayed as a monument of efficiency who could uplift Sri Lanka by his ‘Viyathmaga’ cronies and his family party the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) at the Presidential elections of 2019. More than 6.9 million

A broken pair of rubber slippers kept on a display caught this writer’s eye as she walked into the ICES auditorium to witness....

The ongoing economic crisis in the country is not only impacting the availability of food, but has also had a significant effect on population growth. This is evident in the fact that the majority of individuals who married in the years 2021-2022-202

“Suma, Shri and Yohes in Triangular Contest for ITAK/FP Leadership” was the heading of my article published in the “Daily Mirror” of 16 December 2024. The article was about the forthcoming election for the party Presidency of the Ilankai Tham

On Tuesday (January 9), staffers in the paramedic services launched an unannounced token strike that crippled the country’s already ailing healthcare sector. The strike was launched in wake of the government approving to double the Disturbance, Ava

Sri Lanka has its very own illustrious history in politics where the country recorded the swearing in of its first female prime minister; which also...

Law enforcement authorities have been able to net over 29,000 suspects during the past 22 days under its recently launched ‘Yukthiya’ anti-drug operation. The main objective of this operation is to wipe drugs off the street and to establish a saf

On January 3, a WhatsApp message written by one Gerald De Saram revealed another incident of alleged police brutality on two teens. The incident had occurred when two youths, a boy and a girl were.....

Had the LTTE transformed its military strength into political bargaining power at the appropriate time, the Tamil people would certainly be in a better position. But this did not happen, and today the Tamils as a people are in a difficult situation

In November last year, at least a 100,000 public sector employees launched an island wide strike demanding a Rs. 20,000 ...

“UNHCR is closing its office and thereby squashing the hopes of refugees in Sri Lanka,” a protester representing Rohingya refugees....

In the early 2022, when the entire country was going through a ‘hell’ without essential goods, days long queues to buy fuel and gas....

The focus of this two-part article is the tragic plight of Lionair 602 flight twenty-five years ago. The first part of this article published last week related how the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) shot down an Antonov 24 carrying 48 passen

The ‘Yukthiya’ anti-drug operation was launched on December 17 with the objective of cracking down on drug peddling and organised crimes that have plagued the country. So far, over 13,000 suspects have been arrested by the Police under this opera

Twenty-five years ago an Antonov 24 aircraft carrying fifty-five civilians from Jaffna to Colombo was shot down over the Gulf of Mannar by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on 29 September 1998.

Back in 2019, during one of his visits to the Philippines, the then President Maithripala Sirisena praised Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s approach to control the drug menace; an approach that had allegedly led to thousands of extrajudicial

The Ilankai Thamil Arasuk Katchi (ITAK) known in English as the Federal Party (FP) is the premier political party of the Northern and Eastern Sri Lankan Tamils. The ITAK/FP was formed on 18 December 1949.

Migrant worker remittances constitute a major component of Sri Lanka’s Gross Domestic Product. Central Bank statistics indicate that Sri Lankan migrant workers remitted close to USD 3.8 billion in 2022. But despite pre-departure trainings and skill

Sri Lanka’s 2024 budget, presented by President Ranil Wickremesinghe in November 2023, comes at a crucial juncture in the country’s history. The island nation grapples with the aftermath of the 2022 economic crisis, a result of a decade of unsust