By NESHELLA PERERA Millions of less affluent Sri Lankans works in the Middle East are sending money home to keep the economy afloat while the more educated who hold higher post in developed countries keep money stashed elsewhere, Labour Minister Manusha Nanayakkara said. “The most amount of foreign exchange generated for Sri Lanka comes from the […]

By Sanath Nanayakkare Leaving aside the battle for grabbing political power, a crucial time has come for Sri Lanka’s parliament to work together to arrive at a consensus on the IMF’s Extended Fund facility approved for Sri Lanka as well as collaborating on a common framework for restructuring the sovereign’s debt with bilateral creditors and […]

Draconian Patriot Act exposed By Daya Gamage Foreign Service National Political Specialist (ret) U.S. Department of State Six weeks after the September 11 attacks on American soil, the U.S. Congress passed the “USA/Patriot Act,” nation’s hurried surveillance laws that expanded the government’s authority to check on its own citizens, while simultaneously reducing checks and ...

Sri Lanka is caught up in the China-Quad battle. The Indian participation in the ‘Quad’ project has further complicated matters for Sri Lanka. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s ouster, last July, following a US-backed protest campaign that overwhelmed the seemingly invincible administration, underlines the urgent need for a thorough examination of external interventions. By Shamindra Ferdinando The [...

Karl Marx had said that the society is divided on the basis of income into the rich and the poor and that the latter will get together and get rid of the rich. That did not happen, for Marx had not reckoned the influence of the middle class which stood as a buffer between the […]

The Easter Sunday attacks were probed under three presidents, but did not disclose the truth of who was behind the attacks, the National Peace Council (NPC) said yesterday in a press release.The best that has been done so far, has been by the Supreme Court and this followed a Fundamental Rights case filed by the […]

By Uditha Devapriya On 7 February 1970, Trinity College, Kandy held its 99th annual Prize Giving. Presided by the then Anglican Bishop of Kurunegala, Lakshman Wickremesinghe, the ceremony featured Martin Wickramasinghe as its Chief Guest. By this point Wickramasinghe had established himself as Sri Lanka’s leading literary figure. A grand old man of 80, he […]

By Sunimalee Madurawala “The shortage of medicines will significantly impact medications for non-communicable diseases (NCDs). If NCD patients don’t receive their regular medication, their condition will worsen,” stated a Provincial Director of Health Services speaking on the implications of the economic crisis on NCDs. Over the last few decades, NCDs have emerged as a critical [...

Friday 21st April, 2023 Parliament is going to debate the government’s agreement with the IMF, which has approved USD 3 billion for Sri Lanka under the Extended Fund Facility Arrangement. The debate is scheduled to take place from 26 to 28 April, we are told. Public finance is the province of Parliament, which should scrutinise the […]

By Saman Gunatilake MBBS, MD, FRCP, FCCP, Hon FRACP Emeritus Professor of Medicine, University of Sri Jayewardenepura Consultant Neurologist One of the most quoted phrases of Karl Marx, the German philosopher and political theorist, popularly known as the ‘Father of Communism’, is “History repeats itself, first as a tragedy, second as a farce”. This quote […]

By Shamindra Ferdinando The Foreign Affairs Ministry strongly defended its decision to set up a new diplomatic mission in Bucharest, Romania, on the basis it could help Sri Lanka generate revenue through what the Public Diplomacy Division of the Foreign Ministry called, safe and legal labour migration. Priyanga Wickramasinghe, Director, PDD, said so in response […]

…and move to license poaching in northern waters The Sectoral Committee on International Relations should examine the highly contentious proposal to regulate Indian poaching in Sri Lankan waters. Talks are continuing on the setting up of a licensing system to address a long standing problem. The intensity of poaching has only increased since the conclusion […]