By Dr. Prasanna Cooray First, we should question whether the age-old notion of “Free Healthcare in Sri Lanka” is valid anymore. Going by the Total Health Expenditure statistics of the country, one would realise it is a misnomer.According to healthcare spending in Sri Lanka, from 1990 to 2019, published by the Institute for Health Policy, […]

Monday 21st August, 2023 Much is being talked about ‘pyramids’ and ‘islands’, of all things, these days. Another pyramid scheme has reportedly collapsed, and those who have lost their money are letting out howls of protests via social media. The Central Bank, from time to time, issues severe warnings to the public about such frauds, […]

Milinda Moragoda, who is scheduled to relinquish duties as Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner in New Delhi, has stressed the pivotal importance of the two countries developing the current relationship to a strategic level, on the basis of recently inked agreements. Moragoda said so addressing the students of the 63rd National Defence Course at the National Defence College (NDC) […]

Registered tax files 500,000, only 31,000 pay personal tax Proposed amendments to Sri Lanka’s Inland Revenue Act will serve to address purported under performance of Inland Revenue Department (IRD) officials in a bid to enhance income tax collection, Government MP Mahindananda Aluthgamage said, noting that there is only one person in the country who pays […]

Government authorities must consult vehicle importers when making decisions on relaxing an ongoing import ban, President of the Vehicle Importers’ Association Indika Sampath Merinchige said. Welcoming a recent announcement by the government that it will scrap an import ban on several types of commercial vehicles, Merinchige told reporters on Monday August 14 that the authorities […]

Business tycoon Harry Jayawardena celebrated his 80th birthday on Thursday. Jayawardena, a former employee of Consolexpo, the State Trading Corporation handling exports, together with some colleagues, including former Civil Servant, the late VP Vittachi who was chairman of Consolexpo, set up Stassen Exports (Stassen is his second name) after the change of government in 1977. […]

By Shamindra Ferdinando Top Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) spokesperson Mujibur Rahman yesterday (18) alleged that the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa government was continuing with controversial projects launched by the previous Gatabaya Rajapaksa administration. The former SJB lawmaker said so, referring to the high profile ‘investment of South Asia Logistic Centres in the port of Colombo’, a project ini...

Any solution to the existential ethnic problems of the peoples of the Northern and Eastern Provinces, through the implementation of the 13th Amendment or otherwise, can never be a lasting sustainable solution without the equal and equitable process and participation of the Muslims and Sinhala communities of Sri Lanka, MP Naseer Ahmed, Deputy Leader, Sri […]

Foreign Affairs Minister Ali Sabry has briefed the Colombo-based diplomatic corps on the current developments in Sri Lanka.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe has received an invitation to participate in the Summit of the Group of 77 (G77) plus China, which will take place in Cuba in September, foreign media reported.

Wang Yi, Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, (and Foreign Minister) said, on Wednesday, that China would help Sri Lanka effectively address the challenges of financial debt. Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, said so during […]

Friday 18th August, 2023 President Ranil Wickremesinghe is going full tilt to grant more powers to the Provincial Councils (PCs) though the SLPP, which is propping him up, having elevated him to the presidency, has resisted his efforts to implement the 13th Amendment (13A) fully. Amidst the ongoing argy-bargy over 13A, the Finance Commission of […]

State Minister of Finance Shehan Semasinghe has emphasised that receiving the second tranche of the IMF s Extended Fund Facility (EFF) will portray a positive image of Sri Lanka s economy in the future to both foreign and local investors.

Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, vowed that China will help Sri Lanka effectively address the challenges of financial debt on Wednesday.

Thursday 17th August, 2023 There has been an unnervingly rapid deterioration of the public health sector during recent years. Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella is bellowing hollow rhetoric and stretching the truth, and the government is all at sea. As if the crushing shortages of medicines and equipment affecting the state medical institutions were not enough, […]

There is considerable haggling in some local quarters on whether the concept of Non-alignment is of any relevance to Sri Lanka in particular and to the developing world in general. Going by some pronouncements in these sections the ideology of Non-alignment has seemingly ceased to be of importance to Sri Lanka as a basis of […]

– former Foreign Secy. Ambassador Palihakkara Former Foreign Secretary, Ambassador H. M. G. S. Palihakkara, has said the overarching challenge that is faced by Sri Lanka in its foreign relations, is demonstrating that it is after tangible economic benefits and not “geopolitical mischief” in the Indian Ocean. He emphasized the need to harmonise domestic and […]