At the second high-level roundtable discussion on Crisis to Recovery today (Oct. 31), both developmental partners and the private sector have expressed overwhelming commitment and confidence in the Sri Lankan government s current reform efforts.

Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekera, MP, has drawn the attention of President Ranil Wickremesinghe to the humiliation caused by travel restrictions imposed on senior serving and retired military officers and two former Presidents by the US, Australia and Canada. In a letter dated 25 Oct., the former Public Security Minister has pointed out to the President […]

By Dr. Dayantha Laksiri Mendis “Multilateral treaties are the bones and sinews of global politic, making it possible for states to move from talk through compromise to solemn commitment.”– Professor Thomas M. Frank BACKGROUND The UN system is the catalyst for the creation of multilateral treaties. It is the greatest achievement of the UN system […]

by Eng Parakrama Jayasinghe parajayasinghe@gmail.com  Electricity consumers reeling from the massive increase in tariff in February (adjusted somewhat in July 2023) were naturally appalled by the request for a further increase by the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB).  A public consultation was held on 18 October 2023 by the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) […]

ECONOMYNEXT –Legislators representing Sri Lanka’s Tamil community have questioned alleged police inaction on a Buddhist monk accused of inciting “racial hatred and violence”. Opposition Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian M A Sumanthiran writing to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) on Friday October 27 said Mangalaramaya Ampitiya Sumana Thero has threatened to cut Tamils ...

By Rathindra Kuruwita Sri Lanka’s once highly-praised healthcare system is facing a severe crisis, and the root causes can be traced to corruption, nepotism, cronyism, and mismanagement, according to Professor Indika Karunathilake, the Secretary-General of the Asia Pacific Academic Consortium for Public Health (APACPH). In a scathing assessment of the situation, Professor Karunathilake highlighted...

by Rajan Philips The first part of the title needs no elaboration. The second part is an unfolding question that has many answers to it, and which one of them will eventually prevail also depends on multiple factors. Objective circumstances, agency roles and subjective leadership moves are all at play. The simplest way to exit […]

By Shamindra Ferdinando Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka, MP, has stressed the pivotal importance of public protests against waste, corruption, irregularities and mismanagement.Alleging that those who had been entrusted with the task of governing the country have instead ruined it, Chairman of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Fonseka, on Thursday, said that every citizen should bear […]

Analysts have condemned the politicizing of China’s legal scientific activity in the Indian Ocean after some Indian media made sensational claims about an oceangoing geophysical research ship from China that docked at a port in Sri Lanka, adding that the claims merely serve India’s regional strategy. The oceangoing geophysical research ship Shiyan 6 reportedly docked […]

President Ranil Wickremesinghe has urged all politicians and citizens to set their sights on a new vision for the nation, emphasizing the need to build a new country, a fresh economy and a reinvigorated political system, united for the common good.

At an event held at  Royal College, Colombo to mark ‘A century of educational excellence at Reid Avenue‘,  President Ranil Wickremesinghe,  acknowledging the inherent political differences in a multi-party democracy and  made a solemn call to all politicians and citizens alike urging  them to set their sights on a new vision for the nation, emphasizing […]

By Shamindra Ferdinando Alleging that attempts were being made to evict people from the Divulpothana village in the Batticaloa District, Ven. Ampitiye Sumanaratne thera, Chief Incumbent of Mangalaramaya, Batticaloa, has called for the immediate intervention of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) to protect the rights of the victims. In a four-page letter […]

By Sirimantha Rathnasekera Minister of Water Supply and Estate Infrastructure Development, and General Secretary of the Ceylon Workers Congress, Jeevan Thondaman during a meeting with the Director General of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Gilbert F. Houngbo raised concerns pertaining to the Lankan migrant workers, ministry sources said. Minister Thondaman and his delegation embarked o...

By Chandre Dharmawardana chandre.dharma@yahoo.ca According to newspaper reports (The Island 16 October [1]), an NGO carrying the acronym MONLAR has accused that “the agricultural policies of successive governments have rendered millions of Lankans insecure”. It claims that “as of today, 5.3 million people in Sri Lanka are food insecure. This proves that what the government [̷...

Tuesday 24th October, 2023 President Ranil Wickremesinghe has effected what may be called a mini Cabinet reshuffle. He has chosen to shift problems, as it were, instead of solving them. Keheliya Rambukwella, who failed as the Health Minister, and became a huge embarrassment to the government, has been appointed the Minister of Environment. Is it […]

Confusion confounded: By Jehan Perera President Wickremesinghe’s appointment of a commission of inquiry to investigate existing election laws and regulations and recommend changes has come without prior discussion or warning.  It was a carefully kept secret until brought to the notice of the general public by the president’s appointment of the commission. The commission has […]