Opinion

Diplomatic damage control, after tensions flare in Cabinet

Each week on Tuesday, Sri Lanka’s Cabinet of Ministers meets, with President Maithripala Sirisena presiding. With a fragile coalition primarily of arch political rivals in the governing seat, Cabinet meetings have been controversial and heated affairs for the better part of nearly four years.Yet last week’s fateful meeting was the first of its kind to cause major...

2018-10-20 18:30:00

“Unhappy is the land that needs a hero”

“Unhappy is the land that needs a hero” is the heavy-hearted response of Galileo to his pupil Andrea, when the latter, furious with the Astronomer’s recantation tells him “Unhappy is the land that breeds no hero”.Bertolt Brecht wrote his epic play on the life of Galileo in the twilight years of the Weimar Republic when its democratic chaos ended with electoral success of...

2018-10-20 18:30:00 0

Indo-Lanka ties and plot allegation

The relationship between India and Sri Lanka has seen many ups and downs in the past – from high points such as the agreements of 1964 and 1975 relating to Tamils of Indian origin in Sri Lanka or the demarcation of maritime boundaries which confirmed the Sri Lankan ownership of Katchathivu in 1976, and reaching lows such as India’s ‘Parippu drop’ violating our soverignity...

2018-10-20 18:30:00 0

The terror of counter-terror laws

With the second reading of the Counter Terrorism Bill scheduled for Tuesday (23), rights activists are still raising grave concerns about the proposed legislation.For about 40 years, the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) served as a license for torture, sexual violence, enforced disappearances, and prolonged detention. Three years have passed since the governmental...

2018-10-20 18:30:00 0