Journeying Through the Inner Life of a Music Teacher: A Eulogy for My Mother
My mother Hermine passed away in a London hospital on 20th April 2020. She was nearly 83, but I thought she had a few more years ahead of her. I want to…
Year: 2020
DEAD OR TRANQUILISED? THE RECALL OF DISSOLVED PARLIAMENTS
Photo courtesy The COVID-19 crisis took hold in Sri Lanka at a time when Parliament stood dissolved ahead of a general election. The gravity of the public health emergency, and what it…
May 18: A thousand lamps to remember a dark past and inspire a better future
The Catholic Church in the tiny village of Iranapalei in the Mullaitheevu district was lit up with 1000 lamps yesterday, 18th May. The thousand lamps were to remember the tens of thousands,…
Keenie Meenie: A ‘deniable’ arm of Whitehall?
Book Review – Phil Miller, Keenie Meenie: The British Mercenaries Who got away with War Crimes, (Pluto Press, 2020) Eleven years ago, in May 2009, the Sri Lankan security forces decisively defeated…
The fight against Covid-19 should not weaken the rule of law
Photo courtesy The Covid-19 pandemic and the resultant shutdown of social and community life has meant that the political debate and dialogue in Sri Lanka, has moved from more traditional forms of…
Scapegoating the Muslims: From Aluthgama to Post-Easter Sunday to COVID-19
Photo via To date in Sri Lanka 9 persons are said to have died of Covid-19 and out of these 4 are Muslims. At least 02 of these victims’ families believe their…
The need to deploy modern Technology in the COVID War
More than half a century ago, mankind placed a man on the moon, using giant Saturn-V rockets to propel spaceships. If we were to go back there now, we would undoubtedly use…
Ramzy Razeek: An extraordinary struggle for an ordinary life of service upended by an arrest
Image courtesy Ramzy Razik was arrested on April 9, 2020 at his home off Katugasota in Kandy by the CID. The next day, he was produced before the Colombo Magistrate where the…
Election against Democracy
Photo by Tharaka Basnayaka/NurPhoto via Getty Images from It is a modern morality tale about the dangers of misusing the military, of militarising civilian tasks, of expecting generals to handle pandemics. By…
Why understanding the constitution and elections law matters
Photo credit AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena via The postponement of the General Elections 2020 due to the Covid 19 pandemic has led to different viewpoints being expressed on the legal position. The focus…
Radio Ceylon: Reflections on A Non-hegemonic Anchor in the South Asian Soundscape
Image courtesy Vernon Corea blog By Sasanka Perera & Dev Nath Pathak, Department of Sociology, South Asian University, New Delhi Radio, in our view is not merely a matter of technology through…
Freedom of Expression vs. Hate Speech, Fake and Misleading News
Today, 3rd May, is World Press Freedom Day. It is a good day to assess state of Freedom of Expression, and we will focus on importance of ensuring freedom of expression while…
Section 16 of Public Security Ordinance on Curfew and Recalling the Parliament
Photo via The need to reconvene the Parliament was already a conversation in society, a new issue on the legality on the imposition of curfew was highlighted when the Nugegoda Magistrate granted…
A constitutional solution to the impending constitutional crisis
Photo by AP via ABC News The threefold crisis that our country faces— public health, the constitutional, and political—is exacerbating day by day. In the latest development, a number of soldiers of the…
Parliamentary Elections 2020: A Point of View
Photo credit AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena via The coronavirus pandemic has impacted the lives of people in Sri Lanka and across the globe. The President and the Minister of Health have given leadership…
