Aswesuma: High Exclusion, Low Transparency?
The Welfare Benefits Board (WBB) called for applications last year for people to be included in the new registry that will bring all the current benefits schemes under one platform names Aswesuma.…
Author: Iromi Perera
The Reality of Sirisara Uyana: Redefining apartment living in Colombo
On March 15, 2018 (Thursday) at around 7.45 pm, a fire broke out inside a fifth floor apartment at the Sirisara Uyana complex in Dematagoda. Sirisara Uyana is one of the high-rises…
Sri Lankan perceptions on life post-war
Six years after the end of war in Sri Lanka, the four main ethnic communities are still divided when it comes to issues related to reconciliation. ‘Sri Lankan perceptions on life post…
Evicted under the World Bank’s Watch
Forcible demolition of 34 Watta homes when court case was ongoing, September 2014. Photograph by Selvaraj Rajasegar. As part of on-going research at the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) dealing with evicted communities in…
Five years ago, today: Evicted and homeless
Photo courtesy JDS On 8th May 2010, the Urban Development Authority (UDA) demolished 20 homes that were occupied by 33 families on Mews Street in Kompannyaveediya, Colombo 2. Families were informed verbally…
From shanty to home : Myth vs reality of Colombo’s Urban Regeneration Project
Photo by Abdul-Halik Azeez, courtesy The Picture Press The ambitious Urban Regeneration Project (URP) launched by the Ministry of Defense and Urban Development aims to transform Colombo into a world-class destination for…
Mapping 12 years of Sri Lankan opinion
Perspectives of Sri Lankans over the last decade or so makes for fascinating reading five years after the end of the war. This infographic is only a snapshot of the hope, frustration,…
Thirty years ago, today
Thirty years ago today, my parents were heroes. Until yesterday, I didn’t even know this. My mother who worked in Fort back then, saw buildings going up in smoke, tyres burning and…
Sri Lanka’s Census 2012: What should have been asked? What could have been done better?
Conducting a census is an important activity for any country as the data gathered from it would serve as the foundation for policies, development related activities and future planning of not only…
Sexist doctors: Speak up, talk about it
Image courtesy The lady in front of me in the queue put a packet of condoms on the counter and we both could see the cashier’s eyes flicker over her left hand,…
In the midst of the Adi Vel festival
All photos by Iromi Perera 9.30am Saturday morning. I was walking on the pavement in Bambalapitiya when I found myself in the midst of the Adi Vel festival. I had passed it…
Trail Sri Lanka: Celebrating the Sri Lankan spirit
(Are you folk walking to the North?) Not exactly the kind of question one is asked at 7.30am on a Friday morning. But it wasn’t your average Friday morning. At that point,…
Celebrating sexist, lewd live television in Sri Lanka
When I overhead someone talking about the dramatic finale of Swarnavahini’s Megastar reality show I wanted to know what had happened since I had seen a few episodes of this bizarre show…
The Big Stink in Sri Lanka
Every day, we fight several battles – from inflation to traffic to our friendly neighborhood cop. Our battles are many, but our defeat in one particular battle stands out, quite spectacularly. Sign…