The not so curious case of Hirunika Premachandra
Original photo published in Hirunika Premachandra is either one confused woman or one shrewd woman. One moment she is unleashing her wrath on MP Duminda Silva, the chief suspect in the fatal…
Author: Ruwanminee Wickremasinghe
Is post-war Sri Lanka at grave risk of a “Fat Tail” failure?
Eurasia Group, a leading global political risk research and consulting firm earlier this year listed ten countries that may fall risk to “Fat Tail”.  To those of you not familiar with the…
A disturbing and growing McCarthyism in Sri Lanka?
The yardstick which President Mahinda Rajapaksa and many in his government used often to illustrate the “unbridled” freedom the media in this country was the publication of “The Sunday Leader“, a fiercely…
Why are we wasting our lives in traffic jams for corrupt politicians?
“You should not let these men (politicians) to come out. Their presence in public places itself threatens the common men. I do not know why it has become a matter of prestige…
“Today’s terrorist is today’s and tomorrow’s murderer”: Resolving violent conflict in Sri Lanka
“There is a false and foolish and evil saying that today’s terrorist is tomorrow’s freedom fighter. Today’s terrorist is today’s and tomorrow’s murderer.” These were the words used by the former Foreign…
Misguided cultural policing in Sri Lanka: Where’s the morality amongst politicians?
No more scantily clad foreign cheerleaders at cricket matches in Sri Lanka as it goes against our “culture”, the Minister of Sports and Public Recreation Gamini Lokuge recently decreed. He was awakened…
The Rajapakse regime: Rewarding the corrupt and sheltering the criminal?
If there is one thing that is crystal clear about the Mahinda Rajapaksa administration, it is that it rewards wrong doers and punishes the righteous. The President’s decision to include the Treasury…
The tamasha that is SAARC – Who really cares and benefits?
An interesting advertisement by a tour operator caught my eye in a daily paper last week. It said “Get away during the SAARC summit” as a part of an advertisement promoting overseas…
When meritocracy dies and nepotism reigns supreme
The country got a new Inspector General of Police (IGP) on July 1 with Jayantha Wickremaratna’s appointment to the highest position in the Police Department. His predecessor Victor Perera was not left…
When servants of the people become oppressors in Sri Lanka
In the Republic of Sri Lanka, sovereignty is in the people and is inalienable. We elect a President, Members of Parliament, and Provincial Councilors etc using the powers vested with the people…
The pitfalls and u-turns of party politics in Sri Lanka
President Mahinda Rajapaksa was sworn in as the 5th Executive President of Sri Lanka on November 19th, 2005. Soon after the event, the main architects of Rajapaksa’s victory Mangala Samaraweera and Wimal Weerawansa along with SLFP…
Hawks and hypocrisy in the Rajapaksa administration
When President Mahinda Rajapaksa met with some editors and senior journalists recently, he was asked about the attack on the Associate Editor of the Nation. His reply was,” You know me, I…
A malicious “patriotism” and its impact on media and journalists
Journalists in Sri Lanka are trying to recollect whether they had a worse time under the regime of President Ranasinghe Premadasa when during the height of a crackdown on a JVP insurrection…