Youth Rights and Liberty in Sri Lanka
According to the latest estimates by the United Nations, in 2019, 1.2 billion of the world’s population were between the ages of 15 and 24. That is one in every six people!…
Development
The Value of Forests
This is a callout to Sri Lankans who have enjoyed our forests. If you have ever spread your picnic lunch in the soft shade of a roadside forest or gazed out from…
PODCAST: Conversation with Anushka Wijesinha on economic, the pandemic & life under lock-down in Sri Lanka
In an on-going series of podcasts with individuals in Sri Lanka, I caught up with economist Anushka Wijesinha to talk about the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on Sri Lanka as well…
Hijacking a Third World State: Post-colonial governance, elitism and international law. The case of Sri Lanka.
Photo via The creation of elitism, patronage and postcolonial governance Sri Lanka’s idle paradise had operated, since the end of British colonialism, within the British institutional system and legal measures. These were…
Out of Site, Out of Mind – A Shift in the Protest Landscape of Colombo
Image courtesy Twitter/Ishara Danasekara The appearance of a sign designating an area near the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo as an “Agitation Site” has had a divided reception. According to Cabinet Spokesperson Minister…
For a political-economic understanding of land conflicts in Eastern Sri Lanka
Photo courtesy When talking about conflicts around land in eastern Sri Lanka, explanations based on ethnic identity spring to mind. Sri Lanka’s ethnic majority, for example, is seen as having the right…
A week that will shake Sri Lanka’s future
Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe via PRI Who is winning? This seems to be the question many people these days are keen to find an answer to. Whenever this question is put to…
EleFriendly Bus Endangered after Easter Sunday Attacks
Several months on, the effect of the Easter Sunday attacks on April 21, 2019 is being felt even in remote areas like Wasgamuwa, affecting both children and elephants. As an indirect result…
INFOGRAPHIC: What Can Rs. 17 Billion Buy?
The Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the operations of Sri Lankan and Mihin airlines has revealed corruption, malpractice and political interference. Pulling no punches, the Commission in its final report made a…
The ecology of an issue: ‘Save Wilpattu’ on Facebook and Twitter
When over the weekend, senior journalist Amantha Perera sent a link to a post on Facebook asking if it was one that was popular, the answer took me into a brief study…
Budget 2019 – A Round Up
On March 5, 2019, Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera presented the Budget in Parliament. spoke to economists for their reactions. Here’s what we asked: W A Wijewardena – Former Deputy Governor Central Bank…
Sri Lanka’s political system: A Failure of Governance
This essay examines failures of governance in Sri Lanka. Although discussed within the context of State Owned Enterprises (SOE), they affect many other aspects of public life. The weaknesses in the governance…
A Day in Saraswathi’s Life (VIDEO)
38-year-old Saraswathi wakes at 5.30 am to send her children to school before she heads to work. In this video, produced by Selvaraja Rajasegar of , she readies her children for school, in…
Keppapulavu: Land Struggle Reaches Boiling Point after 700 days of protest
700 days is a long time for a day and night protest outside an Army camp. Since March 1, 2017, the people of Keppapulavu, located in the Mullaitheevu district in Northern Sri…
Release Our Land As Promised: Displaced People And Supporters Write to President
Editor’s Note: The following is the text of a letter handed over to the President, Prime Minister and party leaders, asking for the release of land in the North and East to…