The 100 days programme of President Sirisena: People’s perspectives
On the 23rd April, President Sirisena completed a 100 days in office. On a site – one of many – that has monitored the implementation of the 100-days programme, 10 out of…
Development
A Port City or a Garden City for Colombo?
The call for full transparency regarding the negotiations that led to the Port City must be provided to the public, however the deliberations and resolution at a political level will take a…
The Bond Issue Controversy: An Analysis
Image courtesy By Sam Samarasinghe and Dushyantha Mendis The issue of government bonds on February 27 has raised a huge controversy, involving questions as to the competence of the Government of Sri…
Sovereignty and Colombo Port City
Image courtesy Yamu Throughout the world, the owning or holding of and that belongs to another sovereign nation, termed “territories held” have recently been largely returned. The to China in 1999. The notable…
Post-war reconstruction and women: Has the Indian Housing Project become a debt trap?
Photo courtesy Red Cross Following the end of the armed conflict, people returned to their areas of origin in the conflict affected areas with limited, and in some cases no resources, to…
Considerations for the Port City
Image courtesy Yamu It is heartening to see our Government standing up for the rule of law and the protection of our rights and health in the face of corrupt deals made my…
A Fifty of a Hundred Days to Few, or too Many?
Image courtesy A former British Prime Minister Harold Wilson made the oft- quoted remark that a week is a long time in politics. What then of fifty days, not to mention a…
Open Letter to the Government of Sri Lanka: On the Port City Review
Image courtesy Yamu Prime Minister Hon. Ranil Wickremesinghe Minister Hon. Rajitha Senaratne Minister Hon Lakshman Kiriella Dear Sirs, On the Port City Review I am writing this open letter to you all…
Economics of the Colombo Port City Project
Image courtesy Yamu The government recently took a cabinet decision to go ahead with the $15 billion Colombo Port City Project (CPCP). Cabinet spokesperson Dr. Rajitha Senaratne, trying to justify the decision…
Will there be “Maithree” and “Yahapalanaya” for Navy occupied Mullikulam?
Last week, I went to Mullikulam, a beautiful and resourceful village in the Mannar district, which has been illegally occupied by the Navy for more than 7 years. It was my first…
Contrasting post civil war development trajectories in Nepal and Sri Lanka
Photograph courtesy Asian Tribune In both Nepal and Sri Lanka the transition from war to durable peace has been painful and is ongoing and not devoid of pitfalls as has been the…
Walking Paths, Floating Fish
Walking Paths I live in the vicinity of the Attidiya-Bellanwila wetlands. This wetland was home to several species of aquatic birds, many varieties of endemic fish and a host of amphibious creatures ranging…
The tsunami: 10 years on
commissioned The Picture Press to capture through photography the tsunami that hit Sri Lanka on Boxing Day, 2004. As journalist Amantha Perera notes, The tsunami took a dramatic toll on unsuspecting Sri…
Synthetic development, commodification of the body and the vote under neo-liberal economic policies: Where to now?
Photo credit Marvellous Sri Lanka In modern day governance, there are certain principles that peace-loving people expect the rulers to implement. One of them is accountability. Accountability for the actions, expenditure, decisions,…
The new Yarl Devi to Jaffna: What do people in Jaffna think?
Photograph courtesy Colombo Gazette. A version of this article appears on the author’s blog. The Yarl Devi was a train. A hulking pile of metal on wheels, just like any other train….
