Tackling Period Poverty
Mahatma Gandhi said, “The measure of any society is how it treats its women.” This statement emphasizes the critical role women’s wellbeing plays in societal progress. The life of women in a…
Human Rights
The Translatability of Minority Ethnic Identities in Sri Lanka
Walter Benjamin, the German philosopher, introduced the concept of translatability, framing it not as an exploration of identity but as the translator’s ability to capture the essence of a text. His question,…
Rohingyas: Why are They in Sri Lanka and What Should We Do?
Rohingyas are an ethnic community from Myanmar’s Rakhine province. They have been facing severe persecution for decades, which continues until today. Myanmar’s government doesn’t accept them as citizens, so they are stateless….
Deadly Desires of Demagogic Twins
US president-elect Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the demagogic twins, seem to be on parallel paths with deadly desires to expand the borders of their respective countries. While Trump wants…
Mullivaikkal War Survivors Assist Rohingya Asylum Seekers
Mullivaikkal is a remote coastal village in the Mullaitivu and its ethnic composition is predominantly Tamil. It is significant as it is where Sri Lanka’s 30 year civil war came to a…
The Ghosts of Constitution Hill
I sense I’m standing on hallowed ground. A place searing with warnings, some heeded, many forgotten. Here the weight of history lays heavy on me, the solemn, searching, haunted visitor. I’ve never…
The Murders of Troublesome Priests
January 6 this year is the 40 anniversary of the killing of Fr. Mary Bastian, a Catholic priest from the diocese of Mannar. It will be yet another anniversary to be celebrated without…
At End of Extraordinary Year, Hopes and Uncertainties on Rights
In mid-November last year the National People’s Power (NPP) centre left coalition won a landslide victory in Sri Lanka’s parliamentary election after its leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake was voted president in September….
Jimmy Carter
Forbes Jimmy Carter has died, after one hundred years, after healing river blindness, ensuring fair elections, negotiating the release of prisoners, calling out tyranny, assuring that to love your neighbor…
Steering Sri Lanka Away from Kakistocracy
By January 2022 Sri Lanka was well on its way to becoming a failed state. Bankrupt, riddled with corruption from top to bottom and at the mercy of evil leaders, the country…
Christmas, Palestine, Rohingyas and Sri Lanka
Jesus was born in Bethlehem, in Palestine, during a time of colonization and political and economic oppression by Roman imperialism. Those who dared to call for freedom and justice were brutally crushed….
They Nailed Themselves to the Cross
Christianity gained popularity in Sri Lanka following the arrival of European invaders and became a widely practiced religion over time. The Nestorian crosses discovered during archaeological excavations in Anuradhapura, which was a…
Christmas Card to a President
You ask me to sign a card to the outgoing president and his teacher spouse. Happy to do so while biting my tongue and repeating the mantra that this is a…
From Gaza to Syria Israel Runs Amok
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is now an international outlaw and a fugitive under the protection of US. All international institutions including the UN General Assembly (UNGA), UN Security Council (UNSC), International…
Comrade Prins Gunasekera and the Lost Generation
Born in Kataluwa, Galle District, Comrade Prins Gunasekera was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Habaraduwa electorate in March 1960 and re-elected under the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) ticket…
