Breaking the Silence on Batalanda: A Call to Action
For more than two decades, the Batalanda Commission report has languished in the archives of our nation’s history, ignored and forgotten by those who should have cared most [1]. But recent events,…
Politics and Governance
Dealing with Sri Lanka’s Two Systems
James Edition Since colonisation of Ceylon by the British, we had two systems: the native social system with strong cultural and religious orientation and the colonial system with British cultural (including educational),…
Trump Tariffs Expose Sri Lanka’s Uncompetitive Trade Policy
The recent imposition of tariffs on trade by the US on Sri Lankan exports is a wake up call. While concerns about the bilateral US-Sri Lanka trade imbalance have been noted, a…
Tackling the Scourge of Corruption
Sri Lanka was ranked as the 121st least corrupt nation out of 180 countries according to the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index reported by Transparency International. Sri Lanka scored a 32 on a…
The Thaiyatty Land Issue
Although the civil war ended 16 years ago, Sri Lanka’s land conflicts continue with state agencies appropriating land used and owned by Tamil and Muslim communities in the north and east in…
Need for a Trans-boundary Blue-Green Biosphere Reserve in the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay
Blue-green land and waterscapes act as ecological corridors across land and water in creating an ecological continuity in order to protect and restore the habitats of native and naturalized species. In addition,…
Witnessing Two Genocides Happening Now
As part of the Kolamba Kamatha Festival, Stages Theatre Group presented , two powerful plays of remembering, witnessing and refusing to look away. In , playwright Ruwanthi De Chickera distills the complexity…
Protecting and Preserving the Environment Against All Odds
Sri Lanka’s future is interwoven with the fate of its natural habitats. The country must act now to preserve its rich biodiversity. The fate of its forests, wildlife and, by extension, its…
Sri Lanka’s Response to the UK Sanctions
Last year, I studied in some depth perceptions of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) and the National People’s Power (NPP) after the consequential presidential election and again after the even more significant…
Israeli Tourists Spark Tensions in Arugam Bay
Arugam Bay, once an idyllic and peaceful coastal town in the southeast, is facing growing tensions as the number of Israeli tourists, particularly those with military connections, continues to rise. The influx…
Sanctions: A Step in the Right Direction to Combat Impunity
The UK government has announced sanctions on three top former war time military commanders and a former LTTE commander accused of serious human rights violations and abuses such as extra judicial killings,…
UK Sanctions Former Military Commanders and Karuna
The UK government has imposed sanctions, which include UK travel bans and asset freezes, on three former military commanders and a Tamil paramilitary leader accused of serious human rights violations and abuses…
Exploring How Perceptions of Land Have Shaped Sri Lanka
The Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art’s Total Landscaping exhibition features the work of 29 contemporary artists moving beyond traditional depictions of landscapes and instead exploring how perceptions of land in Sri…
A Victory for the Bathalegoda Estate Workers
With British colonial rulers controlling the coastal regions, including the lowlands, they secured the Kandyan kingdom through an agreement unifying Sri Lanka into a single state in March 1815. Until then, the…
The Anatomy of a Debasement
Let’s begin with a story. Once upon a time, the prime minister of an island nation was plagued by an outbreak of labour unrest. He summoned the police chief and ordered him…
