The Final Nail in the Coffin of the Wild Elephant
Part 1 dealt with how that icon of Uda Walawe, Rambo the mature bull elephant who has been conditioned to accept food from those passing the National Park, now faces the prospect…
Politics and Governance
Are We the Architects of Our Own Destruction?
These quotes from conservationists and architects are very relevant to modern Colombo where it seems like every day another huge glass and concrete structure springs up like a poisonous mushroom, blocking the…
Prisons in the Jungle
Part 1 dealt with how that icon of Uda Walawe, Rambo the mature bull elephant who has been conditioned to accept food from those passing the national park, now faces the prospect…
The Uncertain Fate of Rambo the Elephant
Rambo, the mature male elephant that has become an icon of the Uda Walawe National Park, was doomed to be captured from within the park and imprisoned in a so-called Elephant Holding…
‘Fake News’: Rethinking the Classification
In Sri Lanka, the government recently announced that it would consider enacting laws against the spread of fake and misleading assertions on social media. In light of this development, a public conversation…
Release of a Convicted Murderer Raises Fundamental Questions
The release of the convicted murderer Duminda Silva is a reckless act that will have lasting consequences on the social organization of Sri Lanka and the social consciousness of the Sri Lankan…
Violence in Heaven, as it is on Earth
Crucifixion of two men, but not to exact a torturous death. The assailants in Balagalla, Kandy, last Friday, wanted a bestial vengeance solely by inflicting the intense pain of actual to a…
Parliament and Parliamentary Democracy in Sri Lanka: A Brief Political History
Parliament has been a theme of many political debates in Sri Lanka since the establishment of the country’s first modern parliament in 1947. The narrative of Sri Lanka’s parliament has been intertwined…
Managing Economic Inequity During and After COVID
When the European Parliament passed a resolution calling for economic sanctions against Sri Lanka, everyone over here sits up and takes notice. For the first time in years, the Government suddenly talks…
Is COVID Only an Interlude in Cycles of Violence and Conflict?
The European Union threatening our precious garment exports to that rich market? As we sit at home stuck in front of various video screens while the curfews, so-called ‘travel restrictions’ and ‘lockdowns’,…
Go Not Meekly Into the Rajapaksa Night
The 93 year old woman had died of Covid-19. Her body was brought to the Mathugama cemetery in a hospital ambulance, placed inside the crematorium, then hastily removed and returned to the…
Systemic Torture – The Dark Stain on Sri Lanka
When Sri Lanka was ruled by kings and queens, they used 32 types of torture to keep their subjects in line. These included being trampled by an elephant and being impaled on…
The ‘Punishment Bureaucracy’ and the Normalization of Torture and Impunity
Justice Kulatunga During the period March 2020 to 24 June 2021 there were reports of six cases of encounter killings, twenty-seven cases of police violence, eight deaths in police custody, four deaths…
Institutional Discrimination Puts Plantation Community at Risk
Over the last two decades the plantation sector has undergone huge changes in Sri Lanka including a sharp reduction in the labour force, poor social welfare provision, lower productivity and a rapid…
COVID-19 is an Opportunity to Break Rigid Schooling Systems
Although they overlap, there are some crucial differences between rigid schooling systems and education. Rigid schooling prepares children for exams and qualifies them for employment. Education equips children with values and prepares…
