Burqa Ban Undermines National Security and Human Rights
The Sri Lankan Cabinet has agreed a ban on wearing burqas and other full face veils in public, which is almost certain to be approved by Parliament. This follows other measures targeting…
Politics and Governance
Human–Elephant Conflict: Lessons Not Learnt
In 1949, a year after Sri Lanka gained independence, a Committee on the Preservation of Wildlife (Sessional paper XIX – 1949) recommended that when development takes place, elephants living in the proposed…
Freedom of Expression: Where Do We Stand?
theme “Information as a Public Good” On April 30, when the Indian Supreme Court was hearing a case which it had initiated by itself (Suo Motto) to examine issues relating to the…
Has the Animal Welfare Bill Fallen by the Wayside?
The images are harrowing and all too familiar – an electrocuted baby elephant, a caged dog, a leopard caught in a trap, a butchered dolphin; accounts of animals suffering due to neglect,…
Ramadan with a Ban: Face Masks On, Niqabs Off
Ramadan for many of us Muslims is a month of peace and spirituality, a month of tolerance, speaking good words, sharing good thoughts and connecting with God and religion. There’s much I…
Commissions of Inquiry: Grave Threat to Democracy and Judicial Independence
Several initiatives have already been taken to implement the recommendations of the final report of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into political victimization (the CoI) including the obtaining of Cabinet approval, the…
History, Analysis and Lessons: How Multilateralism is the Future
In its opening preamble, the resolution declaring 24 April as International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace reaffirms ‘…the commitment to settle disputes through peaceful means and the determination to save…
Saving Sinharaja: Many Layers of Protection But Threats Continue
Sinharaja’s conservation status is of “significant concern”. According to the World Heritage Outlook, published by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Sinharaja has been assessed in 2020 as a World Heritage…
From Cradle to Grave, the LGBTIQ Community is Oppressed at Every Turn
Sri Lankan society is structured on strict gender roles and responsibilities where anything different to heteronormative and binary gender standards is considered abnormal, deviant and deserving of punishment and discrimination. Thanks to…
A Big Lie: The Promise of Justice for Easter Sunday Attacks
Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith presided over the April 21 commemoration with the participation of other religious leaders. Talking about the issue he has said that the problem is not just about Catholics, but…
Denying Justice While Dehumanizing a Community at Large
Thirty-one people died in the suicide attack on Zion evangelical church in Batticaloa on April 21, 2019, of which 14 were children. To date the church remains locked with a notice on…
Internal Dissent and Increasing Opposition to the Port City Bill
Aluth avurudu is generally a relaxed period in the country where most people spend time with family following various traditions. But the SLPP/Rajapaksa Administration upended this situation and in the pre-avurudu period…
The Port City Bill: Legislative Carving Out from a Constitutional Democracy?
What are the constitutional and legal implications of the proposed Colombo Port City Economic Commission? I take the view that in terms of design and effect, this proposed Bill seeks to carve…
Birth Pangs of the Rajapaksa Satrapy
Days after the presidential election of 2010, the Rajapaksa siblings gathered to enjoy an evening of musical extravaganza. Organised by the state-owned ITN and titled (Victory Victorious), the show was billed as…
Romanticising Resilience: Why the Struggle to Survive Should not Become a Way of Life
Resilient is a word frequently used by human rights activists and the development sector, to describe persons affected by war and violence. In Sri Lanka, the mothers of the disappeared are…
