Plight of Blue Whales in Sri Lankan Waters
Sri Lanka has had multiple reports of threats posed to the lives of blue whales off its southern coast, with incidents having increased in frequency in the recent past. Reports indicate that…
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The President Versus the Hegemonic West
President Ranil Wickremesinghe has a way with interviewers, and I don’t mean that as a compliment. Be it a local or a foreigner, his distaste or contempt for them comes out. His…
UK and Sri Lanka: A Comparison of Two Online Safety Bills
On September 18, the government gazetted a Bill titled Online Safety to establish the Online Safety Commission and to regulate certain contents from the online spaces. Amid the heightened attention, discourse and…
Sandya Ekneligoda: 5,000 Days of Struggle for Truth and Justice
On October 4 it is 5,000 days since disappearance of cartoonist, journalist and human rights defender Prageeth Ekneligoda. It is also nearly 5,000 days since I first met his wife Sandya Ekneligoda…
Will the Online Safety Commission Keep People Safe Online?
pwc In an era where the digital landscape has become an integral part of our lives, ensuring online safety has never been more crucial. As the online realm grapples with issues like…
Time for Action to Halt Environmental Destruction
United Nations Observances In 1985, the United Nations declared that the first Monday in October is celebrated as World Habitat Day. The purpose was to “…to reflect on the state of our…
Nation Building is Possible with Full Implementation of 13th Amendment Part 2
The history of devolution in Sri Lanka is riddled with disappointments and missed opportunities. Although the armed conflict ended in 2009, the political conflict that led to the nearly 25 years of…
Mansions of the Moon: A Review of Shyam Selvadurai’s New Book
More than any other religion Buddhism has the capacity to capture the imagination of many people born to other faiths. Its intellectual clarity, its appeal to reason and foresight has appealed to…
Against Elections or Against Economics?
In his latest column, Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka criticises two economists for what he interprets to be a call for postponing presidential elections next year. Both economists, Dr Indrajit Coomaraswamy and Nimal Sanderatne,…
The Conquering Hero: “Success” in Danushka Gunathilaka’s Sexual Assault Case
In the 11 months just past, several media reports were busy portraying the events in the trial of Danushka Gunathilaka, the Sri Lankan cricketer charged with sexual assault and violence against a…
Why Sri Lanka Has Descended into Chaos and the Way Forward Part 2
In the precolonial period of country’s long history, much of organised life was impacted from inter kingdom wars, natural events, harsh climate, hierarchical attitude and behaviour of provincial rulers, and the demands…
Nation Building is Possible with Full Implementation of 13th Amendment Part 1
Sri Lanka, a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country, has been facing multiple and endless crises for decades. Effective solutions must be found to resolve the political, economic, cultural and relationship issues between the…
The Online Safety Act: A Trojan Horse for Authoritarianism
The draft of Sri Lanka’s Online Safety Act, published last week, is draconian, dangerous, and it should come as no surprise, also dumb. I’ve not studied any vocal support of the draft,…
Re-inventing the Idea of University: Some Reflections and Proposals
There are two reasons that motivated me to select this topic. The first is my desire to share with you my conviction that the ruling idea of university in Sri Lanka needs…
Anti-Terrorism Bill Version 2.0: Still Worse Than the PTA
On September 15, the government published an Anti-Terrorism Bill, referred to as the ATA. The Bill is presented as a revision of an earlier version that was gazetted in March 2023, when…
