The Ides of March: Protests, Discontent and Disconnects
The month of March has seen widespread discontent expressed by many Sri Lankans from all walks of life on new and old social, economic and political concerns leading to more than 100…
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Preserving and Protecting the Hidden Resource of Groundwater
Each World Water Day brings with it a new theme and a new resurgence of interest, although momentary, in that most critical source of support for human lives and ecosystems – water.…
Something Toxic this Way Comes
“Terror continuous dark terror against the fragile human land…” Zbigniew Herbert (To Marcus Aurelius) Had Sri Lanka a parliamentary system of governance, the Rajapaksas would have been out by now. Thanks to…
Averting the Looming Food Crisis
A food crisis is inevitable. Food prices are soaring; shortages in essential food items are creating long queues, affecting people’s ability to work and get on with productive lives; the foreign reserve…
The Crisis and Where We Go From Here
Much more lucid than in his disastrous last address to the nation, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was noticeably sombre and sober on Wednesday night. Perhaps mindful of the critiques that followed his earlier…
Homo Digitalis and the Citizen Journalist
An interesting dimension to the current conflict playing out in Ukraine amidst increasing aggression and spirited defiance, amidst airstrikes, war crimes, sanctions and diplomacy are the varied approaches to the flow of…
Russia-Ukraine Crisis: How Should South Asian Economies Respond?
It is almost three weeks since Russia invaded Ukraine, the second-largest country in Europe by geographical area after Russia. Early expectations of a quick and decisive Russian military victory have not materialised…
Uncovering the Secrets of Sri Lanka’s Gravesites
The Vavuniya High Court has upheld the rights of families of the missing and disappeared to be legally represented and participate in the investigation into the suspected gravesite at the Mannar Sathosa…
A Divided Government Loses its Two Thirds Majority
Last week witnessed the coming to the fore of the deep divisions within the governing alliance as President Gotabaya Rajapaksa sacked two Cabinet Ministers, Wimal Weerawansa and Udaya Gammanpilla, and laid bare…
Data Protection Bill Allows for Violation of Civil Rights
With the misuse of laws, such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which are aimed at protecting the rights of citizens but are actually used to stifle them,…
A Tone Deaf Government Stumbles on Amid Utter Chaos
While returning from Vavuniya to Colombo, I stopped to purchase fruit from a roadside vendor near Anuradhapura and got into a conversation with her about the country’s most pressing issue – the…
The Caged Birds Of Paradise
Being a woman in Sri Lanka in 2022 is a challenging experience. Gender in a patriarchal society whose hetero normative values are entrenched is intensely complicated by the complex fragility of South…
Corporate Sri Lanka – Still a Feudal Workplace for Women
Women in management is a catchphrase one often hears with many awards and ideals circulating around it. Yet when it comes to women in corporate Sri Lanka, while you have the avant…
Preventing or Promoting Terror? Regime’s Rough Ride at UN
The Sri Lankan government was never likely to find the scrutiny of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in March 2022 a comfortable experience. In a discussion delayed because of the…
The Puzzling Case of Hejaaz Hizbullah
The gold balloon tubes spelling out the words “welcome back” still hang in the living room, swaying in the gentle breeze one month after he finally returned home, a stark reminder of…
