Saving Sri Lanka’s Paddy Farmers
Much of the country is gripped by drought because the past month was exceptionally dry following the very wet conditions previously. The hydroelectric reservoirs have little water and the government is importing…
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The Definition of Fully Vaccinated is Shifting – We Must Keep Up to be Safe
We are in the third year of the pandemic and the end is indefinite. What we know in terms of methods to overcome this pandemic has remained the same since mid-last year.…
PTA Reform: A Farce in Multiple Acts
Over decades, regardless of the government in power the abuses enabled by the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) never ceased. They only decreased or increased depending on the regime in power. Even…
Sri Lanka: Constitution-making – Opportunities and Pitfalls
In a divided and polarised society like Sri Lanka, constitution-making presents unique challenges and opportunities of its own. These opportunities are more likely to be realised if the constitution-making processes are inclusive,…
The Ethnic Outbid: Capturing the Voter Since Independence
Sri Lanka burns — and we slap on the national bandaid. There is genuine disillusionment in the political establishment, and these feelings are valid. From COVID-19, to the 20th Amendment, to an…
Abolishing PTA is the Only Way Out
Justice The Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) (Amendment) Bill, a bill to amend the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act, No. 48 of 1979 (PTA), has been gazetted by the order of…
All Shock and No Therapy for Hapless Population
Guardian A nation was promised vistas of prosperity and splendor and about 6.9 million voters opted for it, subsequently providing a two third parliamentary majority to implement the vision. A little over…
Twelve Cries From Home: Searing Accounts from Families of the Disappeared
“Sri Lanka has the world’s second-highest number of cases registered with the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances. Since the 1980s, an estimated 60,000 to 100,000 people from all…
PTA Must Be Repealed
Another year, another pre-Geneva scramble. At the brink of economic collapse and desperate to maintain GSP+ trade status with the EU, the Sri Lankan government finally feels the heat. Enough, that is,…
Atrocities of the Civil War Through the Eyes of Artists
A common theme running through this year’s Colomboscope, entitled Language is Migrant, is the enduring consequences of Sri Lanka’s civil war as seen through the eyes of several young artists based in…
Natalie Soysa – A Fierce and Inspiring Activist
Natalie Soysa lived an intensely creative life. She was a writer, a journalist, a photographer and activist and she understood early in her life what many people take decades to fully realise…
Tackling Access to Education During Covid-19
Sri Lanka can be justly proud of its educated population and high literacy rate due to decades of free education up to university level. Universal access to primary education has been achieved…
After Gotabaya, the Deluge?
“Slip slidin’ away, Slip slidin’ away…” Paul Simon No astrologer in Sri Lanka reached such dizzy heights as Sumanadasa Abeygunawardane. He predicted for the Rajapaksas the future they wanted and was rewarded with power…
Water Pumps and Chickens: Rhetoric vs Reality in the North
December 19, 2021. Jaffna town. 6 am. Three motorcycles parked one behind the other at an angle with headlights on. Two armed military personnel, clad in black, on each motorcycle. Women headed…
The Essentials of Participatory Constitution Making
Sri Lanka has entered into a period of crisis that is worse than it has ever faced in recent history. The economic and financial crises will last for a long time even…