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Political
Column |
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Mixed fare and fortunes for New Year |
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By Our Political Editor |
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Even if some complained that the usually ubiquitous Koha did not join in some parts of the country to herald the dawn of Avurudhu, it was not shorn of its traditional highlights or the customary events.
The country's first citizen, President Percy Mahinda Rajapaksa, was at his home turf blending with the common people and those not so common. |
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5th
Column |
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Colonial hangover any more diplomatic visits |
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By Rypvanwinkle |
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"Thaaththa," Bindu Udagedera asked, "are we still a British colony?"
"No, Bindu," Bindu's father Percy said, "I think you have been watching too much cricket these days..."
"No, thaaththa," Bindu protested, "that is not the reason I thought so..."
"Then," Percy was puzzled, "what made you think we are a British colony?" |
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Situation
Report |
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More war on the cards |
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By Iqbal Athas |
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 With the Avurudhu festivities over, the focus turns once more to the battlefields of the North and East where the undeclared Eelam War IV is now under way.
In the East, contrary to all the official claims, a fuller control of the province by the Security Forces is yet to be achieved. |
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The
Economic Analysis |
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7% growth and widespread scepticism |
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By the Economist |
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There is widespread and unprecedented scepticism about last year's economic growth of 7.4 percent. Even the Chief Justice is reported to have told an audience in Colombo that he did not believe the economy grew by as much as 7 percent. |
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Thoughts
from London |
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When bureaucratic silence is often golden |
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By Neville de Silva |
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In a conversation with my fellow columnist Thalif Deen, foreign secretary Palitha Kohona has made several observations on the foreign service some of which were not in the least flattering.
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Issue
of the week |
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Bangladesh: Is the caretaker Govt. batting for the military? |
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By Ameen Izzadeen |
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 One of the healthiest features of Bangladesh democracy is a constitutional provision that ensures parliamentary elections are held under a neutral interim administration. This provision, designed to prevent election malpractices, came into operation in 1991 after military strongman Hussain Mohammed Ershad was overthrown in a people's revolution led by two rival parties — the Awami League led by Sheikh Hasina Wajed and the Bangladesh National Party led by Begum Khaleda Zia. |
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Focus
on Rights |
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Holding a long spoon when supping with the devil |
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By Kishali Pinto
Jayawardena |
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Let me start this week's column by articulating one profound truth; indisputably the megalomaniac in tiger stripes in the north is a terrorist, not a liberation fighter nor your genuine revolutionary. His one time brother in arms is also a terrorist, even though he has now painted himself with democratic stripes. |
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Lobby |
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Not published with this week issue. |
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By Chandani Kirinde, Our
Lobby Correspondent |
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Inside
the glass house |
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Bush, Howard swapping refugees like commodities |
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By Thalif Deen at the united nations |
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 NEW YORK - The Bush administration, which has been consistently accused of human rights abuses in the mistreatment of prisoners of war and terror suspects, finds itself in the centre of another raging controversy — this time over swapping refugees.
The controversy, smacking of human rights violations, also hits home because it involves political (or is it economic?) refugees from Sri Lanka. |
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