Columns

Political Column

President makes sudden visit to Tirupathi temple, no political talks in Delhi
Tight security ring for SAARC summit amidst Black July fears

Be it for those in Government or the Opposition, astrologers and deities are as important as votes in Sri Lankan politics. That it has been so for decades is too well known.

5th Column

Whatever they say–it’s my kingdom and they shall eat crow!

Even in the Land of No Return, they were talking about the strike…

Situation Report

will not appear this week.

Thoughts from London

SAARC: Instilling life in Sri Lanka's hands

"A small step for man but a giant step for mankind" said Neil Armstrong when he first set foot on the surface of the moon.

The Economic Analysis

Where have all the economists gone?

Despite the state of the economy, the policies pursued makes one wonder whether economists are proffering any advice on how the economy should be managed. Are they like an audience of a Greek tragedy, merely watching the inevitable disaster unfolding?There are several possible ways economists are acting.

Lobby

When friends turn foes in a hotch potch House

If the JVP was planning to teach the Government a lesson by calling a token general strike, the move appeared to have failed. The fire that the JVP breathed in the Legislature on Wednesday, the day prior to the July 10 strike had fizzled out by next afternoon.

Focus on Rights

To protest is patriotic

Let us be quite clear about this; appropriation of the term 'patriotism' along with troublingly straitjacket connotations of honour, love for one's country and duty, by a rogue administration is not peculiar to Sri Lanka. Indeed, this has been one of the most effective weapons used repeatedly by regimes throughout the world intent on perpetuating its political agendas rather than protecting the country or its people.

Inside the glass house

Growth of SAARC is a question of trust

At the United Nations, every General Assembly session in September is a virtual summit meeting judging by the heavy presence of a staggering array of heads of state and heads of government (they are two different political animals, with few exceptions like Sri Lanka and France, where you get two for the price of one).