The Sunday Times Sri Lanka

Columns

Political Column

In the aftershocks of External Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris' visit to India last week and the disastrous Joint Statement (disastrous to Sri Lanka), President Mahinda Rajapaksa was grappling with one of the main outcomes of that statement; devolution of power.

5th Column

Shepherd them into camps for decency and decorum!

“Thaaththa,” Bindu Udagedera asked, “what is all this fuss about university students?”
“Why,” Bindu’s father Percy said, “I thought the fuss was about university lecturers…”
“No, thaaththa,” Bindu said, “there is some controversy about the students too…”

The Economic Analysis

The importance of Foreign Direct Investment

There is a strong relationship between foreign investment and economic growth. Larger inflows of foreign investments are needed for the country to achieve a sustainable high trajectory of economic growth. There are several irrefutable reasons for this. For the economy to grow by 7 to 8 per cent a year there is a need to invest around 35 to 40 per cent of GDP.

Lobby

Not issued on this week

Focus on Rights

Can we indeed solve our own problems?

In a miraculous coincidence, just days after the joint statement by India and Sri Lanka following External Affairs Minister GL Peiris’ visit to New Delhi, Sri Lanka’s Attorney General was heard to announce benevolently that the Government of Sri Lanka was ‘mulling’ review of the Prevention of Terrorism Act and emergency regulations promulgated under the Public Security Ordinance.

Talk at the Cafe Spectator

Kyrgyzstan going Lanka way

Sri Lanka is not the only country opposing human rights violations reports prepared by the United Nations Secretary General or any agency which had UN blessings. And Sri Lanka is not the only country which has resisted the visit of those in charge of preparing such reports.

From the sidelines

Pension schemes, ‘leadership training’ programme and political infantilization

Two issues that have generated widespread controversy in recent months are the Private Sector Pension Bill and the so called ‘Leadership Training’ programme recently launched at military camps for university entrants. Several trade unions have voiced protests over the proposed Pension Scheme, expressing suspicions over the motives for its introduction and claiming that it negatively affects workers’ benefits.