The Sunday Times Sri Lanka

Columns

Political Column

With JVP also in turmoil, Rajapaksa rides high

Internecine battles within the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), between the now liberal, metamorphosed moderate leadership and radical extremists have come into the open spilling in its wake many secrets hitherto unknown of the Marxist party.

5th Column

PMC: Doc in the dock

"Thaaththa," Bindu Udagedera asked, "what is all this fuss about a medical college?"
"Well," Bindu's father Percy said, "I think the government wants to set up a private medical college…"
"So, what is wrong about that?" Bindu wondered.

The Economic Analysis

Should the exchange rate be allowed to depreciate?

Once again the question has arisen as to whether the exchange rate should be allowed to depreciate. In the face of adverse developments in the trade balance and balance of payments, the Central Bank has intervened to stabilise the exchange rate of the rupee.

Lobby

Not issued on this week

Focus on Rights

‘What we have now is plain and utter corruption’

A State has an undoubted duty as well as a right to defend itself against present as well as imminent threats. It is understandable therefore to look askance at complaints by former cadre of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam who base their applications for asylum to Western countries on the reasoning that they are routinely checked by the Sri Lankan Army post release.

Talk at the Cafe Spectator

Lanka's UN mission caught napping in the dark

External Affairs Ministe G.L. Peiris was hosting delegations of 29 countries to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to lunch in Geneva last Tuesday. Three other ministers were also present. They were Mahinda Samarasinghe, Nimal Siripala de Silva and Anura Priyadarshana Yapa.

From the Sidelines

Guerilla tactics at the UN?

The Sri Lankan delegation in Geneva has been tripped up by a totally unexpected style of behaviour at the current sessions of the UN Human Rights Council. They have expressed dismay over the action of UN Secretary General Ban ki-moon who, without warning, sent his Panel of Experts Report on Sri Lanka (also known as the Darussman Report) to the President of the UNHRC Laura Dupuy Lasserre and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, apparently without advance notice to Sri Lanka.