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Home » ColumnsFears over increasing foreign debt
The current balance of payments difficulties owing to the growing large trade deficit are being financed by further foreign borrowing; mostly commercial loans. Furthermore, additional borrowing is needed as there is a large repayment of debt and debt servicing costs in the coming months and foreign reserves are inadequate. The large foreign borrowing is a [...]
A bitter mockery of theoretical guarantees
On June 26th, the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, a colleague asked me as to why so much criticism was being made of the Sri Lankan Government’s lack of commitment towards eradicating practices of torture in the country. After all, I was asked, is there not an Action Plan in place which [...]
Can Sri Lanka be a hub – and haven – in the Indian Ocean?
In the context of shifts in the global balance of power and the new emphasis on the Indian Ocean as a region of strategic importance, there has been an urgent need for broader discourse in Sri Lanka on the impact of these developments, particularly in relation to foreign policy formulation. The unfortunate consequences of the [...]
A to Z: Don’t blame the ministers
My dear Bandula and SB, I thought I must write to you because I heard that everyone is talking about both of you these days, and it is like the A to Z of education: from the ‘A’ Levels to the ‘Z’ score, and I’m sure you must be familiar with these by now. I [...]
Menon calls for elections to the Northern PC
It was past midnight signalling the dawn of Friday when the voice on the radio crackled. “Good morning Colombo Airways. This is Bravo Juliet 135,” said the Indian Air Force pilot from the cockpit of a Brazilian-built Embraer 135 jet. The radio contact with the incoming aircraft from New Delhi was handed over to Colombo [...]
Ranawaka not rattled by ministry rat
There was an unexpected visitor when Power and Energy Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka addressed the media on Thursday after taking part in a function where an agreement was signed to establish an early warning system to respond to nuclear accidents in Sri Lanka. While the briefing was underway at the conference room of the Power [...]