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Home » ColumnsLankans fly high on airline error
Perhaps dozens — or even scores — of Sri Lankan expats in the US got an unexpected windfall last week: A round-trip economy class airline ticket New York-Colombo-New York at the unbelievably low price of $300. The average price is about $1,300 (at non-peak season) and about $1,500 (at peak season). A technical glitch on [...]
Casino pack: Call a spade a spade, not a diamond
Minister Ranawaka’s Cabinet note says going ahead with gambling projects will ruin Sri Lanka’s culture, economy and future President wants to go it alone with new young SLFP for next year’s elections; some alliance partners to be told to contest on their own The UPFA Government appears to have taken a step backwards, at least [...]
Let’s be candid Cameron
My Dear David Cameron, I thought I must write to you because I heard that you will be visiting us after all, despite all those calls to boycott the Commonwealth Summit. I suppose you must be thinking that we should be grateful to you for your presence, but that is not what I wanted to [...]
Is Sri Lanka a military state that devours land?
This week, the country-wide acquiring of lands by the State in pursuit of its militarisation cum post-war tourism goals came starkly into focus when journalists trying to take photographs of civilian homes reportedly being demolished in Valikamam North were (allegedly) threatened. There are limits to our credulity Amusingly, the Sri Lanka Army had insisted on [...]
Economists concerned over perils to sustained growth
Economists are concerned that the current economic policies would be a serious constraint to sustained economic growth. The annual sessions of the Sri Lanka Economic Association (SLEA) on October 25 and 26 brought this out clearly. Delivering the presidential address on the theme “Way Forward for Sustained Growth”, Prof. A.D.V. de S. Indraratna, noted that Sri [...]
Tamil Nadu and the Diaspora – ‘A great and complex challenge to Sri Lanka’
The New Delhi-based Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), a leading Indian think tank engaged in research on defence and security related issues, held its yearly South Asia Conference from Oct. 30th – 31st. It brought together experts from South Asian countries to discuss issues under the theme ‘India and South Asia: Exploring Regional [...]
Unholy quest for the C’wealth grail
Come next week the Commonwealth road show will hit town and Heads of Governments will be dime a dozen on the streets of Colombo. Her Britannic Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will not be attending but, in her stead, her great, great grandmother Queen Victoria, re-moulded in alabaster, and her son Charles, resurgent in the flesh, [...]