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Home » ColumnsDiplomatic blunder after blunder, now crisis with Pakistan also
“I will win” at an impending presidential election, declared a defiant President Mahinda Rajapaksa to UPFA politicians at a southern resort but strongly castigated his likely main opponent, United National Party (UNP) leader Ranil Wickremesinghe at Thursday’s ministerial meeting. “NGOs have agreed during a meeting at a temple in Nugegoda to provide him (Mr. Wickremesinghe) [...]
When silence breeds hatred
Mahanayake hamuduruwane, I thought I must write to you because everyone seems to be talking about Buddhist monks these days and the names of some Buddhist monks are being heard more often than the names of politicians in relation to certain incidents. Much has happened in the past few weeks, hamuduruwane, and I am not [...]
US spying on Sri Lanka also
Sri Lanka is among many countries where the United States National Security Agency has been spying on. The map here and the following account appear in the US website http://www.vox.com: “It’s not exactly a secret that the National Security Agency has wide authority for spying on foreign governments. But just how wide is driven home [...]
Ethno-religious violence: Recovering from setbacks to FDI and tourism
Peaceful conditions and law and order are indisputable preconditions for sustained economic development. International experience and our own economic history demonstrate this. A recurring theme of this column has been the importance of peace, law and order and social harmony for economic growth and development. The recent insecurity in the country has already eroded these [...]
Who benefits from Govt’s state of denial over Aluthgama?
It’s three weeks since the episode of race violence in Aluthgama, and the issues arising from it still seem to fester. The most glaring reality is that the Government is yet to condemn the actions of the Bodu Bala Sena whose belligerent chief Gnanasara’s speech at a rally incited mobs to attack Muslims, sparking off [...]
The law is not at fault but the politicians
In the wake of last month’s communal violence in Sri Lanka’s South-West, the Rajapaksa’s government’s threadbare defence is that existing laws are insufficient to take action against the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) masquerading as protectors of Buddhism. We see this articulated with increasing if not highly unconvincing force by the Secretary Defence who is President [...]
‘War Probe’ Asma gives Lanka a wheeze/The Boru Bala farce
Out of the three imposing personages appointed to the UN sanctioned war crimes inquiry against the Lankan Government, Pakistan lawyer Asma Jahangir is the one the Foreign Office should keep a close watch on. Like the most formidable and forward bird in a nest is the first fledgling to flap its wings and fly out [...]