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Home » ColumnsThe situation warrants your return
My dear Arjuna, I thought I must write to you as you are very much in the news these days. That is because you find yourself in a very unusual situation: your signature is still on our currency notes but at the same time there is a warrant out to arrest you. Ah, no wonder [...]
Kandy unrest and social media ban: German Chancellor calls off visit
Though the Kandy District’s one time trouble spots remain calm, the State of Emergency continues. Many are the not-so-good stories that are unfolding, both for the Government and its leaders. The latest is how German Chancellor Angela Merkel called off a visit to Sri Lanka. This was to take place after she attended the international [...]
Hi, long time no see on Facebook and why no hear on WhatsApp?
During the second term of the Rajapaksa Presidency when the nation witnessed racial violence erupt on the streets and the call arose from many quarters demanding the then government to ban Facebook forthwith, President Mahinda Rajapaksa nonchalantly shrugged it off and bluntly refused to do so. He had a good reason. In a move that [...]
Cometh the Peace Corps bearing gifts
Students of Greek mythology and the writings of ancient Greeks such as Homer would well remember the story of the Trojan horse. That was a neat stratagem pulled on the people of Troy by a great Greek general called Odysseus which brought Troy tumbling down. Fact or fiction, it made great reading. It also threw [...]
Resurgence of communal violence threat to tourism, FDI and balance of payments
The recent communal violence has raised apprehensions on its repercussions on the economy. Although the violence was restricted to three areas in Ampara, Kandy district and Gintota, and its direct impact on economic activities was minimal, the fears of further communal violence has serious implications for the economy. The violence has already affected tourism adversely [...]
A fragile democratic balance and ‘emergency over-reach’
The ‘abnormal’ has become normal once again as Sri Lanka quietly and almost gently slipped back into a nation-wide State of Emergency, imposed by the Government as a reaction to recent attacks by Sinhalese mobs on Muslim shops and residences in Kandy. Abnormal realities and perilous implications The fragile nature of the democratic balance in [...]
No-confidence motion against Prime Minister: Another political crisis waiting to happen
Strong undercurrents are once again rocking the shaky relations between the two coalition partners — the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the United National Party (UNP). This is notwithstanding a deceptive lull and momentary distractions. They were caused first by the ethnic violence in the central hills. Though the violence is now under control, [...]
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