Memories of an unparalleled politician
Lalith Athulathmudali, PC was assassinated by an unidentified gunman on April 23, 1993. Obviously, the assassination was based on political reasons. In 1991 he along with the late Mr. Gamini Dissanayake, PC was instrumental in bringing an impeachment against former President Ranasinghe Premadasa. Parliament was prorogued and the speaker M.H. Mohamed announced that the number [...]
Supreme example of being a gentleman
It is with the greatest of sadness that I heard the news of the demise of my great friend Tissa Molligoda. We met for the first time at “Winchester House” as fellow boarders when we were enrolled as students at S. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia in 1947. Our mothers had schooled together and known each [...]
Trained as a soldier in Diyatalawa
In response to a Gazette notification calling for cadet trainees in the Sri Lanka Army, in July 1967, 12,000 applications were received by army headquarters ‘A’ branch, the administration branch that handles recruitment. After many interviews, a final list of 22 candidates was presented to the Ministry of Defence in March 1968. This was preceded [...]
Missile strikes are not a Syria strategy
NEW YORK – “A perfectly executed strike…Could not have had a better result. Mission Accomplished.” So tweeted US President Donald Trump just hours after more than a hundred American, French, and British cruise missiles hit three sites in Syria believed to be associated with chemical weapons production. The mission that was “accomplished” was to deliver [...]
The Commonwealth: Where being a journalist can kill you
Fifty-three Commonwealth heads of government met for a summit and related events in London from April 16 to 20. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, the UK Minister of State for the Commonwealth, lauded it as a unique network of 53 states with a responsibility to exert global influence based on a shared commitment to democracy, the [...]
Why China won’t yield to Trump
BEIJING – Last month, US President Donald Trump enacted steel and aluminum tariffs aimed squarely at China. On April 2, China retaliated with tariffs on 128 American products. Trump then announced 25% tariffs on another 1,300 Chinese products, representing some $50 billion of exports. In response, China threatened 25% tariffs on 106 US exports (including [...]