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Home » ColumnsSri Lanka and Singapore in new koloppan
When that rumbustious Weerawansa during the 2015 election campaign addressed the then opposition presidential candidate as “aiyo Sirisena”, one felt that the garrulous politician, hanging on to Mahinda Rajapaksa’s sataka, was being deliberately condescending and consciously insulting Maithripala Sirisena. It seemed that Weerawansa considered himself Zeus and sought to dismiss Sirisena with a shake of [...]
‘Tsunami’ Sonali finds love and bliss marrying ‘Potter’ actress Fiona Shaw
Sonali Deraniyagala caught the heart of the nation and made it weep in a wave of tears 14 years ago when an underground rumble off the shores of Indonesia sent shockwaves to hit Lankan shores and leave thousands dead in its wake. On Boxing Day, not even six hours after the Christians had celebrated Christmas [...]
An evergreen’s birthday
My dear Green Man, I thought I must write to you when I realised that it was your 70th birthday today. Rather than send you a birthday card – of which you must be receiving thousands – I thought I should write to you about a few matters, especially as this milestone means you have [...]
UNHRC: Sri Lanka’s countermove fails
Days ahead of the UN Human Rights Council’s 40th sessions in Geneva, the behind-the-scenes goings-on in Colombo were tense. Last Sunday saw two Presidential Secretariat meetings chaired by President Maithripala Sirisena. One was with Sri Lanka’s newly arranged joint SLFP-UNF delegation led by Foreign Minister Tilak Marapana. Another was with a delegation from the Tamil [...]
After storm over UNHRC resolution, Wilpattu clearance; Karu’s honour brings calm
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA), whose support is crucial for the survival of the United National Front (UNF) Government, delivered a blunt warning in Parliament this week, over what it claimed were attempts to backtrack from setting up a hybrid judicial mechanism consisting of foreign judges to probe alleged war crimes and human rights violations. [...]
Widening trade deficits increase external financial vulnerability
Progressively increasing trade deficits have been a root cause for the country’s weak external finances. The reduction of the trade deficit is crucial to generate a balance of payments (BOP) surplus to reduce foreign borrowing and minimize external financial vulnerability. BOP surplus A significant balance of payments (BOP) surplus is necessary to avoid further foreign [...]
The Karannagoda order and the Geneva ‘spectacle’
Accountability in Sri Lanka was always about the working of the criminal law. And Justice was always about the clash of the ‘non-equals’ with the ‘more than equals.’ In that clash, seldom have the ‘non-equals’ triumphed in this country, as bitter lessons of our legal history so persistently teach us. Refresher in institutional memory Those [...]
Gota wins presidential nomination from SLPP and its allies
SLFP-SLPP common alliance in the balance President Sirisena reveals that World Bank, IMF and Millennium Challenges Corporation suspended aid during political turmoil last year UNP Working Committee ignores Minister Navin Dissanayake’s call for change in presidential election laws Sirisena and Rajapaksa in one-on-one talks Former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa will be the candidate for [...]
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