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Home » ColumnsIndian smugglers go scot free due to fear of India’s raging COVID
Whenever the Navy arrested persons or foreigners who are trying to smuggle items to the country via sea routes, they would be arrested and handed over to the relevant authority, usually the Police for further legal action. During these unprecedented global pandemic times, even the authorities had to make adjustments. On Friday, five Indian fishermen [...]
A plague upon mankind
My dear Coronavirus, I thought I must write to you because you must be wondering why we don’t care about you now. Most of us in Paradise seem to have forgotten about you after living in mortal fear of encountering you for over a year. Meanwhile, other countries are still worried about you and take [...]
Withdraw Port City Bill, and issue White Paper for further discussion
Submissions with regard to the Constitutionality of the Port City Bill have been made to a five-member Panel of the Supreme Court by several petitioners. The Court has informed the Petitioners that its determination will be communicated to Parliament by the end of the Month. The two questions, in respect of which the Supreme Court [...]
Subversion of judicial process to the fore as debate on report of CoI into political victimisation begins
The adjournment debate on the final report of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into Political Victimisation commenced this week in Parliament with the Opposition decrying it as a blatant attempt to subvert the judicial process. The debate was held on Thursday and Friday. On Wednesday, a heated argument had erupted between the Government and Opposition [...]
Is there an improvement in our external finances and indebtedness?
The currency swap of US$ 500 million with the Peoples’ Bank of China, an expected loan of US$ 500 million from the Chinese Development Bank and other expected foreign assistance are expected to enhance the country’s foreign reserves. At the end of February foreign reserves were US$ 4.6 billion, while foreign debt had risen to [...]
An extraordinary resolution in parliament that scoffs at Sri Lanka’s courts
It is the height of rather superb irony that the Abeyratne Commission of Inquiry tasked to look into allegations of political victimisation of public officers, employees of public corporations and members of the armed forces and the police during 2015 to 2019 and ascertain if any person or persons had unlawfully intervened into certain investigations, [...]
Coronavirus takes wing
COVID red alert sounded as mystery variant reveals deadly presence Global fears heightened with ‘Lancet’ claiming ‘virus maybe airborne’ The deadly coronavirus has become deadlier and maybe winged to boot, local health authorities warned on Friday, as Britain’s internationally respected medical journal, The Lancet published claims that solid and consistent evidence suggest COVID maybe airborne. [...]
That murder most foul
While in Sri Lanka the carnage of Easter Sunday two years ago was being mourned in a moment of collective grief for those killed, in distant Minneapolis history was being made. Justice was done for the brutal killing by police of one man, a nondescript individual named George Floyd. That unanimous verdict of murder by [...]
Political crises continue to rock the ruling alliance
Govt. not for withdrawal of civic rights but set to call off cases involving ‘political victimisation’ Basil Rajapaksa wants SLFP to talk directly to SLPP instead of involving other parties Colombo-Beijing relations reach a new high as govt. moves away from the West and India Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa continues his silent peacemaker role amidst [...]
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