The dawn of the seventh year in the new millennium, paradoxical enough, seems more significant for what did not happen than what did.

My dear Mahinda maama,

Exactly a month ago, on a sunny morning Army soldiers staffing a check-point at the Courts complex in Batticaloa turned very suspicious about the movements of a pregnant woman. The complex is located adjacent to the District Secretariat or the Kachcheri.

President Rajapaksa was dead right when he said, “The management of the economy is also a sort of war. Economic strategies are also as important as war strategies.” He was equally correct in saying that the economy should be put on a war footing. These statements taken together have significant implications for economic policy.