The Sunday Times Columns | Sunday May 11, 2008

ISSN: 1391 - 0531

Sunday May 11, 2008

Vol. 42 - No 50

TIMES ONLINE

Columns

Financial Times

WEEKLY ISSUES

MONTHLY ISSUES

SERVICES

Columns

	Political Column
	Bullet vs. ballot: Answer from the East
	By a political correspondent
	The Eastern Province, though seldom playing a crucial role in national affairs and not often on the centre-stage, became the cynosure of all political parties during the past few weeks and especially last week. Almost the entire giant cabinet led by President Mahinda Rajapaksa himself went to the East for a full-scale, full-steam campaign to win the crucial Eastern Provincial Council elections.
	5th Column
	All roads lead to the East, blue skies and sunshine!
	By Rypvanwinkle
	My Dear Voter in the Eastern Province,
	Situation Report
	Situation Report will not appear this week.
	By Iqbal Athas

	Thoughts from London
	Making a hash of decision-making
	By Neville de Silva
	Is there anybody advising the government on its media strategy and how to handle day-to-day dealings with foreign and local journalists? Or do everybody and their second cousins get into the act and policy is made on the hoof? If people wonder at the inconsistencies and the simple errors of judgment that seem so manifest in the dealings with the media, it is because of the seeming contradictory approaches often seen in the government’s actions.
	The Economic Analysis
	Oil and food price increases causing massive trade deficit
	By the Economist
	While soaring oil and food prices are at the core of the country’s inflation, its impact on the trade balance and the balance of payments is largely ignored. The widening trade deficit is now reaching an alarming proportion even though items in the capital account are saving the country from a balance of payments deficit. As in recent years we are likely to have a huge trade deficit but a balance of payments surplus.
	Focus on Rights
	The long shadow of custodial abuse
	By Kishali Pinto Jayawardena
	The ongoing conflict in the country has often been ingeniously used by governments of the Peoples Alliance as well as of the United National Party to justify the most horrendous abuses. Clearly however, the abuse of the law is not limited to periods during which conflict has heightened in Sri Lanka.
	Lobby
	Why did he do what he did?
	By Chandani Kirinde, Our Lobby Correspondent
	When Parliament met last Tuesday, there was no inkling that President Mahinda Rajapaksa would prorogue the House by midnight the same day. Instead, the day began with two MPs taking oaths, one being Sarana Gunawardena to replace Anura Bandaranaike and the other Dulip Wijesekera to replace the assassinated Chief Government Whip Jeyaraj Fernandopulle.
	Inside the glass house
	Will Lanka get it right?
	By Thalif Deen at the united nations
	When it comes to voting at the UN, there are at least two elections that generate aggressive campaigning in foreign capitals and in the corridors here: the Security Council and the Human Rights Council. A third, the election of the Secretary-General, is traditionally a misplaced privilege of the five big powers: the US, Britain, France, China and Russia.Sri Lanka will be put to a test next week when it runs for re-election to the Human Rights Council amidst charges of human rights violations in the country.

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