Columns
Home » ColumnsSri Lanka-born British tax evader meets President and gives five-star dinner to released prisoners
Sri Lanka-born British entrepreneur, Allirajah Subaskaran, was in the news in recent years for alleged corruption and tax evasion charges in the United Kingdom. But his investments both in India and Sri Lanka are diverse, ranging from producing multi-billion dollar South Indian films to sports. Hailing from the North and migrating to the UK at [...]
Danushka’s Aussie sexcapade
Will the covers be drawn to hide Cricket Lanka’s indiscipline? This is not the first time the Lankan cricket team had been on tour abroad. Not the first time some scandal has been attached to a player’s off-the-field conduct. But it is the first time that a player’s actions have caused such worldwide public outrage [...]
More than thrills and spills in Paradise Isle
Would you believe it! Well, it sure beggars belief. But then anything is possible in the motherland. Nothing seems to surprise the citizenry any longer, not even Deshabandu’s Damoclean sword brushed up as the PTA, dangling over their heads. While the money-making business leaders continue to fatten themselves with the help of the governing class, [...]
An anxiously awaited budget
My dear Uncle Ranil, I write to you this week even though you must be very busy today, putting the final touches to the Budget which you will be presenting to Parliament tomorrow. You would be tired too, having to do so soon after returning from the Land of the Pyramids. You must be happy [...]
Harsha’s ‘IMF agreement copy’ sets govt – opposition on collision course
By Sandun Jayawardana With Budget 2023 due on Monday (14), the lack of clarity regarding the staff level agreement between Sri Lanka and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was a major cause of friction between the government and the opposition in Parliament this week. The government has so far refused to divulge details concerning the [...]
The Danushka Gunathilaka affair and implications to Sri Lanka cricket
Sri Lanka’s failure to progress to the finals of the T20 World Cup has been overshadowed by media reports of the allegations relating to off-the-field behaviour of cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka The courts in Australia will in due course determine whether he is guilty or not of the offence he is charged with. While the private [...]
Objectives and expectations of the Budget for 2023
The contours of the 2023 Budget to be presented to Parliament tomorrow are well known. Few surprises are expected as the main tax measures have already been presented to Parliament. Nevertheless, many low income earners hope there will be modifications in taxation to reduce the tax burdens they cope with. There is a likelihood that [...]
‘Look on my works, ye mighty and despair’
When there is muttering in some quarters as to, ‘what has the Aragalaya achieved?’, an easy answer comes to mind. The gains of the “Aragalaya’ Notwithstanding the predictable corruption of that struggle by the political establishment which is a point that I will return to later, this spontaneous eruption of massive public fury for the [...]
Foreign Ministry fails to help Sri Lanka improve its image
Wrong diplomats appointed to the wrong places, lack of professionalism in the service Thundering resolution against Sri Lanka by Britain’s House of Commons, obviously provoked by Tamil Diaspora groups; ministry’s silence questionable As President prepares to present Budget tomorrow, he is also compelled to perform Foreign Ministry’s foreign policy tasks By Our Political Editor One [...]
Read More