Features

Northern terrorism is, thankfully, a thing of the past, but, sadly, southern terrorism is on the rise. Underworld figures, with political connections, remain above the law and terrorise hapless men, women and children, with impunity. It was thought that the law and order situation would improve considerably after the 2015 regime change, but there hasn’t […]

By Puyumi Fonseka. Prison Department’s Rehabilitation Commissioner and Magazine Prison’s former Superintendent Emil Ranjan Lamahewage and Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) Inspector Moses Rangajeewa Newamal are extolled as ‘heroes’ by some groups in our society for their alleged involvement into the killing of 27 inmates in Welikada Prison on November 09 and 10, 2012. Certain groups […]

(UNP and Allies versus the Rajapaksas abetted by underling Sirisena) Who is the scumbag, one of these or the elephant not in view? You decide. The dramatist personae for this column are a fainthearted, past his use-by-date, snob, a conspiratorial, deranged grama sevaka, and behind them the looming shadow of a resurgent ogre of despotism. […]

It was fairly clear even before yesterday’s debate that the Prime Minister would not easily be defeated on the no-confidence motion, given the configuration of party representation in the current Parliament. The motion relied on generalities instead of specific charges, on perceptions rather than concrete evidence, and it was given what life it had more […]

The Hon. Rajavarothiam Sampanthan – Leader of the Opposition). Mr. Speaker, we are debating today a Motion of No-Confidence against no less a person than the Prime Minister and the Motion substantially deals with the question of corruption. Corruption has been the worst disease that has afflicted our country. There was a time when there […]

Nirmala Kannagara. The DIG had instructed Sugathapala to remove the pages of the GCIB where he had entered the notes  When Sugathapala showed his disapproval, DIG Nanayakkara had warned Sugathapala and revealed that he was following a directive DIG Nanayakkara told him that the IGP had wanted to destroy the evidence leading to Wickrematunge’s murder Nanayakkara had further asked Sugathapala whether he would like to be killed if the IGP’s […]

Image: It is difficult to disagree with Mr Deshapriya when he categorically dismisses as ‘wrong’, claims that ‘a majority of the Sinhalese’ were against the recent attacks on Muslims. There is a cheery though dangerously complacent view articulated by senior Muslim politicians, (andechoed by others),that the recent communal violence in Ampara and Kandy was perpetrated […]

Racism is a political theme that has attracted a great deal of public attention in Sri Lanka last week. The attacks on the life and property of Muslim citizens in several locations in the Kandy District by Sinhalese mobs has provided the context for renewed public attention on the negative and destructive consequences of racist […]

Ruki Fernando. This story is based on visits to both sites and testimonies of at least 10 survivors and about 5 eyewitnesses present As Sinhalese – Buddhist mobs were escalating violence against Muslims around Digana on March 5, the Hijrapura mosque in Digana had just finished afternoon prayers around 4 pm that day. As usual, devotees were […]

(CPA /16 March 2018)Sri Lanka’s last state of emergency lasted for 28 years, and was terminated in August 2011, having continuously been extended by governments since it was first declared in 1983. On March 6th 2018, President Maithripala Sirisena declared a state of emergency in order to address and contain the violence unfolding in the Kandy district, where violent attacks […]

Introduction.  With less than two years to the next Presidential election, Sri Lanka is facing one of the most serious political crisis in recent times. In the Local Government elections in February 2018, the party of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa secured the majority of votes in many constituencies, pointing towards a possible political shift. Sri […]

Image: On the night of 10th March a eatery in Anamaduwa, NWP was set on fire, but  Sinhalese helped to repair it and eatery was opened in 18 hours. Rajan Philips. Teldeniya is the last straw, if one was needed, to break the last strand of credibility of the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government. Most people took for granted […]

  Image: one of the most surprising aspects of the election result was the performance of the UNP under Wickremesinghe. The most interesting aspect of the defeat of Mahinda Rajapakse in January 2015 was the tendency of the Sri Lankan electorate to throw out of power a regime that was moving in an authoritarian direction. This […]

There have been two incidents, Sir, that have occurred recently: one in Ampara a few days ago and the other one, more recently, in Kandy. The incident in Ampara occurred consequent to a suspicion pertaining to some activities in an eating house. If what is being said had happened in that eating house, I think, […]

Image: Military guarding burned Muslim owned shops! Kandy – Sri Lanka(Reuters/Stringer) Violent clashes between Buddhists and Muslims have forced Sri Lanka to impose a state of emergency. Despite the move, the government appears uncertain about how to respond to the violence, says analyst Alan Keenan. The Sri Lankan government on Tuesday declared a state of […]

Image:  Digana after mob attacks. Associated Press/Pradeep Pathiran . Even as I write these words, Kandy is burning. Muslims, their homes and their properties are being targeted in the name of Buddhism, within shouting distance of the Temple of the Tooth. If the custodians of the Tooth Relic, the chief prelates of Malwatte and Asgiriya, look […]

Inciting violence, hatred and threats against other citizens because of their diverse backgrounds is harmful for sustained peace and reconciliation in Sri Lanka. Ridiculing their religious beliefs and destroying their properties is terrifying for the targeted groups and distressing for the law abiding community members. A free nation shows its maturity by allowing minorities to enjoy the same rights […]

Image: Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu  ( Lake house photo) The aftermath of the local government election has been fraught with political tension and the uncertainties of coalition politics. Leading civil society activist and Secretary of the Consultative Task Force on Reconciliation mechanisms, Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu says these confusions must not be allowed to overshadow the 2015 mandate […]

Mangala Samaraweera. We are fortunate to witness this moment when the Government led by President Sirisena and Prime Minister Wickremesinghe has given life to an important promise made to the people of this nation. The Office on Missing Persons Act was passed in August 2016 and on 27 February, a seven-member commission was announced to […]

Image:Former president Rajapaksa showing victory sign to the media after the local authority election results, (Image courtesy of Mahinda Rajapaksa face book) Sri Lanka Briefing Note 13 | February 2018.  Transitional Justice and Constitutional Reform:  Sri Lanka at the Cross Roads. Local Authority Elections,  2018 Feb. in Sri Lanka: implications for transitional justice. (Advanced copy on the […]

Image: Children of a war affected family in Vanni, Sri Lanka, July 2017; Addressing the issues related to poverty is necessary for a successful TJ process. (c) s.deshapriya. Transitional justice in Sri Lanka: current challenges and issues. (Advanced copy of the section on Transitional Justice in SLB No. 13 titled Transitional Justice and Constitutional Reform:  […]

By S W R de A Samarasinghe. Last Saturday’s Local Government (LG) Election dealt a stunning blow to President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and the two respective political parties, UPFA and UNP, that they lead and paved the way for the major political comeback of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa. The Sri Lanka […]

Rohan Samarajiwa. The perception is that former President Rajapaksa’s SLPP won a great victory; that the UNP did not do as well as expected and President Sirisena’s attempt to consolidate his position in the SLFP has failed. President Sirisena’s decision to lead the SLFP’s campaign in elections for the lowest level of government has diminished […]

Eranda Ginige. The real meaning of independence is the freedom we the people of this land gained from the British Empire. What we must really celebrate is the victory of democracy over monarchy. The rule of the people over the rule of kings and queens. The rule by the people over the rule by a […]

Sri Lanka Brief Update/ 05 Feb 2018:  Sri Lanka Local Authority Election  2018: Stats, Actors, Issues and Prospects . Stats Local authority elections will be held on the 10th February 2018, in the 341 Local Authorities of Sri Lanka (that consists of 24 municipal councils, 41 urban councils and 276 divisional councils). 15.8 million Sri Lankans […]

The Office on Missing Persons (OMP) is one of the four mechanisms that the government promised in its ‘comprehensive approach to dealing with the past’. While the OMP is the only mechanism on which any formal progress has been made in the 28 months that have passed since the government announced its plan; even this […]

A.E. Manoharan passed away yesterday at the age of 73. -Manoharan peforms at the CTCC event. (CTCC photo) In an interview hosted by The Sri Lanka Reporter in March 2006 Somasiri Munasinghe highlights the contribution made by A.E. Manoharan in his 40-year-old career as singer, actor and broadcaster is unique and unparalleled in Sri Lanka. His devotion to […]

By Udita Devapriya. The four films of Dharmasiri Bandaranayake stand out like zeitgeists of the eighties and the nineties. They reflect what could have been, but was not, a more illustrious, colourful career. The alienation of the individual from his surroundings, the unreliability of an objective voice, the solace of psychological confinement, are all themes […]

January 8, 2018. Amid the public discourse of fake news and President Trump’s announcement via Twitter about his planned “fake news” awards ceremony, CPJ is recognizing world leaders who have gone out of their way to attack the press and undermine the norms that support freedom of the media. From an unparalleled fear of their critics and […]

Image: R.Sampanthan ( credit: The Hindu) Meera Srinivasan. Sri Lanka’s seniormost politician on the government’s record on the political solution to the Tamil issue R. Sampanthan, leader of the Opposition in Sri Lanka’s Parliament, is also the country’s seniormost politician, having been in politics for more than six decades. In the January 2015 presidential poll, […]