Columns

Political Column

Weeks ahead of the North Central Provincial Council elections in August, Major General (retired) Janaka Perera confided to a family member, that he met Basil Rajapaksa MP, Senior Presidential Advisor. It was Thilanga Sumathipala, former UNPer and now Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) organiser for Anuradhapura, who had facilitated it.

5th Column

The country bleeds, life is a vale of tears - who cares?

My Dear Major General,

Situation Report

Two blasts as battles boom in north

The inauguration of a Government campaign to cultivate abandoned paddy land at Bandaragama last Thursday morning saw an uninvited guest - the handler of a Tiger guerrilla suicide bomber.

Thoughts from London

Graft-busters cleaned up corruption

One of the more interesting and certainly illuminating conversations I have had in recent months was the one last week with the head of Hong Kong’s anti-corruption body.

The Economic Analysis

Persistent misconceptions on food security

There has been no other Sri Lankan economist who has played as vital a role in both the Sri Lankan economy and on the international stage.

Lobby

Opposition shows no compassion for Karuna

The entry of former LTTE strongman to Parliament as an MP is a landmark event in the parliamentary history of Sri Lanka.

Focus on Rights

Upholding the public good

The Public Trust doctrine, as articulated by several recent judgments of the Supreme Court, is, of course, no new concept to Sri Lanka. The Supreme Court's invocation of its doctrine against arbitrary actions of the political executive was however infrequent during 1999 - 2004, excepting some consistent judgments of one or two judges who have since then retired

Inside the glass house

Financial crisis hits world body: UN banks on empty pledges

The financial crisis, which has continued to destabilise stock markets and undermine the global banking system, is expected to have a negative impact on the perpetually cash-strapped United Nations and its development activities -- sooner than later.