Columns

Political Column

Proposal for referendum instead of polls

President Mahinda Rajapaksa's 63rd birthday on November 17 turned out to be joyous. He received two big birthday gifts. One came from the armed forces to their Commander-in-Chief. That was the re-capture just one day before of the strategic northern village of Pooneryn.

5th Column

As men of all political hues-they showed their true colours!

“Thaaththa”, Bindu Udagedera asked, “was the budget passed?”

Situation Report

Bitter battles, heavy toll, Tiger strongholds under siege

With just three days to go for Tiger guerrilla leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran's "Maveerar" (Great Heroes) Day speech, the Army has placed siege on Kilinochchi and the adjoining Mullaitivu areas.

Thoughts from London

C’wealth: A big mockery of decision-making

It seems the Commonwealth too works in mysterious ways. Though it has not (yet?) assumed the infallibility of Providence it appears to have adopted some of its characteristics. How else can one explain the peculiar conduct of the Commonwealth foreign ministers who seem to be questioning the wisdom of their heads of government who appointed them to these positions in the first place.

The Economic Analysis

Global recession damaging industrial exports

The global recession is here to stay for sometime. Its intensity and duration remains uncertain. Even with the various recovery plans in place, it is likely to take a minimum of about three years for economies to get back to their former growth paths. It is still the beginning of the recession and it’s spreading. What began in the US is spreading to other parts of the world. Europe is in recession now, though France has staved it for the present.

Lobby

Fighting for privileges in the House while people kick their heels outside

Parliamentarians in Sri Lanka, probably like their counterparts in many other parts of the world, like to jealously guard the privileges they are entitled to as legislators.

Focus on Rights

Whither the office of the Attorney General?

The office of Sri Lanka's Attorney General has been subjected to the tug and pull of political pressure from many decades back. Some specific instances include the actions of the Attorney General in the Richard de Zoysa case where the country's chief law officer was severely castigated for refusing to take steps against the police officer identified by de Zoya's mother as having been responsible for the abduction of her son. (see Weerakoon, Batty, (1991) '

Inside the glass house

Can Obama clean up Bush's Augean stable?

A morally-tainted Bush administration, accused of violating international conventions, torturing prisoners and transgressing the rule of law, clearly lost its international stature over the last eight years. All, or most, of these abuses took place under the pretext of fighting international terrorism.