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Home » ColumnsTamil-speaking US troops
The United States, desperately in need of troops for its overseas military adventures, has been more than willing to recruit non-American legal residents who come from Asia, Africa and Latin America. In return for their services in the military — be it in Iraq or Afghanistan – these expatriates are on a fast track to [...]
The final nail in the coffin of the judiciary
For those of us who prefer to take refuge in comfortable illusions that this Presidency only hides a velvet hand in an iron glove (to mischievously twist that proverbial saying around), the motion of impeachment of the Chief Justice of Sri Lanka presented by 117 government MPs to the Speaker this week should dispel all [...]
Whatever the Chief Justice may say, Govt. will have its way
Government parliamentarians began a campaign to impeach Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake, at the auspicious time of 10.12 a.m. on Thursday. It seemed ironic if not hilarious that the day coincided with the United Nations in Geneva taking up Sri Lanka’s human rights record under the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). The five Government Group members — [...]
Tough judge, rigged jury and executive executioner
My Dear Madam, I thought I must write to you because you are the most talked about person these days and we heard this week that there are plans to oust you from your job. I think they will try their best to do so, even though you deserve better than that. Of course, Madam, [...]
Export or perish: Economic policies for export growth
Sri Lanka’s poor performance in exports has led to persistent large trade deficits that have in turn led to balance of payments problems and dependence on foreign borrowing.The consequent increase in foreign debt is itself a balance of payments concern as foreign debt servicing costs are a significant proportion of export proceeds. Both last year, [...]
‘Water tax’ rears its ugly head again
A report that the Government plans to introduce a tax on drinking wells has revived a debate on the controversial question of water pricing that goes back to the 1990s. The plan which if implemented will have far reaching consequences on the lives of ordinary people, is to be introduced through amendments to the Water [...]