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Row over housing project: Sajith again threatens to resign

Row over housing project: Sajith again threatens to resign

At last Tuesday’s weekly cabinet meeting, Housing and Construction Minister Sajith Premadasa threatened to resign from both his portfolio and the post of Deputy Leader of the United National Party (UNP). That is if he is not allowed to go ahead with a housing project to be located in a palm oil cultivation property in [...]

President rejects proposal to pay compensation to former LTTE cadres and their families

President rejects proposal to pay compensation to former LTTE cadres and their families

President Maithripala Sirisena on Tuesday rejected outright a proposal by a United National Party (UNP) Cabinet Minister to pay “compensation” to Tiger guerrilla “ex combatants” and their “next of kin.” “I am not going to allow this to be even discussed,” he told last Tuesday’s weekly ministerial meeting. He was alluding to the Cabinet Memorandum [...]

The man who wears the yellow-dyed robe…

The man who wears the yellow-dyed robe…

Gnanasara hamuduruwaney, I thought I must write to you because many people are talking about you these days, after you were found guilty by a court and sent to jail last week. I don’t know whether you believe that any publicity is good publicity, but whatever you complain of, you certainly can’t complain of a [...]

‘Cheevara Saranang Gatchchami’ BBS boss in jailbird’s ‘jumperey’

‘Cheevara Saranang Gatchchami’ BBS boss in jailbird’s ‘jumperey’

The Vinaya Pitakaya is the sheet anchor of the Buddha Sasana: the Noble Order of Bhikkhus. It’s a book containing club rules which new initiates to this elite preserve that commands the respect of the laity are duty bound to adhere. It’s the compelling Code of Conduct the Buddha laid down and declared all monks [...]

Reflections on seven decades of post-independent economic growth and structural change

Reflections on seven decades of post-independent economic growth and structural change

The inability to achieve and sustain a high trajectory of economic growth over the last seventy years has been a significant national failure and regret considering the economic potential of the country. Achieving high sustained growth in the foreseeable future too is unlikely as the political environment, ethnic conflicts, trade union and obstructionist activities and [...]

Will Sri Lanka survive, even in its flawed State?

Will Sri Lanka survive, even in its flawed State?

On a visit to Myanmar last year, reputed Buddhist lay leaders who disapproved of incendiary anti-minority rhetoric engaged in by nationalist monk U Wirathu, were emphatic in their conversations with me that, ‘making him a martyr of the State’ would be the best possible media boost that he could get. ‘Marginalising him is a far [...]

Rethink this shambolic foreign policy

Rethink this shambolic foreign policy

In a candid interview with a local newspaper, State Minister Vasantha Senanayake laid bare the lack of clarity and cohesion in Sri Lanka’s foreign policy and the obvious shortcomings in its operation by the institution responsible for it — the Foreign Ministry. Vasantha Senanayake is the Minister of State of the Foreign Ministry and should [...]

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