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Home » ColumnsBlowing in the wind: Lanka’s names for future cyclones
Sri Lanka is among the 13 countries that suggests names when it comes to naming tropical cyclones. This week’s cyclonic storm ‘Burevi’ was suggested by the Maldives. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) recently published a list of 169 names of tropical cyclones that would emerge in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian sea in [...]
Minister of unhealthy practices
My dear Pavithradevi, I never thought I would be writing to you again this soon, having written to you for the first time only a few weeks ago- but then, these are extraordinary times, the world is in the grip of a deadly virus and you as our Minister of Health are in the thick [...]
Many questions to be answered with regard to Mahara Prison riots
The front wall of the Prisons Headquarters has the words “Prisoners are human beings too” engraved on it. The statement is a reflection of the State’s commitment to treat the inmates of prisons as human beings notwithstanding any indiscretion that they may have committed resulting in their imprisonment. Recent incidents cast doubts on the capacity [...]
Containing COVID-19 and getting the economy moving
Containing COVID-19 while getting the economy functioning again is a challenging task. In as much as containing COVID-19 is vital for the safety of lives and livelihoods, the functioning of the economy in tandem with COVID are vital for the livelihood of people. Economic necessity The shutting down of economic activities to contain the virus [...]
A government Defence of the judiciary that does more damage than good
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his Minister of Justice who went charging into Parliament this week to pontificate or plead for judges to be protected ‘from criticism’ may well be advised to reflect on some salutary truths. Truly remarkable Ministerial idiocy In South Asia’s less than salubrious context of the separation of powers being limited to [...]
‘Prisoners stoned on drugs stoned each other to death’
The Government finds itself in a tight corner this morn after an incident at the Mahara prison last Sunday between guards and prisoners flared into a major battle that lasted the entire night with the dust settling only on Tuesday when prison guards finally succeeded to bring the smouldering situation under complete control. The rampant [...]
Pray who will judge the judges
Okay, so I plead nolo contendere. What does that mean? Who knows! I picked it up only the other day. When confronting eminent counsel, particularly if they carry the tag “Minister of Justice” it is best to be armed with a foreign phrase or two lest the black-coated fraternity delude themselves that the rest of [...]
Mahara prison catastrophe: Credible probe essential
Some Government leaders say crisis intended to damage President’s reputation Explosive overcrowding in prisons; unrests have been going on for months, with little or no action taken Conflicting and contradictory statements add to confusion; College of Psychiatrists says mental illness drugs will notcause violent behaviour Some 145 years ago, the British who were ruling Ceylon, [...]
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