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Home » ColumnsCOVID-19 repatriation crisis takes romantic turn
While Sri Lanka’s foreign missions are still struggling to repatriate Sri Lankans who are stuck in foreign capitals after the COVID-19 pandemic, in Cyprus the Consulate General had to make a strange request to Lankans in that country. The Consulate Office urged Lankans to stay away from calling up official hotlines to verify whether their [...]
Neighbourly exchanges and confusions
My dear Narendra Modi, I thought of writing to you because you must be confused about what is going on within the shores of your tiny southern neighbour. One minute, they are nice and sweet to you and the next minute they say they don’t want to do business with you – so I thought [...]
Reflections on post-independence economic development: Economic underperformance and social progress
Three days ago we ‘celebrated’ the country’s 73rd anniversary of independence. As in past years, we cannot be content with the country’s post-independence economic performance. It has been far below our potential and expectations at independence when we had the initial conditions for an economic ‘take off.’ Instead it has been a tale of lost [...]
‘A hard rain’ destined to fall on Sri Lanka’s institutions of justice
To mercilessly mangle Bob Dylan’s timeless words, ‘a hard rain’ will fall on Sri Lanka if hammer blows continue to be aimed at judicial, prosecutorial and legal institutions by the country’s political leadership. In the end, this will not spare judges and the judiciary itself, in the manner of recent history as we have already [...]
Did freedom’s guns boom the damp squibs of hope?
As the Union Jack that had flown majestic over the entire isle of Ceylon for 138 years was ceremoniously lowered on February 4, 1948, marking the end of Britain’s regal sway; the pride and hope that would have swelled and soared in the newly independent nation’s collective breast, would, no doubt, have known no bounds. [...]
All the hurry for this diplo-messy
Some aspiring and perspiring entrants to diplomatic life have it so, so wrong. Those who have conjured up images of diplomacy as cocktails and canapés at sundown and cognac and cigars at night cannot be but dreamers of dreams. But there are more things in diplomacy than is dreamt of in their philosophy. It is [...]
Confusion reigns as ECT deal sinks and UNHRC pressure rises
Govt. says it has rejected UN Human Rights Commissioner’s report Anger in New Delhi and Tokyo over ECT deal Foreign Minister to meet Core Group representatives in Colombo tomorrow Moves to oust Sri Lankan peacekeeping troops from world trouble spots The Government this week walked back on its move to hand over the Colombo Port’s [...]
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