When DRW swayed life at Lake House
The thirteenth day of June, 1950, was a sad day for Lake House. On that day, D R Wijewardene, its founder, died, but the momentum that he generated is still felt when the rotary presses begin to roll. In 1912 when he returned to Ceylon after graduating in Cambridge and being called to the Bar [...]
Anti-Muslim hype has relegated the more dangerous LTTE war into insignificance
Twelve years since the end of Sri Lanka’s war, the sacrifices made by the nation’s armed forces and related State institutions were remembered in May. Tamils overseas too, meanwhile, remembered those who died in the 30-year war. But why have the Muslims, the only community to stand on the side of the territorial integrity of [...]
Public service: Law outside courts
Public service (PS) in law is a puzzling concept. It is not easily fathomable for its role, unlike judicial service (JS) which is well founded in law. PS is not even an appendage of the criminal justice system (CJS), although it consists of a whole body of competent learned officials. Thereby PS, in relation to [...]
Invisible under the law: The consistent neglect of domestic workers in Sri Lanka
As COVID-19 sinks its teeth into Sri Lanka anew this month, Work-From-Home (WFH) has become the new modus operandi for white-collar workers. As our domestic and working spaces merge into one, we now better understand that work holds value regardless of where it is done. With this recognition comes growing demands for labour protections for [...]
The virus next time
BRISBANE – As more developed countries begin to feel as though they have made it to the other side of the COVID-19 crisis, two striking realities are coming into view. First, one can clearly see just how vulnerable many developing countries still are to rapidly escalating outbreaks of the type we are witnessing in India. [...]