The Sunday Times Sri Lanka

Columns

Political Column

Troops in varied attire clutching assault rifles went through their drills many a time during rehearsals. Their battleware - tanks, armoured personnel carriers, vehicle mounted Multi Barrel Rocket Launchers, artillery guns - were ready to roll before Government leaders, officials and Colombo-based diplomats last Thursday.

5th Column

Change, you must and put Humpty-Dumpty back together

I thought I must write to you, because you have once again become a hot topic of discussion among the Greens, the question being whether, like the honourable Sanath J from Matara, you should be dropped from the team after a string of poor performances or whether you should be allowed to play on.

The Economic Analysis

Mind the gap: The trade deficit is ballooning

The discussion on whether the IMF stand-by facility should be continued or not has clouded the really important issue of consolidating the country’s public finances. There can be no controversy whatsoever that a large fiscal deficit of the magnitude reached last year of nearly 10 per cent of GDP is detrimental for the economic development of the country.

Lobby

New ministers vow to make all wrongs right, as temperatures rise over rising floods

While thousands of people in several districts in the country were flooded out of their homes due to the heavy rains that fell last week, parliamentarians too suffered a similar fate when they were forced to adjourn sittings early on Tuesday with several sections of the road leading to the Legislature going under water with the Diyawanana Oya reaching spill level.

Focus on Rights

A pale shadow of democracy

Now we hear talk of homegrown constitutional solutions and yet another Commission, this time most piquantly termed ‘Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation’ prompting this columnist to question whether there are separate teams employed by the government working on imaginative titles for these most useless bodies.

Talk at the Cafe Spectator

The green joke at John's party

It was a gala party at the Intercontinental Hotel. The choicest liquor and cocktails were served and a five course dinner followed. Naturally, the high and mighty in the United National Party were all there. They included leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and deputy Karu Jayasuriya.