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Home » ColumnsLegal challenge to Govt’s stadium project at little-known Jaffna heritage site
Not many in Jaffna are aware that there used to be a bird sanctuary along with a park in the heart of the city until someone went to court and tried to secure an order against the proposed construction of an indoor stadium by removing decades-old, if not centuries-old, trees at the site. A Jaffna-based [...]
Helter skelter
My dear Anura sahodaraya, I am writing to you as you criss-cross the country, visiting landslide affected areas, meeting with officials, asking them questions, and urging them to come up with urgent solutions. Much has been said about what happened – and the response afterwards. That is what I wanted to write to you about. [...]
The ‘Greek bond’ case; a cyclonic storm of legal proportions
A grief stricken Sri Lankan citizenry caught up in the immediate aftermath of a deadly cyclone that cracked the country’s green and verdant hills with potentially irreversible impact, cruelly swallowing up entire villages and their sleeping inhabitants like some giant medieval monster, was rocked by a cyclonic storm of legal consequences this week. ‘Acquittals’ versus [...]
The limits of executive presidency in managing national tragedies: A case for collective governance
Since 2019, Sri Lanka has confronted three major national crises of unprecedented scale: the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks, the Covid-19 pandemic, and now Cyclone Ditwah. Each of these events posed distinct challenges—security, public health, and disaster management—yet all shared a common institutional feature: they unfolded under the framework of the executive presidency. A close examination [...]
The task before Lanka after Govt. fiddled while the country flooded
As receding storm waters reveal the frightening magnitude of devastation Cyclone Ditwah left behind, with her footprint stamped on the very heart of the island’s terrain, the people of Lanka must brace themselves to confront the massive challenge of rebuilding in brick and mortar a brave new Sri Lanka after the government fiddled while the [...]
For forms of govt. let fools contest
If the satirical writing of the British poet who penned the words above is not appreciated by those in this country, at least his thoughts have proved to be prophetic even centuries later. Over the years the words of Alexander Pope have shown that we in Sri Lanka seemed determined to follow the first words [...]
The ‘Greek bond’ case; a cyclonic storm of legal proportions
A grief stricken Sri Lankan citizenry caught up in the immediate aftermath of a deadly cyclone that cracked the country’s green and verdant hills with potentially irreversible impact, cruelly swallowing up entire villages and their sleeping inhabitants like some giant medieval monster, was rocked by a cyclonic storm of legal consequences this week. ‘Acquittals’ versus [...]
President leads global aid drive for Ditwah disaster recovery
Requests UN chief for relief assistance, meets top US official and says “with the help of friends like the US, we will rebuild our infrastructure and livelihoods” In a wide-ranging interview with Newsweek, Dissanayake highlights Sri Lanka’s climate vulnerability and says his government will not play balancing acts with friendly countries Senior Chinese government official is [...]
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