Editor’s note: A previous version of this article was published on Roar.lk on February 23, 2016, but is being re-published following a series of updates. The article also includes images taken by our staff photographer Christian Hutter, who travelled around the island to capture the effects of the ongoing drought. A previously underwater Hindu Kovil in the old Maskeliya town ...
Reporting from Keppapulavu, Mullaitivu Displaced since the last stages of Sri Lanka’s civil war, returnees from the northeastern village of Pilakudiyiruppu in Mullaitivu are busy building makeshift tents where their houses used to stand. Just a few metres away, behind barbed wire, Air Force cadets can be seen ‒ playing sports on parts of the village they still occupy. Less ...
A series of arrests and the transfer of its chief due to allegations of collusion with drug traffickers has brought national attention to the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB).
Eight Sri Lankan sailors recently had a close shave with several Somali pirates who captured an oil tanker they were onboard. After being held for ransom for nearly a week, the pirates released the vessel along with the crew, who arrived at their destination safely. There was a time, however, when pirate encounters rarely ended well. Piracy is often defined ...
Around 15% (or 1 billion people) of the world’s population lives with some form of disability. According to a WHO report, roughly 2-4% of the community lives with debilitating conditions and severe difficulty functioning.
Anyone even remotely interested in theatre would have gotten their theatre pants on just for The Workshop Player’s rendition of Les Misérables now at Lionel Wendt. We caught the opening night show (October 1st) and were equal parts amazed and disappointed. Disclaimer Les Misérables or Les Mis for short is, for those not aware, a musical. Which means that the ...
The Sri Lankan Air Force put on a spectacular display on Independence Day, but appearances could be deceptive. Is the SLAF fit for purpose and value for money on an island at peace and facing no military threats from its neighbours? Sri Lankan Air Force aircraft fly in formation during a Victory Day parade in the southern town of Matara, ...
The last two weeks of April are set aside to plan and organise rallies in celebration of International Workers’ Day in Sri Lanka. The first day in May ‒ or May Day, also known as Labour Day ‒ is traditionally reserved to promote worker rights and labour laws, and is the highlight of the year for most of the country’s ...
“First they would strip me. Tie my hands behind my back and hang me upside down from a baalkaya (wooden ceiling beam). Then the beating would begin. They’d each take a turn… beating me with whatever they could get their hands on. Poles, steel rods, even a wooden stool at times… Then another night came… They tied my hands behind ...
The concept of organic farming is becoming quite popular – it seems too good to be true that there is an alternative to using chemicals to help grow produce. While many people seem to be taken by the idea of organic farming, which promises healthier produce and healthier lives, it is important to take a step back and understand how ...
The children of the streets, often offhandedly referred to as “beggar children”, are usually considered a nuisance by commuters. Guilt at seeing a child beg sometimes results in a few coins for the children, but for the most part, beyond surface, cursory interactions with them, most of us are unaware of the lives they lead or the stories behind their ...
The world seems to have enthusiastically embraced the idea of renewable energy sources that minimise or negate the emission of carbon dioxide; and about time, too, given the environmental effects of burning fossil fuels. Sri Lanka, being a tropical country, can undoubtedly benefit from renewable energy sources, with the larger focus on hydro potential. The geo-climatic settings in Sri Lanka ...
