“Every civilization rests on its heroes,” stated Dr. Dayan Jayatilleke. He was speaking at the book launch of ‘War Heroes Killed in Action’ by General Gerry de Silva. Civilizations and even communities, explains Dr. Jayatilleke, “attracts barbarism, invasions, aggressors”. It is the heroes who come forward, “willing to do what the average is unwilling to […] ...
The U.S. Presidential election is a matter of great interest to Sri Lankans – especially for the Colombo society. It must be so, for who ever who wins the race will have an impact on our lives, especially in present context. The point we are missing though is, we have no say in the election. […]
Good Governance has not only a political significance, but also an administrative function states Dr. Nishan de Mel, Executive Director at Verite Research. An expert team from the economic arm of the independent think-tank, Verite Research and Ceylon Chamber of Commerce on October 26, at the Sri Lanka Press Institute, highlighted the dire consequences our […]
Last week, General Daya Ratnayaka, as yet another high ranking military officer, who played a pivotal role in the war against terrorism, was summoned for yet another presidential commission of inquiry for yet another allegation of grave financial misappropriation. His loaded retort to a journalist’s question that the president will learn of this from the […]
The Geneva Resolution is our immediate threat and that should be countered first, argues veteran journalist Shamindra Ferdinando. In his weekly column with The Island, he repeatedly highlights that the last phase of the last war with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was NOT a war WITHOUT witnesses. Furthermore, he points out that there […]
At a recent seminar organized by a non-partisan civic network of young professionals, ‘Geneva and You’, Dr. Dayan Jayatilleke makes the interesting observation that Sri Lanka is in a perpetual cyclical pattern. First, we prepare, learn from our mistakes and achieve a significant victory that has the potential to change the course. However, we are […]
Protecting free education is the responsibility of every Sri Lankan citizen. It is a privilege we have enjoyed for two millennia, though the current education system is a left over from colonization. It initially was a privilege to selected segments of the society. However, selfless giants like CWW Kannangara opened education for all once again. […]
Is a society that endorses torture, civilized? Democratic? Respects the rule of law? Protects women? Upholds human rights? On the other hand, what should a civilized, democratic society that respects the rule of law and upholds the rights of women and humans as a whole do, when held hostage by terrorists? Terrorists are not lone […]
Ban Ki Moon drew swords of anger when he said that UN failed in Sri Lanka after failing to prevent the genocides that took place in Rwanda and Srebrenica. However, political analyst Neville Ladduwahetty pointed out to this writer that we Sri Lankans missed the crux of Ban’s statement, which is, that the UN failed […]
President Sirisena opinionated recently at a special media briefing in Janadhipathi Mandiraya that if former president Mahinda Rajapaksa won his third term or had the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam leader Prabakaran survived Eelam War IV, then we would not have been able to find lasting peace. It is an interesting observation on three counts. […]
Did the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon commit a Hanuman when he spoke of the Ruwanda and Srebrenica massacres with our war against terrorism in the same breath? The Joint Opposition believes our country’s image was deliberately tarnished – especially ahead of the upcoming war crimes probe proposal. Skills Development and Vocational Training […]
When King Parakramabahu VIII directed the Portuguese be escorted to him via the longer route, his reason was obvious. Though the task-bearers complied literally, they failed to factor in the continuous boom of the regularly fired cannons. How did they miss the obvious? Irrespective of the answer, unfortunately the Portuguese – despite the King’s precaution […]
Annually, 100,000 or so students eligible to university entrance are denied due to limited capacity. Sometimes, students miss by a mere point. Disturbingly, students with higher aggregates lose out to rural area students due to reverse discrimination policy. Yet, these students do not pressurize the government to absorb them also into universities. They dust their […]
Leadership is the single most important treasure in a society. Months ago, the video of a magnificent bird’s capture and torture went viral in social media when Otara Gunewardene made a public appeal to find the culprits to bring the full force of the law against them. Within days, police apprehended them with evidence. Weeks […]
___ Once bitten, twice shy they say, but apparently not for the Sri Lankan Government – no matter who had been at the helm. When the 1971 Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna insurgency erupted, the country had already experienced a-near military coup – not once, but twice. Both times, fortunately, it was nipped before fruition and most […]
We are an island of paradox. We enjoy free education since 1938. The State provides even the uniform material free to the student. Yet, parents spend a significant portion of their income on private tuition, almost from grade one onwards. That is because exams, instead of serving as a qualifier, acts as an eliminator. Annually, […]
Since Independence, Sri Lanka has had five direct and significant confrontations to the legitimate government. Thus, except for those born after 2009, the rest of us have lived through at least one of these conflicts. The first was the 1962 military coup attempt that was foiled thanks to the plans compromised at the eleventh hour. […]
In 1962, the legitimate government of Sri Lanka was almost toppled by a military coup. This is a fact many in the present generation do not know. Even most of the ‘old timers’ hardly recall the exact details. The 1971 insurgency is a fading memory. This was followed by the 1983 riots, which legitimized quarter […]
Whether we agree or not, hybrid courts may be a reality that we have to accept. Obviously, abusive or excessive force, or irregularities cannot be tolerated – even in war. However, the true intention of the proposed hybrid courts comes to question when the Human Rights Council is only interested in specific incidents alleged to […]
A disciplinary sanction which a court imposed against New York based Pro LTTE Tamil terrorists attorney early last year has recently become hot news of the online news media. The attorney, Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran, was admitted to the New York bar in 1993. Since that time, he has represented an estimated 2000 to 3000 clients, mainly […]