By Easwaran Rutnam The recent arrest of former Colombo Deputy Mayor Azath Salley under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) sent shockwaves in the political arena reminding most people of the prevalent uneasy environment in the country during and after the war. The government had removed the emergency regulations after the war, but the PTA [...]
By Nirmala Kannangara Sri Lanka’s public health care service that is intended to benefit many, especially the poor, is plagued with corruption and malpractices. While the government and higher officials at the Health Ministry are allegedly making money from the Health Ministry budgetary allocations, those who go to government hospitals seeking free health services face [...]
Agitations against electricity tariffs intensify Nation-wide protest campaign and strike on the 21st By Mandana Ismail Abeywickrema The working masses last week drew battle lines with the government in demanding a withdrawal of the increase in electricity tariffs and are now moving towards a day of protests on Tuesday (21). The massive protest march organized [...]
The true story of two former LTTE militants By Camelia Nathaniel Many young Tamil girls and boys having grown up with the war that plagued the country for over three decades have been idolising the terrorist outfit – the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Young Jayawardhani was no different, and her mind was poisoned [...]
By Nirmala Kannangara The Sri Lanka Navy and the Special Task Force (STF) are accused of grabbing 1,220 acres of forestlands in Shasthrawela, Ragamwela, Ulpassawela, Horowkanda and Ella in Panama chasing away the villagers whose forefathers too had been occupying these lands even during the Uva-Wellassa rebellion However though sanctions have been imposed by the [...]
Steady increase in Cost of Living By Camelia Nathaniel Private and Public sector employees are disgruntled with not receiving their long due Cost of Living payment when they are facing the sky-rocketing cost of living. Due to the government’s failure to gazette the Cost of Living Index new value, many employers calculate the cost of [...]
Court orders full probe on Matale mass grave The Matale mass grave issue was back in the limelight last week with families of several persons who had gone missing in the Matale area during the 1988-1989 period requesting courts to carry out investigations to determine whether remains of their loved ones are among the skeletal [...]
Astonishing revelations have now emerged as to how the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) incurred enormous losses over the past one-and-a-half years due to agreements signed by two of its former Chairmen. Meanwhile questions have been raised as to why the government has failed to probe a blatantly corrupt transaction the CPC entered into with PV [...]
By Easwaran Rutnam Canada remains the sole country threatening to boycott or send a low level delegation to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Sri Lanka in November after Britain and Australia confirmed they would be represented at the highest level. But that has not stopped Canada from continuing its war of words [...]
Clergy And Civil Society Question By Raisa Wickrematunge Last week, uproar erupted as former deputy Mayor of Colombo, Azath Salley, was arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). At the time, The Sunday Leader learned that Salley was being detained partly for causing religious disharmony, following an interview he had with a magazine in [...]
