Issues
Yearly Archives: 2011
Mr. President, you’re not worthy of the office you hold…
The occasion was the annual Budget Speech in Parliament. Unlike in the Westminster- system days, and
in terms of age-old traditions of parliamentary practices, the Finance Minister, in this instance His Excellency the President of Sri Lanka (as he could not trust to give this vital portfolio away to any other member of his sixty one-strong […]
A family of shawl bearers and a side order of cabraal
My Darling Ma-hinder
Heavens to Betsy my dear fellow, if it hasn’t been an exhilarating ride on a dizzying gradient for you chaps from Humbug-tots despite losing out to Gold Coast in the Games bid.
Take last Friday. Not only did the courts present you with a carefully gift wrapped Birthday bouquet and bung the Fonnie into […]
Growing Challenges to Internet Freedom
Next week, government, business, and civil society representatives will gather at the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Nairobi, Kenya to discuss
the future of the global digital space. This gathering takes place against the backdrop of growing restrictions by repressive regimes on online freedoms. The U.S. and European governments have undertaken significant initiatives to respond to […]
Sri Lanka:Animosity in the last stages of war could be permanent scar in ethnic relations
Last attempt
The Norwegian government’s effort to facilitate a peace process in the period 2002-06 was the last attempt to achieve peace in Sri Lanka’s war through peaceful means. The publication of an evaluation report by the Norwegian government to assess what happened during that period and to
draw relevant lessons for the future has rekindled debate […]
Rolling the dice in Sri Lanka: Are casinos eroding our society?
‘Tis all a Chequer-board of Nights and Days,
Where Destiny with men for Pieces plays
Hither and thither moves, and checks, and slays,
And one by one in the Closet lay”
-Omar Khayyam .The Rubaiyat
This column dedicated to the notion of making Sri Lanka the Wonder of Asia turns its spotlight today on the cancer of casinos and gambling […]
Is Hirunika Premachandra, Sri Lanka’s Cindy Sheehan?
“There is a tide in the affairs of men.
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat,
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures.” – Brutus, in Julius Caesar, Act 4
Winning […]
What a shootout between two politicians says about a nation
Since the end of its civil war against the ruthless Tamil Tigers (LTTE) in 2009, the Sri Lankan regime’s own reputation for ruthlessness has grown. At its heart are the three Rajapaksa brothers – President Mahinda, defence secretary Gotabhaya (“Gota”) and Economic Development Minister Basil
– controlling a formidable military force that has quashed all resistance […]
Freedom of Expression on the Internet in Sri Lanka
22nd November 2011, Colombo, Sri Lanka: The Centre for Policy Alternatives is pleased to release a new report examining the freedom of expression on the Internet in Sri Lanka. Read it online here or download it as a PDF here (1Mb).
Since 2007, the freedom of expression on the Internet has faced considerable restrictions on account […]
The war is over and people are looking at what could have been
In the thirty-something years that Sri Lanka fought with itself, profound changes were wreaked on the country. Its institutions have been greatly weakened and some of the best achievements since independence frittered away.
In the 1960s, East Asian countries such as Singapore and South Korea visited Sri Lanka to study its social support system that provided […]
Pakistan seeks to ban JESUS CHRIST and other “obscenities” from text messages
NEWSWEEK PAKISTAN: Pakistan’s mobile operators on Nov. 21 deferred implementing a ban on nearly 1‚700 “obscene” words from text messages‚ saying they were seeking further clarification from the telecoms authority.
The list‚ including words from “quickie” to “fairy“ to “Jesus Christ”‚ was distributed on Nov. 14 with operators given seven days to comply‚ but has met […]
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Thelma
A family of shawl bearers and a side order of cabraal
Issues
Opinion
Sri Lanka:Animosity in the last stages of war could be permanent scar in ethnic relations
Opinion
Rolling the dice in Sri Lanka: Are casinos eroding our society?
Opinion
Is Hirunika Premachandra, Sri Lanka’s Cindy Sheehan?
Opinion
What a shootout between two politicians says about a nation
Press freedom
Freedom of Expression on the Internet in Sri Lanka
Issues
The war is over and people are looking at what could have been
Issues
Pakistan seeks to ban JESUS CHRIST and other “obscenities” from text messages
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