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(The Island) As a reader who really value and adore your forthright editorials (surely by the majority of readers) I was sorry and just couldn’t help but disagree with the essence of your editorial of today (July 08th) with the heading “Head-butts and own goals”, on the issue [...]

(The Island) The European Union [EU] as expected, decided to terminate GSP + concessions to Sri Lanka. They went through the formality of discussions with the Sri Lanka delegation, and then came up with a preposterous demand – no less than 15 conditions to be fulfiled – if they were [...]

(The Island) According to Jehan Perera (JP) writing under the title, ‘Mounting international pressure call for less confrontational approach’ in THE ISLAND of 29 June, it was wrong for our government to have ended the war against-the LTTE terrorism in May 2009. We should have succumbed to [...]

(The Island) The point in Tissa Devendra’s letter on the above subject in his letter in the Island of 28th June is very well taken – in one sense.

If a tourist is gullible let him pay for his gullibility. In that sense only two cheers for the Tourist Board, if – [...]

(The Island) If this or any future government is to survive as a viable entity it must clean up the mess of 79 year’s of self-rule, i.e. since 1931 because this cancer has been growing and spreading since then.

Government should constitute a special commission [with teeth that can bite] [...]

(The Island) Thankfully, there is at least one department we know in the public sector that does not have to resort to sweeping things under the carpet whenever high powered delegates and celebrities are due to arrive in the country at the invitation of the State. We refer to [...]

(Responses to questions from IRIN, the news agency funded by the UN Office of the Coordinator for Humanitarian Assistance)

(The Island – by Rajiva Wijesinha)

1) What are the main challenges to reconciliation at the moment?

I think the biggest challenge is the [...]

(The Island) The media, both print and electronic, are full of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with India, and the proposed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) has almost become a dirty word with some! As a former Head of the Commerce Department, and having [...]

(The Island) This question arises in one’s mind watching what happened during the last few weeks. Firstly, we are told that India is going to open an office in Jaffna. What is the need for this? There are no Indian Tamils there. Only reason could be to help the [...]

(The Island) What we have been experiencing incessantly as floods in Colombo is the sum total of all the mistakes made by foreigners as well as our own local people during the last about 200 years starting from the 1800’s.

In their sequence of occurrences they can best be tabulated [...]

(The Island) Now that a stable government is in place with almost a two thirds majority and there is undisturbed peace to a great degree, we must revolutionize our way of thinking. Apathy had set in among the people because it took so long to put an end to terrorism. [...]

(Daily News) When floods occur we talk about it and some temporary relief is provided and after a few days it is forgotten. This is not satisfactory. Following a few days of rain, part of the country, over 500,000 people are affected. In addition a large number of people find [...]