Dr Sarath Obeysekera Sri Lanka is witnessing a renewed effort to combat corruption in the public sector. Investigations, audits, and legal reforms are being promoted as essential steps towards restoring public confidence and economic stability. These efforts are welcome and long overdue. However, there is an equally important question that deserves national attention: Why is […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera Green Hydrogen: Will Sri Lanka Become a Producer or Just Another Importer? BOI in Sri Lanka has invited global companies for RFi to forward proposals to generate green hydrogen to bunker to ships Most suitable locations for such bunkering will in  be Trincomalee  Glad to note that government is shifting attention to […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera  Million-Dollar Opportunity Floating in Our Harbours How FRP Boat Waste Can Be Recycled Old fishing boats and pleasure craft are mainly made from fiberglass reinforced polyester or vinyl ester resin. The scrap can be: Alternatively: The Challenge for Load-Bearing Beams Structural beams require: Recycled FRP powder alone is usually not strong enough […]

By Dr. Sarath Obeysekera Recent discussions on importing large numbers of foreign workers to address labour shortages in Sri Lanka specifically in construction industry , deserve careful scrutiny. While some policymakers view labour importation as a quick solution to workforce shortages in construction, manufacturing, and other sectors, the long-term social, economic, and political consequences could […]

By Dr. Sarath Obeysekera The recent tragic fire at an elders’ home in Sri Lanka, where vulnerable senior citizens reportedly suffocated and lost their lives, should shock the conscience of the nation. Yet beyond the immediate tragedy lies a deeper and more uncomfortable question: how do we treat the people who once cared for us, […]

By Dr. Sarath Obeysekera A workshop titled “Construction Sector Human Capital Recovery” was held recently at Water’s Edge under the auspices of the National Human Resources Development Council of Sri Lanka. The objective was to discuss the severe labour shortage facing the construction industry and to identify solutions for workforce sustainability. Many useful ideas were presented. Some […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera Throughout history, powerful leaders have sought to expand the influence and prosperity of their nations. The methods have changed, but the objective has often remained the same: securing resources, wealth, strategic advantage, and national power. Genghis Khan expanded his empire through military conquest across Asia and Europe. Alexander the Great marched across […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera  https://www.dailymirror.lk/breaking-news/Japan-opens-employment-pathways-for-Sri-Lankan-fisheries-graduates/108-341892 Japan opens employment pathways for Sri Lankan fisheries graduates  The National Human Resources Development Council of Sri Lanka is organising a Half-Day Workshop on Construction Sector Human Capital Recovery,” which will be held on 4th June 2026 at the Albatross Hall, Water’s edge  Recent news reports reveal a troubling contradiction in Sri Lanka’s economic policy. […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera An equally important issue that requires urgent attention is the absence of a comprehensive national Blue Economy Strategy. As an island nation located at the centre of one of the world’s busiest maritime routes, Sri Lanka possesses enormous untapped ocean-based economic potential. Yet, much of our policy focus remains limited to traditional […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera While Sri Lanka continues debating the shortage of construction labour, countries such as Turkey are already preparing for the next generation of construction materials. For decades, the world relied on brick, concrete, steel, and timber as the primary building materials. Today, however, advanced economies are increasingly introducing composite structural elements made from […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera Turkey concentrated ship recycling activities in Aliağa during the 1970s and developed nearby steel mills that could immediately consume recycled steel from ships. Today, the area handles ships, offshore platforms, FPSOs, naval vessels, and large commercial ships under regulated environmental standards.   A key advantage is that recovered steel does not travel […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera Lessons to learn  Singapore faced severe labour shortages and rising labour costs. Instead of importing unlimited workers, the government pushed the industry towards prefabrication, modular construction, and steel-based systems through its Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DfMA) strategy. The Building and Construction Authority reports that prefabricated construction methods can improve productivity by […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera https://fortune.com/2026/06/01/iran-conflict-disrupted-oil-supply-gulf-states-multi-billion-dollar-investments-renewables Every conflict in the Middle East sends shockwaves through global energy markets. The latest tensions involving Iran have once again reminded the world how vulnerable modern economies remain to disruptions in oil supply. For decades, oil has been both a blessing and a curse. It has fueled economic growth, industrial development, […]

ආචාර්ය සරත් ඔබේසේකර ඉන්ධන මිල ගණන් අඛණ්ඩව ඉහළ යාම හේතුවෙන් පවුල්වලටත් ව්‍යාපාරවලටත් විශාල ආර්ථික බරක් එල්ල වී තිබේ. මේ තත්ත්වය හමුවේ ලොව බොහෝ රටවල් ජනතාවගේ ගමනාගමන අවශ්‍යතා පවත්වාගෙන යමින් ඉන්ධන පරිභෝජනය අවම කිරීම සඳහා නවෝත්පාදන ක්‍රියාමාර්ග අනුගමනය කරමින් සිටී. සංවර්ධිත රටවල සාර්ථකව ක්‍රියාත්මක වන මෙවැනි ක්‍රමවේදයන්ගෙන් ශ්‍රී ලංකාවටද ප්‍රයෝජනවත් පාඩම් රැසක් උකහා ගත හැකිය. ඇමරිකා […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera Sri Lanka is once again showing signs of economic recovery. Major infrastructure projects are being discussed, highways are being planned, urban development is accelerating, and private sector investment is slowly returning. Yet beneath this optimism lies a serious challenge that threatens to derail the country’s construction ambitions: the severe shortage of both […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera One of the most important strategic decisions Sri Lanka can make is to gradually shift from labour-intensive conventional construction towards a steel-based construction industry. Traditional building methods depend heavily on large numbers of masons, carpenters, bar benders, and other tradesmen. With the growing shortage of skilled labour, these methods are becoming increasingly […]

Dr, Sarath Obeysekera As fuel prices continue to place a heavy burden on households and businesses, governments around the world are exploring innovative ways to reduce fuel consumption while maintaining mobility. Many developed countries have successfully implemented policies that encourage shared travel, public transport, and flexible working arrangements. Sri Lanka can learn from these examples […]

By Dr. Sarath Obeysekera 31/05/2026 Sunday observer   The recent launch of Sri Lanka’s ‘Ready to Invest’ platform (readytoinvestsl.com) by the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka (BOI) is a positive and timely initiative that signals the country’s renewed effort to attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into strategic sectors of the economy. The platform showcases 30 […]

Dr. Sarath Obeysekera The ceremonial laying of the foundation stone for the Kurunegala–Galagedara Expressway marks the beginning of another important chapter in Sri Lanka’s highway development programme. While politicians gather to celebrate the launch, the real test will be whether the project can be delivered on time, within budget, and without becoming another victim of […]

From AI resources MTD Walkers expanded aggressively into roads, piling, power, marine engineering, real estate, and infrastructure projects during a period when large government-funded construction contracts were flowing into the market. By 2018–2019, the group had accumulated tens of billions of rupees in debt. Several reports alleged that some facilities from state banks were granted […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera Without Prejudice  For the attention  of  Lady Justice  (  she  is called Lady Justice. She is usually depicted holding a balance scale and a sword, and often wears a blindfold to symbolize impartiality and fairness. In Washington, D.C., versions of Lady Justice can be seen at several important government buildings, including the United […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera Recently, the SLPA Chairman made an important presentation to the German delegation regarding port expansion plans, but Trincomalee appeared to have been left out of the overall development formula. EU-Sri Lanka forum discusses maritime, logistics hub potential | EconomyNext The Government should clearly clarify whether India’s strategic interests and existing involvement in […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera https://www.dailymirror.lk/breaking-news/Colombo-port-expansion-plans-gather-pace-with-US-2Bn-pipeline/108-341509 Sri Lanka’s ambitious US$ 2 billion port expansion programme may look impressive on paper, but without a competent, technically driven execution team, many of these projects risk becoming expensive national fantasies. The proposed Colombo North Port expansion is a classic example. For years, experts have warned that the northern boundary of […]

ආචාර්ය සරත් ඔබේසේකර https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/adani-green-energy-commissions-worlds-largest-battery-storage-system-11548396/amp/1 ඉන්දියාවේ විශාලතම බැටරි බලශක්ති ගබඩා පද්ධතිවලින් එකක් ආරම්භ කිරීමට අදාළව අදානි සමාගම විසින් මෑතකදී කළ නිවේදනය, ශක්ති, වරාය, ලොජිස්ටික්ස් හා යටිතල පහසුකම් ක්ෂේත්‍රවල අනාගතය දෙස ඉන්දියානු මහා ව්‍යාපාරික සමූහ කෙසේ වේගයෙන් හා දැවැන්ත අභිලාෂයකින් ගමන් කරන්නේද යන්න ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට නැවත මතක් කර දෙයි. එහෙත් ශ්‍රී ලාංකිකයන් සඳහා අදානි” යන නාමය මතු […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera https://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/travel/india-is-dirtiest-country-vlogger-praises-sri-lanka-critiques-india-s-tourism-decline-due-to-poor-cleanliness-101779874371832.html# During my routine early morning walk along the Kimbulawala walking path ,  I keep noticing heap of garbage  on both sides of the Madiwela road for several weeks Irony is one heap lies next to the police post for weeks  Often I see the two young cops looking at the mobiles […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera Proposal for Facilitation of Betting & Gaming License Approvals in Sri Lanka As Sri Lanka seeks new avenues for foreign direct investment, tourism growth, and foreign exchange earnings, the development of a regulated betting and gaming industry within the Colombo Port City framework deserves serious consideration. Global gaming hubs such as Macau, […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera The online casino and gambling sector in Sri Lanka has been growing quietly but rapidly over the last decade, driven by smartphone penetration, digital payments, tourism, and weak regulatory enforcement in cyberspace. While traditional gambling was once limited mainly to physical casinos in Colombo targeting tourists,specifically chinese and Indians  online betting and […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/adani-green-energy-commissions-worlds-largest-battery-storage-system-11548396/amp/1 The recent announcement that  Adani  has commissioned one of the world’s largest battery energy storage systems in India once again reminds Sri Lanka of the scale, speed, and ambition with which Indian conglomerates are moving into the future of energy, ports, logistics, and infrastructure. For Sri Lankans, however, the name Adani” […]

ආචාර්ය සරත් ඔබේසේකර (Dr. Sarath Obeysekera) උපායමාර්ගික අවධානය යොමු කරන ප්‍රදේශ 1. යටිතල පහසුකම් සංවර්ධනය ● ද්විත්ව භාවිත Mini Marinas: ධීවර වරායන් 21ක් ධීවර හා විවේක යාත්‍රා සඳහා marinas බවට පරිවර්තනය කිරීම, සංචාරක ව්‍යාපාරය වැඩි කිරීම සහ නව ආදායම් මාර්ග උත්පාදනය කිරීම. ප්‍රධාන ස්ථාන අතර ගාල්ල, බේරුවල සහ ත්‍රිකුණාමලය ඇතුළත් වේ. ● බෝට්ටු නිෂ්පාදන කලාප: […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera Brazil’s offshore oil industry is dominated by the state-controlled energy giant Petrobras, which operates one of the world’s largest deepwater offshore production networks. Most production comes from the pre-salt” offshore basins located far offshore in the Atlantic Ocean, particularly the Santos and Campos Basins. From AI resources – What is an FPSO? […]