Dilrook Kannangara
There are a number of wars raging g around the world and a few more are on the planning stage. Drone warfare dominates every one of them. Among drones, the king is inevitably the mighty Shaheed drone. Shaheed and its copies in many countries, including its Russian, American, Chinese, Indian, Israeli, Turkish, etc. variants are highly effective due to low cost, simplicity, high impact, versatility, short time it takes to launch and hit targets and range. Why waste manned aircraft and artillery when a cheap but sizable enough drone can do the job at a fraction... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 02/08/26)
By Concerned Citizen
To: The Hon Minister I refer to the timely and eye-opening article written by that erudite journalist Shenali Waduge “ The Legal Defects in Sri Lanka's Land Registry: Two Registers with a Flawed Digitalisation Programme” at https://www.shenaliwaduge.com/the-legal-defects-in-sri-lankas-land-registry-two-registers-with-a-flawed-digitalisation-programme/ The Article clearly shows (as has been the experience of all other nations which had practiced the deed system) that the Deeds Register like that under Ord 23 of 1927 is the only practical path to achieve international standards. Since the enactment of Act No. 21 of 1998 (Bim Saviya), Sri Lanka... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 02/08/26)
Sasanka De Silva
A country's diaspora should naturally be one of its greatest strategic assets. Living in developed nations, overseas citizens gain access to advanced infrastructure, cutting-edge technology, and global networks. In an ideal scenario, they leverage these advantages to bring facilities, expertise, and investment back to their motherland. Regional neighbours offer clear examples of this in action—diaspora communities actively contributing to building schools, hospitals, airports, and modern road networks in their homelands. Unfortunately, Sri Lanka's experience often tells a different story. Where the Focus Lies Instead of channelling knowledge... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 02/08/26)
By Dr. Sarath Obeysekera
Governments are rarely defeated by their opponents alone. More often, they are weakened by divisions from within There are examples in Sri Lanka in the past The Bolshevik Revolution succeeded because its leaders were united in achieving a common objective. Lenin, Trotsky and others worked together to overthrow the old regime and defend the revolution during its formative years. It was only after Lenin's illness and death that deep divisions among the leadership intensified, leading to a destructive struggle for power. Whatever one's opinion of Soviet history, one lesson remains... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 02/08/26)
By Dr. Sarath Obeysekera
History repeatedly demonstrates that nations achieve rapid transformation when the institutions of the State work towards a common national purpose rather than pulling in different directions. Singapore under Lee Kuan Yew, South Korea during its industrialisation, and China under Deng Xiaoping all illustrate how determined executive leadership, supported by functioning state institutions, accelerated economic development, attracted investment, built infrastructure, and lifted millions out of poverty. While their political systems differed, they shared one characteristic: the machinery of government acted with a common national objective. Sri Lanka today faces a different... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 02/08/26)
Ministry of Defence - Media Centre
Addressing National Cadet Corps (NCC) cadets at the opening ceremony of the NCC Inter-Provincial Youth Exchange Programme, held at St. Joseph's College, Trincomalee, on 30 July as the Chief Guest, Deputy Minister of Defence Major General Aruna Jayasekara (Retd) urged the youth to transform diversity into a catalyst for nation-building. In his address, the Deputy Minister underscored the vital role of youth in fostering national reconciliation and lasting unity, emphasizing that peace is built not merely through the absence of conflict but through trust, understanding and meaningful engagement among communities.... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 02/08/26)
Dr Sarath Obeyekera
https://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2017/02/12/jan-29-2017-the-president-has-now-instructed-that-the-ccem-must-hereafter-submit-its-decisions-to-the-relevant-subject-minister-who-must-then-submit-their-concurrence/... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 02/08/26)
Shenali D Waduge
Sri Lanka is being rapidly moved towards a digitalisation of its land records. Digital technology can undoubtedly improve efficiency, but digitalising an unreliable legal system will not create a reliable land register or any relief for land owners and even a government who has to answer long term consequences. Before investing billions in digital transformation, a Government must first correct the legal defects that have existed for decades. Why have the digital gurus tasked to roll out digitalization not seen this stark reality and commenced remedies to this issue first? Currently,... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 01/08/26)
by Maung Maung Nyunt, The Buddhist Channel, 12 July 2026
Yangon, Myanmar -- The 729 marble slabs at Kuthodaw Pagoda in Mandalay, often called "the world's largest book," represent one of the most ambitious projects of Buddhist preservation ever undertaken. Completed in 1868 under King Mindon, these stone tablets contain the complete Pali Tipiṭaka, the Vinaya, Sutta, and Abhidhamma Piṭakas, inscribed across 1,460 pages, each slab five feet tall and five inches thick, housed in its own small shrine arranged around a central golden pagoda. Yet the question of why this monumental work was commissioned points... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 01/08/26)
By Dr. Sarath Obeysekera
For decades, Sri Lanka has proudly spoken about women’s empowerment. Every government has launched programmes under this banner, and millions of rupees have been spent on training and awareness. Yet one fundamental question remains: Have we truly empowered women, or have we merely confined them to traditional occupations under a new label? Most vocational programmes offered to women still revolve around cake making, beauty culture, tailoring, housekeeping, food processing, childcare and elderly care. While these are respectable professions, they represent only a narrow segment of the opportunities available to women... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 01/08/26)
Hiru News
Negombo Magistrate Shilani Perera instructed media outlets today to refrain from publishing details stemming from the testimony of the chief jailer on duty during the Negombo prison clash, citing potential risks to national security given the sensitive nature of the evidence.The magistrate further directed the court registrar to secure the testimony safely within a safe.These disclosures emerged as Wickrama Jayantha Kumara, serving as the chief jailer at the time, testified at the Negombo Magistrate Court regarding the incident involving ten officers and twenty-two inmates.The testimony commenced around 1 p.m. and concluded close to... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 31/07/26)
Talia Yoseph
https://youtu.be/bXqUfhrNhm8... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 31/07/26)
News Center
https://youtu.be/4JYL1BNKMdQ... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 31/07/26)
By Raj Gonsalkorale
The headline attracting issue in Sri Lanka at present appears to be the proposed two-year extension to the retirement age of judges which the government argues could assist in making a reduction in the massive backlog of pending cases amounting more than 1.1 million as per the Ministry of Justice. Few seem to be realising that this is only a symptom of a far more deep-seated issue arising from years of neglect of the judiciary system where under funding, inadequate remuneration, understaffing and under development of infrastructure has resulted in the accumulation of such a... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 30/07/26)
e-Con e-News
Posted byee ink.July 25, 2026Posted inUncategorizedTags:history, politics, sri-lanka blog: https://eesrilanka.wordpress.com ‘Before you study the economics, study the economists!’ e-Con e-News 19-25 July 2026 * ‘Why did no one see it coming?’ – England’s Queen Elizabeth asked the London School of Economics (LSE) about the 2008 capitalist meltdown * ‘The Government is preparing to restore criminal sanctions for serious foreign exchange offences after investigations into approximately $715mn remitted overseas through fraudulent import... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 30/07/26)
ආචාර්ය සරත් ඔබේසේකර (PhD)
අද ජාතික ජන බලවේගය (NPP) කුඩා දේශපාලන ව්යාපාරයක සිට රටේ පාලන බලය දක්වා පැමිණ තිබීම ශ්රී ලංකාවේ නූතන දේශපාලන ඉතිහාසයේ සුවිශේෂී සිදුවීමකි. කවර දේශපාලන මතයක් දැරුවද, මෙම පරිවර්තනය සිදු වූ ආකාරය සහ එයින් උගත හැකි පාඩම් විමසා බැලීම වටී. මගේ මතකය අදින් වසර හැටකට ආසන්න කාලයකට පෙරට දිව යයි. 1969 වසරේ මොස්කව් නගරයේ ඉගෙනුම ලබමින් සිටියදී නිවාඩුවකට ලන්ඩනයට ගියෙමි. රුසියානුවන් හා වෙනත් රටවල සිසුන් සමඟ ජීවත් වූ අතර, ඉංජිනේරු විද්යාවට අමතරව දේශපාලන ආර්ථික න්යාය, සාමූහික ගොවිතැන පිළිබඳ සමාජවාදී මතවාද, දර්ශනය සහ “විද්යාත්මක කොමියුනිස්ට්වාදය” යන විෂයයන් ද හැදෑරීමට මට අවස්ථාව ලැබුණි.... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 30/07/26)
By Dr. Sarath Obeysekera
A recent article published in LankaWeb argues that an economic downturn is inevitable for Sri Lanka. While I appreciate the concerns expressed, I respectfully disagree with that conclusion. Sri Lanka has already emerged from one of the darkest economic periods in its post-independence history. The country has restored macroeconomic stability, inflation has been brought under control, debt restructuring has progressed, and confidence among international lenders and investors has gradually returned. The road ahead is certainly challenging, but an economic downturn is not inevitable. (youtube.com) The real issue lies elsewhere. ... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 30/07/26)
නීතිඥ අරුණ ලක්සිරි උණවටුනvBSc(Col), PGDC(Col)
1.ආණ්ඩුක්රම ව්යවස්ථාවේ 83වන ව්යවස්ථාවේ සිංහල ඉංග්රීසි භාෂා පාඨ වෙනස්කම් නිවැරදි කිරීමට මැතිවරණ කොමිසමේ සභාපති ජනාධිපති ලේකම්ට දැනුම් දීම2. ආණ්ඩුක්රම ව්යවස්ථාවේ 83වන ව්යවස්ථාවේ වරදක් නිවැරදි කිරීමට නීතිපතිගේ අනුමැතියෙන් 2024.07.18 ගැසට් පත්රයේ 22වන ආණ්ඩුක්රම ව්යවස්ථා සංශෝධන පනත් කෙටුම්පත ආණ්ඩුක්රම ව්යවස්ථාවේ 78වන ව්යවස්ථාවේ විධිවිධාන යටතේ ගැසට් කිරීම.3. විනිසුරු ධූර කාලය වැඩි කිරීමටඉංග්රීසි භාෂා ආණ්ඩුක්රම ව්යවස්ථාව අනුව ජනමතවිචාරණයක් අවශ්ය නොවීම. සිංහල භාෂා ආණ්ඩුක්රම ව්යවස්ථාව අනුව ජනමතවිචාරණයක් අවශ්ය වීමhttps://neethiyalk.blogspot.com/2026/07/3.html?m=1නීතිඥ අරුණ ලක්සිරි උණවටුනBSc(Col), PGDC(Col)(සමායෝජක) වෛද්ය තිලක පද්මා සුබසිංහ අනුස්මරණ නීති අධ්යාපන වැඩසටහනදුරකථන 0712063394... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 30/07/26)
AI Overview
European slaughterhouses are facing unprecedented scrutiny, with video monitoring becoming a primary tool to enforce animal welfare standards. Several European nations have shifted from voluntary camera usage to legally mandating Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) systems. This legislative push ensures that livestock are treated according to strict humanitarian and legal guidelines in their final moments. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] Key Countries Mandating Video Surveillance United Kingdom: England pioneered the movement by making CCTV mandatory in all slaughterhouses in November 2018. Scotland followed in 2021, and Wales fully implemented its mandatory... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 30/07/26)
Red Star
https://youtu.be/aqshlVg6QH0... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 30/07/26)
Chat GPT
Justice for Animals and Nature Sri Lanka's new Animal Welfare Bill (gazetted on July 17, 2026) does not explicitly isolate and regulate local slaughterhouse conditions under its main enforcement clauses. This omission has drawn sharp criticism from animal rights advocates, given the notoriously poor welfare standards in the country's abattoirs. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] While Clause 47 and other parts of the bill specifically enumerate up to 20 detailed areas for strict regulation—including pet shop licensing, illegal breeding, animal fighting, and live transit—actual slaughterhouses remain a highly contentious loophole. [1, 2,... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 30/07/26)
Daily Mirror
The Special General Meeting of the General Membership of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) today unanimously passed a resolution strongly opposing the proposed amendment to increase the retirement age of judges.... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 30/07/26)
By Chandre Dharmawardana
Given the available demographic trends, an economic downturn is inevitable for Sri lanka if it continues the way it does, doing very little for development, but leaning heavily towards luxuary celebrations and tourism which is increasingly threatened by global trends of high jet-fuel costs, and due to the need for imported hotel supplies and international food and primium alcohol, fuel etc. The recent fertility rates of Sri Lanka are such that births do not repleace deaths. The population profile is such that the number of retired people (including a very small number of... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 29/07/26)
ආචාර්ය සුද ත් ගුණසේකර අග්රාමාත්ය සිරිමාවෝ බණ්ඩාරනායක මැතිනියගේ හිටපු ලේකම් සහ ශ්රී ලන්කා පරිපාලනසේවා සන්ගමයේ සභාපති (1991-94))
මේ රටේ පලාත්සභා ඡන්දය වහාම පවත්වන්මෙන් කෑමොර දෙන දේශපාලකයින් ඇතුලු සියලුම පිස්සන් ජීවිතාන්තය දක්වා යැවිය යුත්තේ අන්ගොඩටය, එසේත් නැතිනම් ඔවුන් දේශද්රෝහීන්, ජාතිද්රෝහීන් සහ බෞද්ධ විරෝධීන් වශයෙන් වහාම මේ පින් බිමෙන් යළි කිසිදාක ආපසු ආ නොහැකි පිට සක්වලකටම පිටුවහල් කළ යුතුය. 2026.7.28 අවසාන කොටස 7. පාඨක ඔබගේ පහසුව සඳහා මෙම ලිපි පෙළේ පලමු ලිපියේ කොටසකින් මෙම අවසාන ලිපිය ආරම්භ කිරීමට මම අදහස්කළෙමි. ලිපියේ පලමු කොටස (2026. 06. 06. ලංකාවෙබ්) එහි සාරාංශය ... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 29/07/26)
Garvin Karunaratne, Ph D Michigan State University, formerly SLAS, GA Matara 1971-1973.
It all happened in the Bangladesh Secretariat, three days after General Ershard took over the country in a bloodless coup on the 24 th of March 1982. The Minister for Youth Development was clamped in prison and the work of the Ministry was in jeopardy. The third in command, Air Vice Marshall Aminul Islam, the Minister for Labour and Manpower evaluated the work done by the Ministry. Suddenly at the close, he realized that I was an outsider and inquired who I was and I was... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 29/07/26)
By Sarath Wijesinghe, President’s Counsel, Solicitor in England and Wales, Former Chairman Consumer Affairs Authority, Former Ambassador to U.A.E and Israel President, Ambassadors Forum.
“They who see the truth as truth and truth as untruth will see truth because they entertain right thoughts. “ Dhammapada Stanza 12. We are in a controversy over the aging of judges when the judiciary is aging throughout history. Buddha has stated clearly on judiciary and judgement which points are reiterate in articles published under the topic, Independence of Judiciary referred in articles of this presentation. The dispute is... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 29/07/26)
AI Overview
The Portuguese Inquisition expanded into Asia during the 16th century to enforce Catholic orthodoxy across the colonies. While Goa served as the official bureaucratic headquarters of the Inquisition court, Ceylon (modern-day Sri Lanka) was governed as a dependency under the administrative and religious jurisdiction of Goa, making it subject to the same aggressive policies. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7] The Goa Inquisition was a brutal judicial branch of the Portuguese Holy Office established in Goa in 1560 to enforce Catholic orthodoxy, target crypto-Hindus/Muslims, and suppress non-Christian faiths across Portuguese Asian territories, including... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 29/07/26)
AI Overview
The failure of the Portuguese, and the Sinhalese People’ by P.E. Peiris “The failure of the Portuguese, and the Sinhalese People” is a core historical thesis popularized by Sir Paul Edward Pieris (P.E. Pieris) in his seminal 1920 historical text, Ceylon and the Portuguese (1505–1658). [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] Pieris famously summarized the 153-year Portuguese colonial presence on the island by stating that they left "the gloomy word Failure writ large over all their actions," while simultaneously leaving the Sinhalese "a broken race, with their ancient civilization brought to the verge... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 29/07/26)
by I. Ahmad
Britain Largest Islamic Convention concludes. Total Attendence 51181 people representing 117 countries 60th alsa Salana (Annual Convention) of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in the United Kingdom concluded on Sunday 26th July 2026 in which five speeches by the World Head the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, the Fifth Khalifa (Caliph), His Holiness Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad. On Saturday (25th July, the second day of the event), the Caliph conducted proceedings from the ladies marquee. Names of women for academic achievements were read out. His Holiness delivered an address for the ladies. On the same day... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 29/07/26)
ජර්මානු වෛද්ය විද්යා මහාචාර්ය නිශාන් සී. විජේසිංහ
බෞද්ධ පැවිදිවන්නන් තම ගිහි අනන්යතාව අත්හරින අතර, ඊට පවුලේ වාසගම (family name) අත්හැරීම ද ඇතුළත් වේ. එසේ සිදුවීමට හේතු මෙසේය: *1. අත්හැරීම (Renunciation)* යමෙකු පැවිදි වන විට, "ගිහි ජීවිතය" අත්හැර දැමීම එහි මූලික අරමුණයි. පවුලේ වාසගම, කුලය, ජාතිය සහ දේපළ සම්බන්ධතා යන සියල්ල එම පැරණි අනන්යතාවේ කොටස් වේ. වාසගම අත්හැරීම යනු "මම තවදුරටත් පවුල් පෙළපතක සාමාජිකයෙකු නොවෙමි; මම දැන් සංඝයා වහන්සේගේ කොටසක් වෙමි" යැයි ප්රකාශ කිරීමකි. *2. නව ධර්ම නාමයක්* උපතේදී ලැබුණු නම වෙනුවට, ඔවුන්ට තම ගුරු හිමියන්ගෙන් පැවිදි නාමයක් (ධර්ම... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 29/07/26)
AI Overview
Senaka Weeraratna, a prominent Sri Lankan lawyer and sports innovator, is most famous for conceptualizing cricket's Decision Review System (DRS) through his 1997 "Player Referral" proposal. His writings—spanning letters to international publications, legal briefs, and essays on philosophy, history, and animal welfare—reflect a profound dedication to natural justice, systemic fairness, animal welfare and cultural responsibility. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] Here are the most notable and beautifully articulated quotes from his various published writings and advocacy campaigns: On Fairness, Technology, and Sports Justice This is Weeraratna's most famous aphorism, first... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 29/07/26)
Dr Sarath Obeysekera Ex CEO / MD Cololmbo Dockyard Ltd
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DWraodAys The latest news from Colombo Dockyard is a strong indication that the investment by India’s Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd. has already begun to strengthen confidence in the future of Sri Lanka’s premier shipbuilding and ship repair company. When this bold investment was first announced, many individuals were critical and sceptical. However, strategic investments of this nature are not made for short-term gains. They are made to preserve technical capability, restore confidence among customers, and position a company to secure larger and more sophisticated... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 29/07/26)
By Dr. Sarath Obeysekera
Sri Lanka today stands at a historic crossroads. Economic pressures, limited foreign investment, youth unemployment, and slow industrial growth require a serious reassessment of our development strategy. Amid ongoing political debate, China’s experience offers lessons that merit objective study rather than emotional interpretation. China has undergone a major economic transformation over recent decades. Following a period of internal upheaval, including the widely discussed 1989 Tiananmen Square events, the country continued with broad economic reforms, industrial expansion, infrastructure development, and technological advancement. It has since become the world’s second-largest economy and a leading... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 29/07/26)
PRESS RELEASE Free Lawyers Sri Lanka Colombo
Free Lawyers Sri Lanka strongly opposes the government’s hasty move, reported in yesterday’s government-owned Sunday Observer, to place before Cabinet a proposal for a constitutional amendment that would extend the retirement age of superior court judges. This proposal, if enacted, would effectively prolong the tenure of the sitting Chief Justice, who is due to retire in approximately four months. Advanced without any meaningful consultation, such a step risks undermining public confidence in the independence and impartiality of the judiciary. As observed by Saliya Peiris, PC, former President of the... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 28/07/26)
AI OVERVIEW
The book provides a meticulous, document-backed critique of how early British colonial administration dismantled the traditional status of Buddhism in Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) while establishing institutional dominance through Christian missions and Western education. [1, 2, 3, 4] Core Historical Context (1797–1832) The period covered by Vimalananda spans from the immediate aftermath of the British displacing the Dutch in the maritime provinces (1796) to the implementation of the Colebrooke-Cameron Reforms in 1832. [1, 2] 1. The Dual Policy of Treaties and... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 28/07/26)
Concept: Senaka Weeraratna Royal College 1960 group
Establishing an annual Royal College Oration is a compelling idea to foster critical thought and public speaking among alumni and students, mirroring the tradition set by the Ananda College Old Boys' Association through the Olcott Oration. The Olcott Oration Model Inaugurated: 1968 to honor founder Colonel Henry Steel Olcott. Format: Features a distinguished alumnus speaking on a prominent contemporary or national theme. Venue: Held annually at the Kularatne Auditorium. Potential for Royal College Platform: Could showcase... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 28/07/26)
Source: AI Overview
In his incomplete autobiography, "NM in his Own Words," Dr. N.M. Perera highlighted a fundamental ideological and cultural contrast between his time at S. Thomas' College and Ananda College. He observed that colonial missionary education at institutions like S. Thomas' was insidiously apolitical and anti-national, leaving students feeling "aloof and immune" from the everyday struggles of the local population. Conversely, Ananda College provided an atmosphere deeply charged with nationalist feelings and consciousness, which ultimately "remoulded" his character and kindled his lifelong fight against colonial rule and systemic injustice. [1, 2] The critical reflections... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 28/07/26)
AI Overview
If evaluated by modern legal standards, the severe counter-insurgency tactics authorized by Governor Sir Robert Brownrigg (1818) and Governor Lord Torrington (1848) would indeed face intense scrutiny under international humanitarian law frameworks like the Nuremberg trials or the International Criminal Court (ICC). Both governors deployed scorched-earth policies, martial law, and mass executions to dismantle the Kandyan and Matale Sinhala resistance movements. The 1818 Uva-Wellassa Rebellion under Brownrigg Governor Brownrigg responded to the 1818 uprising with a systematic scorched-earth campaign designed to starve and terrorize the population into submission. Scorched-earth... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 28/07/26)
Dr. Sarath Obeysekera
From the events around Tiananmen Square in China to periods of political unrest and mass protests witnessed over the years in Nepal, Bangladesh, and Thailand, history reminds us that governments must pay close attention to the aspirations of their people. Although each country’s circumstances are different, one common lesson is that economic opportunity is essential for long-term stability. Sri Lanka should learn from these experiences. Creating only digital and AI-related jobs will not be enough to provide employment for the thousands of young people entering the workforce each year. We must... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 28/07/26)
Insight News
https://youtu.be/dJAF1hGXPXo... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 28/07/26)
