By Vishnuguptha “The incentives toward reactive ethnic voting are strong. When voters of one group choose, in effect, not to choose, but to give their vote predictably on an ethnic basis to an ethnically defined party, they put voters of the other group who do choose among parties at a collective disadvantage. All else being [...]
Archive of entries posted on 20th July 2012
Lankan Navy Chief and Aussie Envoy ‘clash’ over refugee boats issue
by Shamindra Ferdinando Sri Lanka and Australia are on a collision course over what the Australian High Commissioner in Colombo Ms Robyn Mudie asserts is the failure on the part of the Sri Lankan Navy (SLN) to put an end to human smuggling. Australian HC Mudie urged Navy Commander Vice Admiral Somathilake Dissanayake to step [...]
Lion and The Bulls Fable and The FUTA Trade Union action
by Dr. Theodore A. Fernando A famous Aesopian fable tells us about a lion which prowled about a pasture where three bulls always grazed together. He had tried without success to lure one or the other of them to the edge of the pasture in order to kill. He had even attempted a direct attack [...]
Knife, Kitchen and the correct usage of alphabet ‘K’
by Ranjith C. Perera Some years back while serving as an Instructor in English at a Vocational Training Centre in a Middle-East Country, I encountered an experience perhaps unique to a Teacher of English. My students although they were adults and in their late teens, were quite unfamiliar with the English Language and its usage [...]
President must Intervene Directly to Resolve Mannar Dispute -The Island
Mannar is said to have returned to normal following Wednesday’s violent protests, which left several police personnel injured and a court house and a police station damaged. But, let’s not lull ourselves into a false sense of complacency. The situation is far from normal there if the frayed tempers and public resentment are any indication. [...]
Has Ranil Wickremesinghe been Adequately Marketed as ‘Mr.Clean’?
by Srinath Fernando The United National Party (UNP) is the single largest political party in Sri Lanka and has had the good fortune of maintaining this position since it was formed in 1946. The founder of UNP was D.S. Senanayake, who was at the forefront of securing independence for Ceylon. The ideals he cherished were [...]
Was Yasser Arafat really murdered by Israel or its agents
Most Palestinians, whether they supported their late leader Yasser Arafat or not, were in agreement that he did not die of natural causes. They believed he was murdered by Israel or its agents. But are Palestinians justified in blaming Israel for his death? French doctors treating Arafat did not issue a conclusive report identifying the [...]
China to ‘open up’ Tibet through $30 Million tourism project showcasing Tibetan Culture as a ‘Living Museum’
by Mandip Singh The recent announcement by the Chinese government to set up a $30 billion tourism project in Tibet came as a surprise for ardent Tibet watchers. The turnaround in China’s policy to open Tibet to tourists and thereby to the world is a major departure from its policy of keeping Tibet ‘in closed [...]
