Asanga Welikala There were three dramatic announcements on the evening of Friday 26th October 2018 from the Presidential Secretariat, which occurred in the following order: (a) the announcement of the withdrawal of the UPFA from the government; (b) the swearing-in of Mahinda Rajapaksa before President Maithripala Sirisena as the Prime Minister; and (c) the announcement that […]
Post-war Sri Lanka has witnessed numerous incidents of ethno-religious violence. From Aluthgama in 2014 to Gintota in 2017 to Ampara and Digana in 2018, instances of ethno-religious violence have escalated to the point of property damage, grievous injury, and—in the cases of Aluthgama and Digana—death. Violence of this nature is not restricted to the Buddhist […]
The political transition of January 2015 promised ambitious reforms and raised expectations accordingly. Two years on, serious concerns have emerged with regard to the National Unity Government’s reform project. Despite some successes, the current public perception is of a slow pace or even stagnation. This in turn has resulted in disillusionment and disappointment, with questions posed […]
The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) has compiled the present document containing recommendations for legal reform in response to the call by the Law Commission of Sri Lanka through the Bar Association of Sri Lanka requesting submissions. CPA welcomes this call for public submissions and engages in the process, cognizant of its importance in the […]
Download this report in Tamil or Sinhala. ### The Presidential Commission to Investigate into Complaints Regarding Missing Persons (the Commission) was established on 15th August 2013 under Gazette No. 1823/42. Over a year into its mandate, the Commission continues to operate under circumstances that raise serious concerns in respect of the search for truth, justice […]
14th January 2010, Colombo, Sri Lanka: It is now abundantly clear that a situation has arisen in which the State-controlled media is acting with complete disregard for the principles of balance and impartiality inherent to any notion of responsible and professional journalism (which apply with even greater force in the case of media institutions that […]
The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) has filed two petitions in the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka challenging the constitutionality of passing both the 18th and 19th Amendments to the Constitution with a two-thirds majority vote in Parliament. The reasons for the challenges are quite distinct from those of most of the other petitions. CPA’s […]