It is now over two months since the constitutional reform process effectively went into abeyance, with the indefinite postponement in January of the submission of the Steering Committee’s Interim Report to the Constitutional Assembly for debate. Substantial work was undertaken during 2015, including the work of the Public Representations Committee, the Subcommittees of the Constitutional […]
The Centre for Policy Alternatives has for years documented the stories of people affected by the rapid development drive that occurred under the previous regime, when the Urban Development Authority commandeered evictions across Colombo to make room for what has materialised as mixed development projects that promise a luxurious future for those who can afford […]
14th February 2017, Colombo, Sri Lanka: There is now a growing consensus that victims must be at the heart of any transitional justice process. Since 2015 and the government’s promise to introduce transitional justice mechanisms in Sri Lanka, these terms have been used by varied stakeholders. The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) has consistently called […]
CPA Social Indicator’s latest report was launched on the 1st of February in Colombo. The full report can be read online here. Dr Paikisothy Saravanamuttu, Executive Director of CPA addressed the importance of consulting communities that were being affected by the development projects happening around the capital. Senior Researcher Iromi Perera, who authored the report, […]
In 2013 – 2014, at the height of evictions and involuntary relocations across the city by the then Ministry of Defence and Urban Development, the community at Station Passage was always mentioned by other affected communities as a case where the relocation process was a positive one. The residents were going to have their new […]
February 4th 1948 should have ideally ushered in a change in social relations, a unique national identity and a new hope. Since then, Sri Lanka has seen so much and many cycles of violence have run their course; the question today is whether those ideals have been realised in the seven decades since we gained […]
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 […]
Centre for Policy Alternatives on 20 March, 2017