Category: Watch Tower
Opinion: The increasing need to invest along expressway network
By PwC Sri Lanka The Nexus between Property and Road Development in Sri Lanka Post war Sri Lanka has seen a dramatic revival to its infrastructure growth. Over the past decade, high rises, new cities and modern road networks have become an increasingly common sight not just in the commercial capital of Colombo, but throughout […]
Opinion: Understanding social media and conflict
By Samidh Chakrabarti, Director of Product Management, Civic Integrity; and Rosa Birch, Director of Strategic Response, Facebook At Facebook, a dedicated, multidisciplinary team is focused on understanding the historical, political and technological contexts of countries in conflict. Today we’re sharing an update on their work to remove hate speech, reduce misinformation and polarization, and inform […]
Opinion: How Facebook fights false news
By Ankhi Das, Head of Public Policy – South Asia, Facebook Facebook was built to connect people and give them the power to build community. Around the world, we’ve seen Facebook used to bridge language, cultural and socioeconomic barriers, and give small business owners new economic opportunities. But we also know that connecting people can […]
Fishing For Sustainable Profits in the Northern Province
By Jekhan Aruliah I have so often heard from well meaning cash rich Diaspora that they can’t find sensible investment opportunities in the North. As the Good Book says, “seek and ye shall find”. For example, look at the Northern fisheries industry. It may surprise you to hear that the Northern Province has about 40%* […]
‘t let children’s future be ruined by getting caught up in a racial conflict
By Harsha de Silva, PhD, M.P(Minister of Economic Reform and Public Distribution) Recovering from a terror attack is easy, recovering from a racial conflict isn’t As an economist, I’ve spent most of my career exploring ways in which Sri Lanka can be developed and modernized to meet its full potential. I’ve expressed my views on […]
HappyMarket.lk Helping Small Entrepreneurs Bust the Sales Barrier
By Jekhan Aruliah If your objective is to make money you’d better be sure you know how to sell. If you need to feed and house and educate your family. Or you need to impress your colleagues with the latest baubles, gadgets and fancy cars. Whether you are coding apps, handmaking ornaments, cultivating mangoes, or […]
Opinion: Ways for Sri Lanka to fix its healthcare
By Deepika Attygalle Today on World Health Day, we can say with confidence that Sri Lanka’s healthcare system has delivered on many of its promises. This year’s focus on universal health care is a timely reminder that Sri Lanka is still reaping the benefits of far-thinking health policies implemented as early as the 1800s. Many of […]
Ambitions are affordable for Asia & the Pacific: Executive Secretary of UN ESCAP
Op-ed by Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana Three years of implementation of the transformative 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific shows the region has some catching up to do. Despite much progress, the region is not on track to reach the 17 Sustainable Development Goals set out in the United Nations 2030 Agenda […]
Opinion: The truth about Geneva Human Rights Council Resolution
By Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera During the past few weeks, I have been watching the many headlines, debates, misinformation, misrepresentation of facts as well as self-congratulatory statements by some members of the delegation that went to Geneva to participate in the 40th session of the Human Rights Council where the High Commissioner for Human Rights […]
Small Northern Businesses Struggle for Funding
By Jekhan Aruliah There is an old joke: “The fastest way to become a millionaire is to be a billionaire and buy an airline”. The airline will lose money so fast the billionaire will see his fortune quickly destroyed. We need look no further than our own Sri Lankan national carrier’s capacity to lose money to […]
Opinion: As Racial and Religious Intolerance Raises Its Ugly Head
By Sanjeewa Fernando As the United Nations gear up to celebrate the International Day for Elimination of Racial Discrimination, or Anti-racism day, as it is commonly and conveniently referred to, on 21st of March, that is today, the entire civilized world finds itself reeling from the gruesome mass murder that took place at two mosques […]
Opinion: Policing the Police – challenge for the newly facelifted Police Commission
By Sanjeewa Fernando Some say that the Police has gone to the dogs. Without being so harsh, yet being realistic, we would euphemistically admit that some dogs have got into the Police force. They are wreaking havoc, abusing power, desecrating the hallowed police uniform, wagging a tail at politicos and making people lose their trust in […]