Melani Manel Perera

Sri Lankans should unite and fight against invasive politicisation of society. Opposition politicians and journalists are criticised for not speaking their mind without fear or giving up their privileges. For senior lecturer Liyanage Amarakeerthi, “Democracy and right to information are the two sides of the same coin,” but in today’s Sri Lanka, only the outer shell of either one has been left.

The new road will be inaugurated next Sunday. The 95-km motorway costs about US$ 600 million with funding provided by the Asian Development Bank and the Japan Bank of International Cooperation. The China Harbour Engineering Company built it. Three-wheel vehicles, motorcycles, bicycles and tractors are banned. Speeding (100 km and more) will be punished with 5,000 rupee (US$ 40) fine.

The Archbishop of Colombo has asked the government to set up a commission to oversee the work of inter-religious evangelical groups in the country. Perplexity in the Catholic world: these communities do not understand the complexity and delicacy of evangelism in Sri Lanka, but it is not fair to ask for state intervention. The evangelical pastors reject allegations of forced conversions.

Sri Lankan Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa speaks to international conference on maritime security in the Indian Ocean. Better information sharing and screening are needed.

Policies allow land seizure, forest destruction, house demolition and threaten animals on land and sea, displacing farmers and fishermen from their villages. Humanitarian groups are calling on people to be united, demanding international support for sustainable development in lieu of the government’s mega tourist projects.

Today is the 24th anniversary of the assassination of Fr Michael Rodrigo, Oblate of Mary Immaculate. In an interview, a young Catholic professor, Anton Meemana, recalls Fr Mike’s life and mission. For many Sri Lankans, he was a “disciple of Christ par excellence”.

The Ministry of Education does not allow students to register for Catholic and Christian religion in English, but only in Sinhala and Tamil. The demands of the Archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal. Ranjith, and President Rajapaksa were not taken into account by the Ministry.

"Freedom speaks" is the work of a group of young people from the film industry, all born during the conflict and witnesses of violence and atrocities. It is a investigative documentary, in which protagonists of both sides speak.

The Free Trade Zone and General Services Employees' Union chose this unusual form of labour action to underscore the problems of the garment industry. Its campaign is titled ‘Living Together-Sharing the Wallet’.

Bishop Kumara Illangasinghe, of the Church of Ceylon, says: "Our world is blessed by the diversity of religions, ethnicities and races: the genuine commitment of all is needed."

On October 27 we will celebrate the Day of reflection, dialogue and prayer for peace in Assisi, 25 years after the pilgrimage in 1986 invoked by Pope John Paul II. Anton Meemana, a Catholic University professor, believes religious leaders should "be alert to the problem of anti-Christian persecution," because "a true Christian is a blessing and a challenge for all humanity, never a burden or a disgrace."

It's called "Grow" and is sponsored by humanitarian group Oxfam International. Pregnant women and children are the most malnourished groups. One in 5 children born underweight. Approximately 500 thousand children under 5 years are underweight.