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Countering Information Disorder and Maintaining Freedom of Expression (FoE): Choices for Sri Lanka
Panel discussion hosted by LIRNEasia on 15 December 2021. Panelists: Prof. Rohan Samarajiva, Dr. Gehan Gunatilleke, Roel Raymond, Milinda Rajapaksha, and Isuri Ranasinghe.Moderated by: Nalaka Gunawardene https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTney6Rji48
The State of Religious Freedom in Sri Lanka
Webinar on the state of religious freedom organised by MinorMatters on 10 December 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drEZzym3aA4
Reframing the Debate: The State & Disinformation in Sri Lanka
Gehan Gunatilleke I recently visited Berlin’s Stasi Museum, located in the former headquarters of the German Democratic Republic’s Ministry for State Security — the infamous ‘Stasi’. What struck me as I browsed through the installations was how central disinformation...
Top level EU team here tomorrow to review GSP+ compliance
By Namini Wijedasa A European Union delegation will arrive tomorrow for a routine review of whether Sri Lanka’s level of adherence to 27 international conventions on human and labour rights, environmental protection and good governance warrants a continuation of the...
Ban on mobile insurance: Baby thrown out with the bathwater?
by Ranil Angunawela The Insurance Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (IRCSL) has banned with immediate effect the use, by insurers, of telecommunication service providers’ platforms in the promotion and sale of insurance products. The Direction (No. 4 of 2021) was...
President must probe into Sri Lanka’s vaccine tragedy
by Gehan Gunatilleke Vaccines play a vital role in the battle against COVID-19. Countries that have vaccinated a majority of their population are doing better compared to their situation prior to vaccination. The rationale for swiftly and efficiently vaccinating a...
Regulating parate execution in extraordinary times
By Ranil Angunawela and Malsirini de Silva The COVID-19 pandemic and consequent public safety protocols have placed an enormous strain on individuals and the economy. State-imposed lockdowns have brought the economy to a virtual halt. Businesses have struggled to meet...
Newsfirst Newsline
Balanced accountability balances international perceptions on Sri Lanka: Attorney-at-law Dr Gehan Gunatilleke in conversation with Faraz Shauketaly on #NewslineSL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxIODp66l1o
GSP+ concessions withdrawal will mostly affect SMEs
By Sunimalee Dias Sri Lanka’s apparel industry wants a shift from the present trade concessions of a specific programme to something more stable like a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) while the risk of the withdrawal of the EU preferential trade pact will mostly impact the...
Did pushing aside Serum Institute’s local agent cause a vaccination delay in Sri Lanka?
ECONOMYNEXT – Replacing Sri Lanka’s local agent of the Serum Institute of India (SII) with the State Pharmaceutical Corporation (SPC) in procuring the AstraZeneca Covishield vaccine would’ve led to a costly four-week delay in ordering the jab, a lawyer said. This...
Textile industry at risk amidst cautions of losing GSP+
Written by Staff Writer COLOMBO (News1st): Sri Lanka’s textile industry is at a threat of being affected the most if the country is deprived of GSP+ concessions. Sri Lanka had exported commodities worth 2.08 billion Euros to European Union nations in 2020....
Newsfirst Newsline
Chathuranga Hapuarachchi interviews Gehan Gunatilleke on the European Parliament's resolution on Sri Lanka, reforming the Prevention of Terrorism Act, and the possible suspension of GSP+ trade concessions to Sri Lanka....
Poorly worded legal provisions can be construed to cover “fake news”: Sri Lanka lawyer
By Himal Kotelawala ECONOMYNEXT – Broadly and poorly worded provisions in Sri Lanka’s Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and Computer Crimes Act can be construed in bad faith to cover alleged falsehoods disseminated online, human rights lawyer Dr Gehan Gunatilleke...
Criminalizing Fake News
By Nishantha Hewage Intending to deconstruct preconceived notions of fake news and to give a legal perspective to it in a context where fake news is out rightly criminalised, and even those who are in connection with them are controversially arrested, was the theme of...
Second doses of Covishield: Government lab techs allege SPC delays
By Maheesha Mudugamuwa The alleged delay on the part of the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation (SPC) in submitting the purchase orders to bring down the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covishied Covid-19 vaccine, manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, is being blamed for the...