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 Right to Information Act comes into effect today – the 3rd of February 2017. Here are some key facts on the act’s purpose, the information accessible through it and how to get about filing a request for information. Access the act in English, Sinhala and Tamil.
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 […]
1 February 2017, Colombo, Sri Lanka: CPA’s latest report ‘The Making of a World Class City: Displacement and Land Acquisition in Colombo’ explores the process of making Colombo a world class city, begun post-war under the Rajapaksa regime and its continuity under the yahapalanaya government. The previous government’s Urban Regeneration Programme (URP), which is being […]
27 January 2017, Colombo, Sri Lanka: The Centre for Policy Alternatives is pleased to launch two reports on post-war urban development in Colombo. The first report (available online) ‘Living it down: Life after relocation in Colombo’s high rises’ is based on findings of a survey conducted with 1,222 households in Colombo forcibly relocated by the Rajapaksa regime while […]
January 17th, 2017, Colombo, Sri Lanka: In order to ensure the most representative institutions and processes of our democracy, the participation of women in decision -making positions has to be considerably enhanced. This asymmetric situation has led to the introduction of the Quota System to ensure greater female representation in politics. In line with this global […]