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A Constitutional Performance Assessment: National Poll

15th November, 2021: The 20th amendment to the Constitution that was passed into law on the 22nd of October 2020 provided wide sweeping powers to the executive that further endangered the crippling democratic space prevalent in the country. Furthermore, the pandemic and its limitations have enabled the government to continue with its autocratic rule and […]

CPA Statement on the Proposed Amendments to the Code of Criminal Procedure Act

14th October, 2021, Colombo, Sri Lanka: The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) is deeply concerned about the proposed Bill to amend the Code of Criminal Procedure Act, published in the Gazette on the 8th of October 2021. The proposed amendments seek to dispense with the requirement of producing a suspect or accused before the Magistrate […]

CPA Statement on allegations against State Minister of Prison Management and Prisoners’ Rehabilitation

15th September 2021, Colombo, Sri Lanka: The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) is deeply disturbed by media reports of two incidents this week where the State Minister of Prison Management and Prisoners’ Rehabilitation Lohan Ratwatte is alleged to have abused his position by entering two prisons inebriated, and attempted to assault remand prisoners. On Sunday […]

Initial comment on the Declaration of a State of Emergency and Regulations for the Maintenance of Essential Supplies and Services

September, 2, 2021, Colombo, Sri Lanka: On the 30th of August 2021, by way of Gazette 2243/1, President Gotabaya Rajapakse issued a proclamation under Section 2 of the Public Security Ordinance (Chapter 40) as amended. In the Proclamation, the President states that ‘I am of the opinion that it is considered expedient to do so […]

Mangala Samaraweera: An Appreciation

25th, August, 2021, Mangala Samaraweera was a personal friend and a friend of CPA.  He shared our vision and dream of a Sri Lanka in which all of its peoples would respect each other and strive together for the peace, prosperity and reconciliation, our country desires and deserves.  Like us, he believed in the Rule […]

Is the Cure Worse than the Disease? Reflections on COVID Governance in Sri Lanka

13th August, 2021 – Is the Cure Worse than the Disease? Reflections on Pandemic Governance in Sri Lanka is the result of an initiative of Social Indicator (SI), the survey research arm of the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA). The ‘Socio-Economic Index In the Face of COVID-19’, an island wide opinion poll conducted from February-March […]

Civil Society statement calling on an end to impunity on child labour, trafficking, and sexual exploitation

23rd July, 2020, On 2021.07.03 Friday, Ms. Jude Kumar Ishalini of Diyagama, Hatton—an underaged girl employed as a domestic aide at the residence of former Minister and present Member of Parliament Mr. Rishad Bathiudeen was admitted to the Colombo National Hospital with burn injuries. She succumbed to her injuries on the 15th while receiving treatment in […]