Tisaranee Gunasekara
Tisaranee Gunasekara is a political commentator based in Colombo.
China courts influence in Sri Lanka via the Buddhist clergy
Beijing needs new allies now that the Rajapaksas are reeling, but the enmeshing of politics and religion in Sri Lanka is always cause for concern
Jan 26, 2023
Sri Lanka: Back on the brink
Easter Sunday bombings could create new fissures.
Apr 26, 2019
Sri Lankan Muslims: the new ‘others’?
The history and politics of Muslimphobia in Sri Lanka.
Apr 23, 2018
Freeing the fourth estate
In post-Rajapaksa Sri Lanka there is less restriction on the media.
Sep 20, 2016
The spectre haunting Lankan democracy
Will economic austerity come in the way of democracy?
Jun 08, 2016
Whither Lankan spring?
What the Rajapaksa comeback spells for democracy in Sri Lanka.
Jul 21, 2015
When the worm turns
On 8 January, the dynastic ambition of the Rajapaksas faces an unprecedented challenge.
Dec 31, 2014
A garrison state?
Why is the Sri Lankan army running parks, shopping arcades, a vet clinic and a beauty salon?
Oct 13, 2014
Sri Lanka’s Orwellian mediascape
Media workshops are not news in Sri Lanka. But in 2014 three media workshops became news, for all the wrong reasons.
Jun 25, 2014
Conditioned by war
In Sri Lanka, post-war trauma and a militarised peace have created a violent society, with children the worst affected.
Feb 13, 2013
Latest Articles
Hopes and fears on the LoC after two years of ceasefire
A stable ceasefire along the Line of Control between India and Pakistan has given residents a chance at normal life—but threats of an end to the peace persist
Queer literature for children is changing minds in India
Indian parents and community libraries are turning to queer literature for children to help them be sensitive to varied sexual and gender identities
Himal Fiction Fest
The next generation of Southasian storytellers
In Mizoram, a refugee crisis highlights Mizo tribal affinities and hostility
Shared Zo identity has Mizos extending hospitality to Chin and Kuki-Chin refugees from Myanmar and Bangladesh. More remarkable is that Chakmas, mistreated by the Mizo majority in Mizoram, have welcomed Kuki-Chin refugees too
