By Meera Srinivasan Political parties in Sri Lanka are scrambling to form an all-party government, a day after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe pledged to resign in the wake of a historic citizens’ protest. Sri Lankans are living through a harrowing economic collapse, where anti-government protests persisted for three months over the government’s failure to address or arrest the long-simmering crisis In a culmination of people’s agitations spanning months, massive crowds on Saturday thronged Colombo’s seafront, where anti-government protests persisted for three months over the government’s failure…
Read MoreMonth: July 2022
The Victory Of Aragalaya: What Actually Happened To Gota & Ranil?
By W A Wijewardena – Dr. W.A Wijewardena Ranil’s revelation in Parliament Two weeks ago, Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told Parliament and the country that Sri Lanka’s economy had collapsed. This was widely quoted in local as well as foreign media. Probably, he had been asking for forgiveness for his failure because he was not able to deliver anything that he had promised, or his close supporters had expected of him. Valid reasons for the assertion that economy had collapsed But he had valid economic reasons to make that…
Read MoreGotabaya Rajapaksa returns
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who had reportedly fled on a ship after thousands stormed his official residence in Colombo, has now returned to shore. Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena had said earlier that the President left to a “nearby” country. He later withdrew his statement saying he had made a mistake. However, some media reports said that the President had boarded a ship soon after the incidents on Saturday and remained in Sri Lankan waters before returning today. He is expected to leave Sri Lanka soon after resigning on Wednesday. The President…
Read MoreGotaGoGama activists issue 6 immediate demands
The GotaGoGama activists on Saturday issued six immediate demands from all political parties and a future President, Prime Minister and Government. They proclaimed their demands addressing the people and media from the President’s House. In their statement GGG activists said the following. The following Action Plan articulates the supreme purpose archived by the historic Sri Lankan people’s uprising, launched on the demand that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his entire brutal Government resign with immediate effect; drafted with deep respect for the various views of the multitudes who have joined the…
Read MoreGOTHA leaves the country
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has left the country for overseas, the Daily Mirror learns. Rajapaksa who was aboard a naval vessel within the territorial waters of Sri Lanka following the July 9 protest, left the country today. Rajapaksa will resign from the Presidency on July 13 following which Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will be sworn in as the President for a temporary period of time. (Jamila Husain)
Read MoreIndia must give military help to Sri Lanka
Both Gotabaya and Mahinda Rajapaksa were elected in a free election with a thumping majority If Rajapaksa wants India’s military help, we must give Rajya Sabha MP and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stalwart Dr Subramanian Swamy said India must give military help to Sri Lanka. Dr. Swamy who is well versed in Sri Lankan politics and a close friend of the Rajapaksa family, asked in a Twitter message how India could allow a mob to overturn a legitimate election. “Both Gotabaya and Mahinda Rajapaksa were elected in a free election…
Read MoreSwamy wants Indian military to save Rajapaksas
Senior Indian BJP leader Subramanian Swamy has suggested to send Indian Military to support Rajapaksa family in Sri Lanka. “Both Gotabaya and Mahinda Rajapaksha were elected in a free election with thumping majority. How can India allow a mob to overturn such a legitimate election?” he questioned on Twitter. “Then no democratic country in our neighbourhood will be safe. If Rajapaksa wants India’s military help we must give” he added. Subramaniam Swamy is a close friend of former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa. (NewsWire)
Read MoreSri Lanka uprising: A new social contract
July, as a month in the modern history of Sri Lanka, had a different meaning altogether until July 9, 2022. Previously, it either brought back dark memories of the 1983 July pogrom against Tamils or the ethnically and politically divided sentiments of the blood-stained end of the civil war between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE in July 2009. However, July 9, 2022, now appears as a moment that victoriously marked a new civic beginning of the history of the island nation. I must say it was not an…
Read MoreSri Lankan opposition parties in talks after protesters ransack capital
Please use the sharing tools found via the share button at the top or side of articles. Copying articles to share with others is a breach of FT.comT&Cs and Copyright Policy. Email licensing@ft.com to buy additional rights. Subscribers may share up to 10 or 20 articles per month using the gift article service. More information can be found here.https://www.ft.com/content/1353f1a5-378a-47b4-91ef-32545b1433be Opposition parties in Sri Lanka have begun consultations to form a new government, a day after protesters stormed the homes of both the president and prime minister, forcing the country’s leadership…
Read MoreSri Lanka Latest: Succession in Focus After Tumultuous Weekend
By Anusha Ondaatjie and Asantha Sirimanne11 July 2022 at 04:17 BSTUpdated on11 July 2022 at 07:13 BST Share this article Follow the authors+ Get alerts forAnusha Ondaatjie+ Get alerts forAsantha Sirimanne In this article IOCLINDIAN OIL CORP72.45INR-0.25-0.34%INRIndian Rupee Spot79.4138INR+0.1600+0.2019%1864111DLANDEDPrivate CompanyCL1WTI Crude102.59USD/bbl.-2.20-2.10%Open Sri Lanka’s opposition parties are trying to cobble together an all-party government and pick candidates who can take over after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe agreed to step down, giving in to popular pressure in a country struggling to pay for essentials. Rajapaksa will step…
Read More‘The family took over’: how a feuding ruling dynasty drove Sri Lanka to ruin
The inside story of Rajapaksa family infighting that toppled a country into violence and bankruptcy Hannah Ellis-Petersen in Colombo Thu 7 Jul 2022 05.00 BST Dilith Jayaweera can still recall the moment he realised Sri Lanka was hurtling, unstoppably, towards financial ruin. It was around October 2021 and Jayaweera, a Sri Lankan media magnate and close friend of the Sri Lankan president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, had invited Basil Rajapaksa, the president’s younger brother, who was also the finance minister, to join him for dinner. There was little love lost between Basil Rajapaksa and Jayaweera,…
Read MoreUK Guardian publishes extensive report of how SL plunged into the present mess
In a wide ranging Colombo datelined story published on Thursday, The Guardian, the widely respected British newspaper, has laid bare the inside story of Sri Lanka’s current predicament in a report headlined “‘The family took over:’ how a feuding ruling dynasty drove Sri Lanka to ruin.” Written by Hanah Ellis-Peterson the report offers damning quotes from several former cabinet ministers who voted for the 20th Amendment enhancing President Gotabaya Rajapaksas powers but now publicly rue what they have done. It also quotes media and advertising magnate, Dilith Jayaweera, described as…
Read MoreIn Sri Lanka Politics Is Imaginary But Corruption Is Real
By Basil Fernando – Basil Fernando Politics in Sri Lanka mostly consists of the making of speeches at every place. There is lot of talk in the Parliament and there is also a lot of talk in the media shows. However, no real form of governance is taking place in the country. There is no direct relationship between what is being talked and what is being done. In the Parliament, some laws may be passed but many of these are not enforced and often are not even enforceable. On paper, the laws…
Read MoreGotabaya Rajapaksa, his brothers, nephews, and cousins are the main authors of the Lankan tragedy. But even if a kind wind blows the entire Rajapaksa clan to another plain of existence, the economic crisis will remain as intractable as ever, until the bitter pills of cost-cutting and revenue-raising are swallowed.
by Tisaranee Gunasekara “The dismal silence of places without intelligence” – Camus (Lyrical and Critical Essays) World War I began with fanfare. Leaders of all combatant nations predicted that their victorious troops will be home for Christmas. People believed and cheered. Only a few understood that the war would ruin losers and winners. “The lamps are going out all over Europe. We shall not see them lit again in our lifetime,” British Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey lamented. In Sri Lanka, most of the lamps are already cold, snuffed out by…
Read MoreSeveral fundamental rights petitions challenging the Presidential pardon given by President Rajapaksa to ex-soldier Sunil Ratnayake who was Convicted for the Murder of 8 Civilians in Mirusuvil fixed for support On August 4 by a Supreme Court three-judge-bench comprising Chief Justice Jayasuriya and Justices Dehideniya and Kodagoda
By Lakmal Sooriyagoda Several fundamental rights petitions challenging the Presidential pardon given to ex-soldier Sunil Ratnayake were today fixed for support by the Supreme Court. Former army staff sergeant R.M. Sunil Ratnayake who was convicted and sentenced to death for the Mirusuvil murder case in 2000 had been released after he received Presidential Clemency. Supreme Court three-judge-bench comprising Chief Justice, L.T.B. Dehideniya and Justice Yasantha Kodagoda fixed the petition for support on August 4. Several petitioners including the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) and its Executive Director Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu…
Read MoreBusiness Magnate turned Investment Promotion Minister Dhammika Perera calls for the resignation of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as Finance Minister alleging that Ranil is not sincere in tackling Issues of boosting foreign reserves and currency.
Business leader turned Investment Promotion Minister Dhammika Perera yesterday did not mince his words but bluntly called for the resignation of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as Finance Minister alleging that the latter is not sincere in tackling the burning problem of the country – boosting foreign reserves and currency. Dhammika’s broadside on the veteran politician and six times Premier was during a briefing of some of the new initiatives taken by former’s Ministry’s Department of Immigration and Emigration yesterday. Perera said: “From today I am also starting my struggle (Aragalaya)…
Read MoreThe inside story of Rajapaksa family infighting that toppled a country into violence and bankruptcy
By Hannah Ellis-Petersen in Colombo Dilith Jayaweera can still recall the moment he realised Sri Lanka was hurtling, unstoppably, towards financial ruin. It was around October 2021 and Jayaweera, a Sri Lankan media magnate and close friend of the Sri Lankan president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, had invited Basil Rajapaksa, the president’s younger brother, who was also the finance minister, to join him for dinner. There was little love lost between Basil Rajapaksa and Jayaweera, who had long mistrusted each other. But nonetheless, as the pair ate in his sleek Colombo office,…
Read MoreThe family took over’: how a feuding ruling dynasty drove Sri Lanka to ruin
The inside story of Rajapaksa family infighting that toppled a country into violence and bankruptcy Hannah Ellis-Petersen in ColomboThu 7 Jul 2022 05.00 BST Dilith Jayaweera can still recall the moment he realised Sri Lanka was hurtling, unstoppably, towards financial ruin. It was around October 2021 and Jayaweera, a Sri Lankan media magnate and close friend of the Sri Lankan president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, had invited Basil Rajapaksa, the president’s younger brother, who was also the finance minister, to join him for dinner. There was little love lost between Basil Rajapaksa and Jayaweera, who…
Read MoreTravel advisories against SL galore as uncertainty mounts
UK, New Zealand issue fresh warnings to their citizens against visiting SL Worsening of economic crisis and potential for civil unrest cited as reasons USA, EU, Canada, Australia and Ireland continue to maintain their travel advisories issued months ago Likely to have a massive impact on already struggling tourism sector in country SLTDA chief says steps will be taken to “soften” impact of such warnings where possible By Shabiya Ali Ahlam The travel advisories against visiting Sri Lanka, which were slightly relaxed just weeks ago, are now back and they could…
Read MoreSajith donates scarce medicine worth Rs. 15.6 m fulfilling the pledge
Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa yesterday said that neither he nor the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) or the Samagi Jana Sandhanaya have any “no” or “can’t” talk and will fulfill their responsibilities for the people at any time. Donating a stock of scarce medicines, the Opposition Leader said the ‘Jana Suwaya’ and ‘Samagi Jana Balawegayen Husmak’ programs are implemented with a view of creating a healthy nation. Specialist Dr. Anver Hamdanihas earlier informed the Opposition Leader about the acute shortage of Recombinant Streptokinase (IP 1500000IU) which is an essential medicine for…
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