What's new

Sri Lanka crisis: $3bn IMF bailout for struggling economy

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">They will not go quietly. <br><br>They will call in every favour. Use every dirty tactic. Unleash as much violence as they can get away with. Cling on by fear since nothing else is working.<br><br>They are a curse. One which we've invited upon ourselves. <a href="https://t.co/L1BeHI3KzO">https://t.co/L1BeHI3KzO</a></p>— Andrew Fidel Fernando (@afidelf) <a href="https://twitter.com/afidelf/status/1523570623414370304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 9, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has resigned amid mass protests at the government's handling of the economic crisis, officials say.

The move came as the island was placed under curfew after violent clashes between Rajapksa supporters and anti-government protesters in Colombo.

At least 78 people have been injured in the violence in the capital, a local hospital says.

There have been protests over soaring prices and power cuts since last month.

The island nation is facing its worst economic crisis since gaining independence from Britain in 1948. The government has requested emergency financial help.

Mr Rajapaksa, 76, sent his resignation letter to his younger brother President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, saying he hoped it would help resolve the crisis, but the move is highly unlikely to satisfy government opponents while the latter remains in power.

Since demonstrations erupted in early April, protesters have been camped outside President Rajapaksa's office, demanding he quit.

Earlier in the day police were deployed following violence outside the prime minister and president's offices in Colombo.

Demonstrators and government supporters clash outside the President's office in Colombo on May 9, 2022.

Police fired tear gas and water cannon at government supporters after they breached police lines and attacked people using sticks and poles.

People are furious because the cost of living has become unaffordable.

Sri Lanka's foreign currency reserves have virtually run dry, and it can no longer afford essential items including food, medicines and fuel.

The government blames the Covid pandemic, which all but killed off Sri Lanka's tourist trade - one of its biggest foreign currency earners.

But many experts say economic mismanagement is to blame.

The prime minister's letter said his resignation was intended to clear the way for an "all-party government to guide the country out of the current economic crisis", AFP news agency reports.

Opposition parties have so far refused to do so and have also called on the president to quit.

BBC
 
Sri Lanka has now collapsed, most probably will never ever recover.

Congrats China & Rajapakshes, well done on a spectacular job of ruining millions of lives..
 
Romali_rotti said:
Sri Lanka has now collapsed, most probably will never ever recover.

Congrats China & Rajapakshes, well done on a spectacular job of ruining millions of lives..
Click to expand...

Got to say well done Bangladesh relatively speaking.

Pakistan, Nepal and probably some African countries will be more or less in the same boat. Give or take various degrees of the problem.
 
An MP in Sri Lanka's ruling party has died after a stand-off with anti-government protesters and the homes of a number of other politicians have been set on fire as violence escalated in the country.

The prime minister has quit and his younger brother, who is the president, is also under pressure to go as the country grapples with its worst economic crisis in decades.

Mahinda Rajapaksa says he wants to help form an interim, unity government, and his resignation came after police used tear gas and water cannon on his supporters who had attacked protesters outside the president and PM's offices in the commercial capital Colombo.

At least nine people were taken to Colombo's National Hospital for treatment relating to injuries or tear gas inhalation, according to a health official.

As many as 150 people were wounded throughout the day, reports said.

It was the first time the opposing sides had clashed since an unprecedented wave of demonstrations began in late March.

MP Amarakeerthi Athukorala died after a stand-off with anti-government demonstrators in the town of Nittambuwa near Colombo, a police source told Reuters.
 
Angry mobs in Sri Lanka have burned down several homes belonging to the ruling Rajapaksas and MPs, after they were attacked by government supporters.

The violence capped a day of unrest that saw PM Mahinda Rajapaksa quit amid mass protests at his government's handling of the economic crisis.

But it failed to assuage demonstrators, who attempted to storm his official residence while he was holed up inside.

Five people have died and more than 190 have been injured since Monday.

An island-wide curfew has been extended to Wednesday morning as authorities seek to quell the violence.

Many are still calling for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, brother of Mahinda, to leave office, following weeks of escalating demonstrations over soaring prices and power cuts since last month.

On Monday, government supporters clashed violently with protesters in the capital Colombo outside Mahinda Rajapaksa's Temple Trees residence, and then at the main protest site at Galle Face Green.

Police and riot squads were deployed, and tear gas and water cannons were fired at government supporters after they breached police lines and attacked protesters using sticks and poles.

Angry demonstrators retaliated, attacking government supporters and targeting ruling party MPs, including one who shot two people after a mob swarmed his car and then killed himself, according to Sri Lankan police.

As the night deepened, mobs of protesters across the country torched houses belonging to the Rajapaksas, various ministers and MPs. This included a house turned into a controversial museum by the Rajapaksas in the family's ancestral village in Hambantota in southern Sri Lanka.

Footage posted on social media showed homes enveloped in flames as people cheered.

Areas near the President's official residence were also set ablaze, according to reports.

Following Mahinda Rajapaksa's resignation, protesters attempted to breach the inner compound of Temple Trees where he was staying along with several loyalists, and set fire to a bus outside the home. Police fired shots in the air and tear gas in an attempt to disperse them.

Elsewhere in Colombo, tensions remained high. Men armed with sticks and rods had established road blocks on the routes leading to and from the airport, and police and security forces - usually a common sight in the area - were nowhere to be seen, reports the BBC's Anbarasan Ethirajan.

Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis since gaining independence from Britain in 1948, and people are furious because the cost of living has become unaffordable.

The country's foreign currency reserves have virtually run dry, and people can no longer afford essential items including food, medicines and fuel.

The government has requested emergency financial help. It blames the Covid pandemic, which all but killed off Sri Lanka's tourist trade - one of its biggest foreign currency earners. But many experts say economic mismanagement is also to blame.

BBC
 
This is sounding more and more insane by the day, and it is still escalating. The curfew will not hold. We could be looking at a revolution.
 
Colombo: Sri Lanka's former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and his family have taken shelter at a naval base in Trincomalee in the north-east part of the island nation, sources have told NDTV, as lethal protests continue amid the country's worst ever economic crisis.
The former Prime Minister and his family were flown in a helicopter to the naval base, people with direct knowledge of the matter told NDTV. They said protests have broken out outside the naval base too, some 270 km from the capital Colombo.

Sri Lanka deployed thousands of troops and police today to enforce a curfew after five people were killed in the worst violence in weeks of protests over the unprecedented economic crisis. Nearly 200 were also wounded yesterday as Mr Rajapaksa resigned, but that did little to calm public anger.

He had to be rescued in a pre-dawn operation by the military today after thousands of anti-government protesters poured into his official residence in Colombo overnight, with police firing tear gas and warning shots to keep back the crowd.

"At least 10 petrol bombs were thrown into the compound," news agency AFP reported quoting a top security officer.

ot1hqhio
Protesters clash with security forces in Sri Lanka amid the country's worst economic crisis - AFP

The Rajapaksa clan's hold on power has been shaken by months of blackouts and shortages in Sri Lanka, the worst economic crisis since it became independent in 1948. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa remains in office, however, with widespread powers and command over the security forces.

Sri Lanka's main opposition party Samagi Jana Balawegaya, or SJB, today rejected the President's offer to form interim government under him. Instead, the SJB has demanded the President's resignation.

Yesterday's violence started when Mahinda Rajapaksa's supporters -- bussed into the capital from the countryside -- attacked protestors with sticks and clubs.

Outside Colombo, ruling party lawmaker Amarakeerthi Athukorala shot two people - killing a 27-year-old man - after being surrounded by a mob of anti-government protestors, police said. "He then took his own life with his revolver," a police officer told AFP, adding Mr Athukorala's bodyguard was also found dead at the scene.

At least 41 homes of top ruling party politicians were torched overnight despite curfews. Hundreds of motorcycles parked in those homes were also burnt.

"This is something we should have done earlier," an unidentified man in front of a burning home of a minister told a local media network. "We are sorry we couldn't burn it sooner."

The protests came after the coronavirus pandemic hammered the island's vital income from tourism and remittances, which starved the country of foreign currency needed to pay off its debt. This forced the government to ban many imports, leading to severe shortages, inflation and lengthy power blackouts. In April, Sri Lanka announced it was defaulting on its $51 billion foreign debt.

It is unclear what President Rajapaksa's next move will be in the face of the protests, according to Akhil Bery of the Asia Society Policy Institute. Aside from following his brother in resigning, he could appoint a caretaker government -- before then quitting -- deploy the military and police to suppress the protests, or try to wait for them to "die down naturally", Mr Bery told AFP.

Any bailout from the International Monetary Fund -- currently under negotiation -- would mean "higher taxes and less government spending, which is a politically toxic combination," he added.



NDTV
 
<b>Sri Lankan troops ordered to open fire on looters and vandals as protests continue</b>

Sri Lankan security forces have been ordered to shoot law-breakers on sight in a bid to quell anti-government protests on the island.

Demonstrators are calling for the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa over the island's worst economic crisis in history.

On Monday, his brother, Mahinda Rajapaksa, stepped down as prime minister amid violent street clashes.

But the resignation failed to bring calm and violence continued overnight.

On Tuesday, the government ordered troops to open fire on anyone looting public property or causing "harm to life".

It also deployed tens of thousands of army, navy and air force personnel to patrol the streets of the capital Colombo.

Despite their presence, the city's top police officer was assaulted on Tuesday afternoon by a mob accusing him of not doing enough to protect peaceful protesters.

At Colombo's Galle Face Green, on the sea front, crowds also continued to gather.

Police say eight people have died and the capital's main hospital says more than 200 people have been wounded since Monday.

Some were injured by pro-government mobs, others when police fired tear gas into crowds.

Lawyers acting for the protesters told the BBC they were filing cases against supporters of the prime minister.

An island-wide curfew has been extended to Thursday morning as authorities seek to end the violence.

Evidence of last night's rioting is everywhere across Colombo - buses thrown into the lake, others with windows smashed out and tyres still burning.

In the north-east, protesters gathered in front of Trincomalee Naval Base after unconfirmed reports that Mahinda Rajapaksa had gone there with family members after escaping from his Colombo residence.

More than 50 houses of politicians were burned overnight, reports say.

Crowds remain outside the office of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, brother of Mahinda, calling on him to quit.

Since last month Sri Lanka has been gripped by escalating demonstrations over soaring prices and power cuts.

On Monday, government supporters clashed violently with protesters in Colombo outside Mahinda Rajapaksa's Temple Trees residence, and then at the main protest site at Galle Face Green.

Police and riot squads were deployed, and tear gas and water cannon were fired at government supporters after they breached police lines and attacked protesters using sticks and poles.

Angry demonstrators retaliated, attacking government supporters and targeting ruling party MPs, including one who shot two people after a mob swarmed his car and then killed himself, according to police.

As the night went on, mobs of protesters across the country torched houses belonging to the Rajapaksas, various ministers and MPs.

This included a house turned into a controversial museum by the Rajapaksas in the family's ancestral village in Hambantota in southern Sri Lanka.

Areas near the president's official residence were also set ablaze, according to reports.

And a municipal lawmaker died in hospital after an attack on his house.

Following Mahinda Rajapaksa's resignation, protesters attempted to breach the inner compound of Temple Trees where he was staying along with several loyalists, and set fire to a bus outside the home.

Police fired shots in the air and tear gas in an attempt to disperse them.

Mr Rajapaksa was flown out of Colombo to an undisclosed location on Tuesday morning.

Elsewhere in Colombo, tensions remained high.

Men armed with sticks and rods had established road blocks on the routes leading to and from the airport, and police and security forces - usually a common sight in the area - were nowhere to be seen.

Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis since gaining independence from Britain in 1948, and people are furious because the cost of living has become unaffordable.

The country's foreign currency reserves have virtually run dry, and people can no longer afford essential items including food, medicines and fuel.

The government has requested emergency financial help.

It blames the Covid pandemic, which all but killed off Sri Lanka's tourist trade - one of its biggest foreign currency earners.

But many experts say economic mismanagement is also to blame.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-61389189.amp
 
I asked about this protest to my Sri lankan Tamil friends about this being a peaceful protest they all said "Not possible, wait till something small goes off they can't be peaceful for a very long time" and look whats happening ha ha ha. I hope the Tamil people are not getting attacked this time.
 
Sri Lanka Crisis: Shoot-At-Sight Orders As Protest Intensifies
Sri Lanka economic crisis: Mobs on Tuesday torched dozens of homes of ruling-party politicians and trying to storm the prime minister's official residence in the Colombo.

Colombo: Sri Lankan authorities issued shoot-on-sight orders on Tuesday to quell unrest that has seen buildings and vehicles set ablaze a day after the island was rocked by deadly violence and rioting.
With thousands of security forces enforcing a curfew, the defence ministry said troops "have been ordered to shoot on sight anyone looting public property or causing harm to life".

On Monday, government supporters with sticks and clubs attacked demonstrators in Colombo protesting peacefully for weeks over a dire economic crisis and demanding President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's resignation.

Mobs then retaliated across the country late into the night, torchingSr dozens of homes of ruling-party politicians and trying to storm the prime minister's official residence in the capital.

Police said Tuesday eight people had died.

Protests continued on Tuesday despite the curfew, with some people defying the shoot-on-sight order to torch buildings and vehicles.

A luxury hotel said to belong to a Rajapaksa relative was set on fire on Tuesday evening on the edge of the Sinharaja rainforest.

And police shot into the air at two locations to disperse mobs trying to burn vehicles.

Earlier, a crowd had attacked and set fire to a vehicle carrying Colombo's most senior policeman.

Officers fired warning shots and sent in reinforcements to rescue Senior Deputy Inspector-General Deshabandu Tennakoon, who was rushed to hospital but later released.

In another sign of deteriorating security, vigilante groups blocked the main road to Colombo airport to check for any Rajapaksa loyalists trying to leave the island, witnesses said.

As well as those killed, more than 225 people were injured on Monday, which also saw the resignation of prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.

His departure, however, failed to quell public anger, with his brother still president and wielding widespread powers including command over security forces.

Mahinda had to be rescued in a pre-dawn military operation after thousands of angry protesters stormed his official residence overnight and lobbed petrol bombs.

Protester Chamal Polwattage said he expected demonstrations to swell again and vowed they would not leave "until the president goes".

"People are angry about the attacks launched against us yesterday... We have a lot of volunteers bringing food and water for us," the 25-year-old told AFP.

- 'Deeply troubled' -

The Rajapaksa clan's hold on power has been shaken by months of blackouts and shortages of essential goods in Sri Lanka's worst economic crisis since independence in 1948.

The pandemic torpedoed vital tourism and forced the government to halt most imports to save foreign currency needed to pay its debts, on which it has now defaulted.

But after weeks of peaceful demonstrations, Monday's attacks on protesters by government supporters represented a turning point.

In the ensuing violence, police fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse crowds and declared a curfew across the entire South Asian nation until Wednesday, but later extended it by another day to Thursday.

Angry crowds set alight the homes of at least 42 pro-Rajapaksa politicians.

Several Rajapaksa homes were torched, while a family museum in their ancestral village was trashed.

Outside Colombo, ruling-party lawmaker Amarakeerthi Athukorala shot two people -- killing one of them -- when surrounded by a crowd of protesters, police said.

The MP later took his own life, officers said, but the ruling party said he had been murdered. The lawmaker's bodyguard was also killed.

Another ruling-party politician who was not named shot dead two protesters and wounded five others in the south, police added.

UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet said Tuesday she was "deeply troubled" by the violence committed both by supporters of the government and the subsequent "mob violence" against ruling party members.

Bachelet in a statement called for an investigation and urged the government to "engage in meaningful dialogue with all parts of society".

The US State Department also reiterated a call for an investigation into the clashes, saying Washington was both concerned with the escalating violence and the deployment of the military.

"We stress that peaceful protesters should never be subjected to violence or intimidation, whether that's on the part of the military force or civilian units," spokesman Ned Price told reporters.

- Unity government? -

Washington also urged Sri Lanka's political authorities to quickly "ensure public safety" and identify "solutions to achieve long term economic and political stability."

Mahinda Rajapaksa said his resignation was intended to pave the way for a unity government, but it was unclear if the opposition would join any administration led by his brother.

The president has the power to appoint and fire ministers as well as judges, and enjoys immunity from prosecution.

Political sources said attempts were under way to arrange an online meeting between the president and all political parties.

"Unless President Rajapaksa steps down, no one -- whether the masses in the streets or key political stakeholders -- will be appeased," analyst Michael Kugelman from the Wilson Center told AFP.
https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/sri...ntensifies-2964450#pfrom=home-ndtv_topstories
 
Security forces are out in force across Sri Lanka with orders to shoot looters on sight amid continuing protests at the government's handling of a devastating economic crisis.

Despite a nationwide curfew, there was a second night of arson attacks.

Shops near Colombo were torched, as well as a resort owned by former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa's son.

The ex-PM is holed up in a naval base after resigning on Monday when fury erupted over fuel and food shortages.

Sri Lankans are desperate as basic items run out or become unaffordable.

"We have come to the protest site despite the curfew," one protester, Chandrasekaran, told BBC Tamil in Colombo. "We are suffering even now. There is no kerosene, no petrol, no diesel, and no power."

At least nine people have been killed and about 200 injured in unrest since Monday.

It began when government supporters attacked protesters who are demanding that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the former PM's younger brother, should leave office.

Opposition politicians have warned the violence could have been staged to give the army a pretext to take power. Rumours of a possible coup have been fuelled by the presence of large numbers of troops with armoured vehicles on the streets.

But the military have denied any such move is planned.

"When there is a dangerous situation in the country, powers are given to the military to deal with it," Defence Secretary Kamal Gunaratne told a news conference.

"Don't ever think that we are trying to capture power. The military has no such intentions."

Sri Lanka had already seen weeks of protests over its dire financial situation, which has caused the Sri Lankan rupee to plunge, provoking severe shortages of basic items such as food, fuel and medical supplies.

The worst trouble overnight was in the north of the capital, Colombo, where rival groups set fire to shops in the town of Negombo.

On Monday night, mobs burned more than 50 houses belonging to politicians, while a controversial museum dedicated to the Rajapaksa family was also razed to the ground in their traditional heartland, Hambantota, in the country's south.

Shops, businesses and offices are shut for a third day on Wednesday under a nationwide curfew in place until Thursday morning.

"Only if Gota [the president] goes will something positive happen," Kannan, another protester, told the BBC Tamil service at Galle Face Green, the main protest site in Colombo.

"I think young people should rule the country," he said.

Dharshini, a fellow protester at the site, agreed.

"Now, one Rajapaksa has resigned. We don't know whether the other one will also go, or whether we will have to live like people in Somalia. Running a household is very difficult," she said.

The streets of the capital, Colombo, bear the evidence of this week's rioting - a heavy police presence, troops on the streets, and overturned and burnt buses after Monday's violence.

Nonetheless, protesters continue to gather despite the curfew at Galle Face Green. They insist President Rajapaksa has grossly mismanaged the economy and must stand aside.

He is the last Rajapaksa family member in office and the resignation of his brother as prime minister did nothing to placate demonstrators or bring calm.

President Rajapaska says he is holding talks with other political parties aimed at forming a unity government. But the main opposition says it will not be part of the interim administration unless the president stands down.

At present, there is no clarity on which political parties might come together to form such a government.

The political stalemate comes as Sri Lanka attempts to iron out a bailout package with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) - the island's $81bn economy is near bankruptcy.

It has suspended its foreign debt payments, largely because it cannot service loans from China that paid for massive infrastructure projects.

While the pandemic hit the vital tourism sector and shrank Sri Lanka's earnings and foreign exchange reserves, experts say problems have been exacerbated by populist tax cuts in 2019 and a disastrous ban on chemical fertilisers in 2021 that devastated crop yields.

Protesters gathered in front of Trincomalee Naval Base in the north-east after reports that Mahinda Rajapaksa had fled there with his family after escaping from his Colombo residence when it was besieged by crowds on Monday night.

The military confirmed on Wednesday that he was inside the base.

"We took Mahinda to the naval base for safety reasons," the defence secretary said.

Earlier, there had been rumours that Mr Rajapaksa and others in the family had fled to India, which the Indian High Commission in Colombo denied.

BBC
 
Sri Lanka is a beautiful country. Shame that it has come to this.

I fear the track record of SL military isn't great. The shoot at sight order for arsonist will definitely be misused and they might target protestors to fuel fear.
 
Things are escalating in Sri Lanka. Really sad to see.

It seemed like a peaceful and lovely country. Not anymore.
 
Sri Lanka could turn out to be a failed state. Very sad.
 
Sri Lankans have criticised a Wednesday night speech by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in which he ignored calls to resign and vowed to restore order.

In his first national address since protests began last month, he offered to cede some of the presidency's power to parliament, but set no timetable.

Sri Lankans who have been calling for him to resign over an unprecedented economic crisis were unimpressed.

Many said the speech failed to address the real issues.

"Where were you for the last 30 days? People don't have medicine, people don't have food, the entire country's at a standstill," Kavindya Thennakoon, a protester in Colombo, told the BBC.

"The reforms he's suggesting are not what we need. What we need right now is for [the president] to resign from office... It baffles my mind that Gotabaya Rajapaksa doesn't understand that."

On social media, many referred to the resignation of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa - the president's brother - earlier this week as they called for him to quit too. "One down. One more to kick out," read one tweet on Thursday morning.

"You should have advised your ministers and your own brother Mahinda against influencing their goons to initiate a wave of terror. If not for their stupidity, Sri Lanka would not have experienced a wave of violence," another tweet read.

Weeks of peaceful protests against the government turned violent on Monday, after supporters of Mahinda Rajapaksa attacked anti-government demonstrators and destroyed two protest sites where thousands had congregated.

BBC
 
Sri Lanka's new Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has said he looks forward to closer ties with India during his term and thanked India for its economic assistance to the country as it tackles the worst economic crisis since independence.
Ranil Wickremesinghe, 73, was sworn-in as Sri Lanka's 26th Prime Minister on Thursday to stabilise the country's debt-ridden economy and end the political turmoil.

"I want a closer relationship and I want to thank Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi," Prime Minister Wickremesinghe said, referring to the Indian economic assistance to his country.

His remarks came during a religious ceremony held here last night after he took the oath.

India has committed more than USD 3 billion to debt-ridden Sri Lanka in loans, credit lines and credit swaps since January this year.

India on Thursday said it looked forward to working with the new Sri Lankan government formed in accordance with the democratic processes and New Delhi's commitment to the people of the island nation will continue.

The 73-year-old United National Party (UNP) leader took over as the prime minister as the country was without a government since Monday when President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's elder brother and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned as PM after violence erupted following an attack on the anti-government protesters by his supporters.

The attack triggered widespread violence against Rajapaksa loyalists, leaving nine people dead and wounding over 200 others.

Prime Minister Wickremesinghe said his focus was limited to tackling the economic crisis.

"I want to settle this problem to ensure the supply of petrol, diesel and electricity to the people," Prime Minister Wickremesinghe said.

Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis since gaining independence from Britain in 1948. The crisis is caused in part by a lack of foreign currency, which has meant that the country cannot afford to pay for imports of staple foods and fuel, leading to acute shortages and very high prices.

"I will do the job that I have undertaken to do".

Asked if he could sustain his premiership in the 225-member Parliament since he only has only one seat, he said: "I will prove the majority when it comes to that".

Referring to the island-wide protests, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe said the main protest near president Gotabaya Rajapaksa's secretariat for over a month now would be allowed to continue.

"I will talk to them (protesters) if they are willing," he said.

Asked if he feared protest demanding him to quit, he said he would face them.

"If I can undertake the job to handle the economic crisis, I will handle that too," he said.

Ranil Wickremesinghe was appointed the Prime Minister as the main Opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) party and the third-largest party Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) attached tough conditions, such as the resignation of President Rajapaksa, to lead the interim government.

Prime Minister Wickremesinghe heads the interim government in which all political parties are to be stakeholders for a limited period before facilitating a parliamentary election.

Members of the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), a section of the main Opposition SJB and several other parties have expressed their support to show a majority for Ranil Wickremesinghe in Parliament, sources said.

However, several factions opposed the move to appoint Ranil Wickremesinghe as the new Prime Minister.

The JVP and the Tamil National Alliance claimed that his appointment was unconstitutional.

The veteran politician is seen as being close to the Rajapaksa clan. But he does not currently command much support from the Opposition or among the public. It is to be seen if he can prove his majority in the 225-member Parliament. "We will allow him space," Weerasumana Weerasinghe of the Communist Party said.

Former President Maithripala Sirisena's Sri Lanka Freedom Party party said its central committee would meet this morning to make a decision.

The trade union cum political party for the plantation community of Indian-origin, Ceylon Workers' Congress, said they would support Prime Minister Wickremesinghe.

Sri Lanka's worst economic crisis has provoked widespread protests calling for political reform and the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

On April 1, President Rajapaksa imposed a state of emergency, lifting it five days later. The government reimposed a state of emergency on May 6 after police fired teargas and arrested students protesting near parliament, which was adjourned until May 17.

Although the protests have been overwhelmingly peaceful, the police fatally shot a protester on April 19, and on several occasions have used teargas and water cannons against protesters. The authorities have made numerous arrests and repeatedly imposed curfews.

The political crisis was triggered in late March when people hurt by long hours of power cuts and essential shortages took to the streets demanding the resignation of the government.

President Rajapaksa sacked his cabinet and appointed a younger cabinet as a response to the demand for resignation. A continuous protest opposite his secretariat has now gone on for well over a month.

On Monday, his brother Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned as the prime minister to make way for the president to appoint an interim all political party government.

NDTV
 
COLOMBO (Reuters) - Sri Lanka lifted a nationwide curfew for 12 hours on Saturday, further easing tight curbs as new Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe sought to form a government after clashes with anti-government groups killed nine people.

More than a month of predominantly peaceful protests against the government turned violent this week after supporters of former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa stormed an anti-government protest camp in the commercial capital Colombo, burning tents and clashing with protesters.

The initial clashes and reprisals against government figures also left more than 300 injured.

The government lifted the curfew from 6 a.m. (0030 GMT) on Saturday until 6 p.m. A 24-hour curfew imposed on Monday had been lifted for a few hours on Thursday and Friday to allow purchase of essential supplies.

Rajapaksa stepped down after violence flared on Monday, leaving his younger brother Gotabaya Rajapaksa to rule on as president.

Hit hard by the pandemic, rising oil prices and tax cuts by the populist government, Sri Lanka is in the throes of its worst economic crisis since independence from Great Britain in 1948.

Useable foreign reserves have dwindled, and rampant inflation and shortages of fuel have brought thousands onto the streets in protest.

Wickremesinghe, a five-time prime minister, was appointed to another term late on Thursday. The 73-year-old was expected to begin appointing ministers before parliament reconvenes on Tuesday.

Wickremesinghe is the sole lawmaker from his United National Party to hold a seat in parliament, and will be reliant on other parties to form a coalition government. The Rajapaksas' Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna has pledged to support Wickremesinghe.

The main opposition has ruled out supporting him, but several smaller parties have said they would back policies by the new prime minister to stabilise the economy.

Reuters
 
Colombo, Sri Lanka: Crisis-hit Sri Lanka has run out of petrol and is unable to find dollars to finance essential imports, the new prime minister said Monday in an address to the nation.

"We have run out of petrol... At the moment, we only have petrol stocks for a single day," Ranil Wickremesinghe said, warning his bankrupt country could face more hardships in the coming months.

He said the government was also unable to raise dollars to pay for three shipments of oil, with the ships awaiting outside the Colombo harbour for payments before discharging their cargoes.

Sri Lanka is in the throes of its worst-ever economic crisis with its 22 million people enduring severe hardships to secure food, fuel and medicines while facing record inflation and lengthy power blackouts.

Wickremesinghe assumed office Thursday after his predecessor Mahinda Rajapaksa was forced out after weeks of protests over the government's handling of the economic crisis turned deadly.

"The next couple of months will be the most difficult ones of our lives," Wickremesinghe said. "I have no desire to hide the truth and to lie to the public."

However, he urged people to "patiently bear the next couple of months" and vowed he could overcome the crisis.

He said the government had also run out of cash to pay the 1.4 million civil servants their salaries in May, and he will turn to money printing as a last resort.

"Against my own wishes, I am compelled to permit printing money in order to pay state-sector employees and to pay for essential goods and services," he said

He also warned that fuel and electricity tariffs will be raised substantially and his government will also sell off its loss-making national carrier to reduce losses.

Sri Lanka has sought an IMF bailout and one of the key demands of the international lender is for Colombo to divest loss-making state enterprises, including Sri Lankan Airlines whose carried-forward losses exceed a billion dollars.

NDTV
 
COLOMBO, May 20 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's prime minister has warned of a food shortage as the island nation battles a devastating economic crisis and vowed the government will buy enough fertiliser for the next planting season to boost productivity.

A decision in April last year by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to ban all chemical fertilisers drastically cut yields and although the government has reversed the ban, no substantial imports have yet taken place.

"While there may not be time to obtain fertiliser for this Yala (May-August) season, steps are being taken to ensure adequate stocks for the Maha (September-March) season," Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said in a message on Twitter late on Thursday.

"I sincerely urge everyone to accept the gravity of the ... situation."

Sri Lanka is facing a dire shortage of foreign exchange, fuel and medicines, and economic activity has slowed to a crawl.

"There is no point in talking about how hard life is," said A.P.D. Sumanavathi, a 60-year-old woman selling fruit and vegetables in the Pettah market in Colombo, the commercial capital, on Friday. "I can't predict how things will be in two months, at this rate we might not even be here.

Nearby, a long queue had formed in front of a shop selling cooking gas cylinders, the prices of which have soared.

"Only about 200 cylinders were delivered, even though there were about 500 people," said Mohammad Shazly, a part-time chauffeur who said he was standing in the line for the third day to be able to cook food for family of five.

"Without gas, without kerosene oil, we can't do anything," he said. "Last option what? Without food we are going to die. That will happen hundred percent."

The central bank governor said on Thursday foreign exchange had been secured from a World Bank loan and remittances to pay for fuel and cooking gas shipments, but supplies are still to flow through.

Inflation could rise further to a staggering 40% in the next couple of months but it was being driven largely by supply-side pressures and measures by the bank and government were already reining in demand-side inflation, the governor added.

Inflation hit 29.8% in April with food prices up 46.6% year-on-year.

As anger against the government spread, police fired tear gas and water canon to push back hundreds of student protesters in Colombo on Thursday. The protesters are demanding the ouster of the president as well as the prime minister.

Sri Lanka's economic crisis has come from the confluence of the COVID-19 pandemic battering the tourism-reliant economy, rising oil prices and populist tax cuts by the government of President Rajapaksa and his brother, Mahinda, who resigned as prime minister last week.

Wickremesinghe, appointed prime minister in his place, is accused of a being a stooge of the brothers.

Other factors have included heavily subsidised domestic prices of fuel and a decision to ban the import of chemical fertilisers, which devastated the agriculture sector.

The Group of Seven economic powers supports efforts to provide debt relief for Sri Lanka, G7 finance chiefs said on Thursday in a draft communique from a meeting in Germany after the country defaulted on its sovereign debt. read more

P. Nandalal Weerasinghe, the central bank chief, has said plans for a debt restructuring were almost finalised and he would be submitting a proposal to the cabinet soon.

"We are in pre-emptive default," he said. "Our position is very clear, until there is a debt restructure, we cannot repay."

A spokesperson for the International Monetary Fund said the fund was monitoring developments very closely and that a virtual mission to Sri Lanka was expected to conclude technical talks on a potential loan program to country on May 24
 
COLOMBO, May 23 (Reuters) - Long queues snaked around gas stations in Sri Lanka's commercial capital and its outskirts on Monday even though the island nation's government was scrambling to deliver fuel supplies and douse any unrest as it battles a devastating economic crisis.

Kanchana Wijesekera, Sri Lanka's minister for power and energy, said supplies of 95-octane gasoline, mostly used in cars, had been received and were being distributed across the country of 22 million people that has been struggling with fuel shortages for months.

"With the 2 cargo vessels unloaded, petrol stocks will be available for the next 6 weeks comfortably," Wijesekera said in a tweet.

Another 40,000 metric tonnes of petrol supplied by India had also reached Sri Lanka on Monday, the Indian High Commission (Embassy) said, two days after New Delhi delivered 40,000 tonnes of diesel to its southern neighbour.

Sri Lanka is in the throes of its worst economic crisis since independence, as a dire shortage of foreign exchange has stalled imports and left the country short of fuel, medicines and hit by rolling power cuts.

The financial trouble has come from the confluence of the COVID-19 pandemic battering the tourism-reliant economy, rising oil prices and populist tax cuts by the government of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his brother, Mahinda, who resigned as prime minister this month.

M. Sudeera, an auto-rickshaw driver, was waiting in a two-kilometer (1.5-mile) -long queue at Kumbuke, on the outskirts of Colombo, to fill his vehicle, apopular form of public transport in the city and its suburbs.

"Last time, I spent two days in line for 3,000 rupees ($8.46) worth of fuel. With that I did a few hires but it's barely enough to cover costs," Sudeera said, standing beside parallel queues of auto-rickshaws, cars and motorcycles.

"Usually we run during the day and spent the night in line for fuel," he said. "I've never seen anything like this."

Veteran politician Ranil Wickremesinghe, who took over as prime minister earlier this month, has warned of hardship worsening over the coming months, including food shortages.

Protests against the government's handling of the crisis have continued for weeks, and erupted into violence earlier this month in which nine people were killed and over 300 injured. But the protests have been peaceful since then, although anger against the government is high.

Inflation in the island nation rose to 33.8% in April, compared to 21.5% in March, according to government data released on Monday.

Wickremesinghe's cabinet was expanded on Monday, with eight new ministers sworn in for portfolios including agriculture, fisheries, industries, transport and highways, water supply and irrigation.

($1 = 354.5000 Sri Lankan rupees)

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-...despite-scramble-deliver-supplies-2022-05-23/
 
GONAPOLA, Sri Lanka, May 31 (Reuters) - Lasanda Deepthi, a 43-year-old Sri Lankan woman, plans her day around fuel queues.

The driver of an auto-rickshaw on the outskirts of the commercial capital Colombo, she keeps a close eye on the petrol gauge of her sky-blue three-wheeler before accepting a job to make sure she has enough fuel.

When the needle is close to empty, she joins the line outside a gas station. Sometimes, she waits through the night for petrol and when she does get it, it costs two-and-a-half times the amount it did eight months ago.

Deepthi is one of millions of people in Sri Lanka battling galloping inflation, falling incomes and shortages of everything from fuel to medicine as the country reels under its worst economic crisis since independence in 1948.

A woman auto-rickshaw driver is a rare sight on the island of 22 million people off the southern coast of India.

But it's a job Deepthi has done for seven years to support her family of five, by using local ride-hailing app PickMe.

Since the financial crisis hit, she has been scrambling to find adequate petrol and earn enough as rides dwindled and inflation surged past 30% year-on-year.

Her monthly income of about 50,000 Sri Lankan rupees ($138) started falling from January and is now less than half of what she used to earn.

"I spend more time in line for petrol than doing anything else," Deepthi said. "Sometimes I join a line about 3 p.m. but only get fuel about 12 hours later.

"A couple of times I made it to the front of the queue only to have the fuel run out," she added as she made tea in her small, two-bedroom rented house in Gonapola, a small town on the outskirts of Colombo, where she lives with her mother and three younger brothers.

She is separated from her spouse and has a married daughter.

In mid-May, Deepthi said she spent two-and-a-half days in a queue for petrol, assisted by one of her brothers


"I don't have words to describe how terrible it is," she said, "I don't feel safe sometimes in the night but there is nothing else to do."

In a now familiar routine on one recent morning, she changed her clothes, filled a bottle of water, wiped down her auto-rickshaw and lit an incense stick to seek divine blessings before getting into the vehicle.

Her mission, like most days, is to find petrol, prices of which have soared 259% since October 2021, as the government slashed subsidies to try and stabilise a teetering economy.

The roots of Sri Lanka's current crisis lie in the COVID-19 pandemic, which devastated the lucrative tourism industry and sapped foreign workers' remittances, and populist tax cuts enacted by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's administration.

Angry at the widespread shortages and accusing the powerful Rajapaksa family of mishandling the economy, thousands of protesters have taken to the streets across Sri Lanka in recent months to stage mostly peaceful demonstrations.

New Prime Minister Ranil Wickrememsinghe, who was also appointed as the country's finance minister last week, plans to introduce a budget in six weeks that will cut expenditure "to the bone" and route it to a two-year welfare programme.

His policies are also expected to push forward negotiations with the International Monetary Fund for a badly-needed loan package.

But Deepthi is disillusioned.

The car she bought with her savings had to be sold last year after she fell short on lease payments.

A second auto-rickshaw, usually driven by one of her brothers, needs repairs, which the family can barely afford. She is more than 100,000 rupees behind on loan payments for a piece of land she bought before the pandemic.

Deepthi also wants to visit her three-month-old grand-daughter but is not sure how she can travel 170 km (105 miles) to the seaside town of Matara where her daughter, a nurse, lives.

"I can barely afford enough rice and vegetables for my family," she said. "I can't find medicines my mother needs. How will we live next month? I don't know what our future will be like."

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-...r-has-queue-12-hours-or-more-fuel-2022-05-30/
 
The brother of Sri Lanka's president and the country's former finance minister, Basil Rajapaksa, said on Thursday he had resigned from parliament, the second from the influential family to step away from government amid a severe economic crisis.

“From today I will not be involved in any government activities but I cannot and will not step away from politics,” Rajapaksa said.

“The aim is to allow someone else to be appointed to parliament in my place from the party,” he told reporters in Colombo, Sri Lanka's commercial capital.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's elder brother, Mahinda Rajapaksa, resigned as prime minister last month after prolonged protests against the economic crisis turned deadly.


Mahinda remains a member of parliament.

The three Rajapaksa siblings have been key players in Sri Lankan politics for decades, but are blamed by protesters who have taken to the streets in their thousands in recent months for mishandling the island nation's economy.

Infighting between the brothers has also played a part in Sri Lanka's slide into turmoil but Basil Rajapaksa is likely to retain influence, Reuters has reported.

The country of 22 million people is suffering its worst economic crisis in seven decades, with shortages of fuel, medicines and cooking gas because a severe lack of foreign exchange has stalled imports.

Sri Lanka's new prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, is now leading efforts to find a way out of the crisis, with negotiations underway with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a loan programme and support from friendly countries, including India and China.

However, with only one seat is parliament, Wickremesinghe is dependent on the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) party, which Basil Rajapaksa has helped rebuild into a political force.

“BR will continue to remain a force in Sri Lankan politics regardless of not being a MP,” said Bhavani Fonseka, a senior researcher at the Colombo think-tank Centre for Policy Analysis, referring to Basil Rajapaksa by his initials.

“The question is how much influence or control he has over the SLPP,” Fonseka said.

The SLPP and its coalition partners have a comfortable majority in the 225-seat legislature, and several sources have previously told Reuters that members of the ruling party remain loyal to Basil Rajapaksa.

The veteran politician, who served as finance minister between July 2021 and April this year, denied he had failed to slow Sri Lanka's descent into financial turmoil.

“I was the person to send the first letter to the IMF after becoming finance minister. It is the work I started that is now being taken forward,” he said.

“I have no regrets.”

DAWN
 
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s military opened fire to contain rioting at a fuel station, officials said Sunday as unprecedented queues for petrol and diesel were seen across the bankrupt country.

Troops fired in Visuvamadu, 365 kilometers north of Colombo, on Saturday night as their guard point was pelted with stones, army spokesman Nilantha Premaratne said.

“A group of 20 to 30 people pelted stones and damaged an army truck,” Premaratne said.

Police said four civilians and three soldiers were wounded when the army opened fire for the first time to quell unrest linked to the worsening economic crisis.

As the pump ran out of petrol, motorists began to protest and the situation escalated into a clash with troops, police said.
Sri Lanka is suffering its worst economic crisis since independence, with the country unable to find dollars to import essentials, including food, fuel and medicines.

The nation’s 22 million population has been enduring acute shortages and long queues for scarce supplies while President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has for months resisted calls to step down over mismanagement.

Sri Lanka has deployed armed police and troops to guard fuel stations.

A motorist was shot dead by police in April at the central town of Rambukkana when a clash erupted over the distribution of rationed petrol and diesel.

Police said clashes involving motorists erupted at three locations over the weekend. At least six constables were wounded in one clash while seven motorists were arrested.

The government declared a two-week shutdown of state institutions and schools in a bid to reduce commuting and conserve depleting fuel stocks in the impoverished nation.

The country is also facing record high inflation and lengthy power blackouts, all of which have contributed to months of protests.

Four out of five people in Sri Lanka have started skipping meals as they cannot afford to eat, the UN has said, warning of a looming “dire humanitarian crisis” with millions in need of aid.

The World Food Programme (WFP) began distributing food vouchers to about 2,000 pregnant women in Colombo’s “underserved” areas as part of “life-saving assistance” on Thursday.

The WFP is trying to raise $60 million for a food relief effort between June and December.

Sri Lanka defaulted on its $51 billion foreign debt in April, and is in talks with the International Monetary Fund for a bailout.

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2106251/world
 
As Sri Lanka fights off acute shortages - of food, fuel, medicines - former cricketer Roshan Mahanama shared images of him serving tea and bun to those waiting in serpentine queues at a petrol station in Colombo.
Sri Lanka is suffering its worst economic crisis since independence, with the country unable to find dollars to import essentials.

"We served tea and buns with the team from Community Meal Share this evening for the people at the petrol queues around Ward Place and Wijerama mawatha.

"The queues are getting longer by the day and there will be many health risks to people staying in queues," the cricketer posted on Twitter.

Sri Lanka has deployed armed police and troops to guard fuel stations.

The government declared a two-week shutdown of state institutions and schools in a bid to reduce commuting and conserve depleting fuel stocks in the impoverished nation.

"Please, look after each other in the fuel queues. Bring adequate fluid and food and if you're not well please, reach out to the closest person next to you and ask for support or call 1990. We need to look after each other during these difficult times," the cricketer urged.

Sri Lanka defaulted on its $51 billion foreign debt in April, and is in talks with the International Monetary Fund for a bailout.

NDTV
 
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has said the country's economy has "completely collapsed", leaving it unable to pay for essentials such as oil imports.

It follows months of shortages of food, fuel, and electricity, and the realisation that even the credit lines from neighbouring India that have sustained the country so far will not be enough.

Mr Wickremesinghe told Sri Lanka's parliament: "We are now facing a far more serious situation beyond the mere shortages of fuel, gas, electricity and food.

"Our economy has completely collapsed - that is the most serious issue before us today."

Mr Wickremesinghe said that the state-owned Ceylon Petroleum Corporation is $700m (£572m) in debt, adding: "As a result, no country or organisation in the world is willing to provide fuel to us.

"They are even reluctant to provide fuel for cash."

Sri Lanka has been struggling under the weight of its debt, combined with the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, including a loss of tourism revenue and the rising cost of commodities.

In April, it suspended payment on the equivalent of £9.8bn in foreign debt.

Mr Wickremesinghe said that efforts to turn the situation around had failed, adding: "If steps had at least been taken to slow down the collapse of the economy at the beginning, we would not be facing this difficult situation today.

"But we lost out on this opportunity.

"We are now seeing signs of a possible fall to rock bottom."

Previous prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned in May after months of protests and clashes between government supporters and those demanding a change in leadership.

This brought veteran Mr Wickremesinghe to the role for a sixth time, in a move that opposition politicians said was aimed at protecting President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his family from protesters' anger.

A team from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) arrived in Colombo earlier this week and talks with them have made progress, Mr Wickremesinghe said on Wednesday, adding that an agreement was likely by the end of this month.

"We have discussed multiple points including fiscal policy, debt restructuring and direct cash transfers," he said.

"Parallel to this, we have also started talks on a debt restructuring framework, which we hope will be completed in July."

Once a deal is reached with the IMF, Mr Wickremesinghe said that his plan is to focus on increasing the country's exports and stabilising the economy.

Mr Wickremesinghe said he would also ask India, China and Japan for more help ahead of an interim budget in August.

He said: "We need the support of India, Japan and China who have been historic allies.

"We plan to convene a donor conference with the involvement of these countries to find solutions for Sri Lanka's crisis.

"We will also seek help from the US," he said.

Delegates from India will arrive in Sri Lanka on Thursday to talk about additional support their country could offer, and a team from the US is expected next week.

SKY
 
Sri Lanka accepted a rice and pharmaceuticals shipment from neighbouring India on Friday as the island nation battles an unprecedented economic crisis that has left supermarket shelves and pharmacy cabinets empty.

A critical shortage of foreign currency has left Sri Lanka unable to pay for enough imported food, fuel and medicines to meet demand since the end of last year, causing widespread hardship.

Its 22 million people have also been forced to endure prolonged daily blackouts and galloping inflation that has strained household budgets.

India has extended $1.5 billion in credit lines to allow Sri Lanka to keep meeting a portion of its food and energy needs, and Friday's shipment followed a visit by Indian experts for aid talks.

“Both parties discussed at length the future course of action of the Indian aid programme to stabilise and revive the Sri Lankan economy,” Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's office said after the meeting.

An acute lack of petrol has immobilised Sri Lanka this week, with parliament cancelling two days of sittings to help conserve fuel.

The United Nations last week appealed for emergency food aid after a survey showed that four out of five Sri Lankans were skipping meals to cope with the crisis.

A US Treasury delegation is expected in the capital Colombo next week to assess the crisis, with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe telling lawmakers Wednesday that the nation's economy had reached the point of “complete collapse”.

Sri Lanka has already defaulted on its $51bn foreign debt and is in bailout talks with the International Monetary Fund, which could take months.

DAWN
 
Cash-strapped Sri Lanka on Sunday announced sending ministers to Russia and Qatar to try and secure cheap oil a day after the government said it had all but run out of fuel.

The government meanwhile extended a two-week closure of non-essential state institutions until further notice in order to save fuel, maintaining only a skeleton staff to provide minimum services.

Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said two ministers will travel to Russia on Monday to discuss getting more oil following last month's purchase of 90,000 tonnes of Siberian crude.

That shipment was arranged through Coral Energy, a Dubai-based intermediary, but politicians have been urging the authorities to negotiate directly with President Vladimir Putin's government.


“Two ministers are going to Russia and I will go to Qatar tomorrow to see if we can arrange concessionary terms,” Wijesekera told reporters in Colombo.

Wijesekera had announced on Saturday that Sri Lanka was virtually out of petrol and diesel after several scheduled shipments were delayed indefinitely due to “banking” reasons.

Fuel reserves were sufficient to meet less than two days' demand and it was being reserved for essential services, Wijesekera said while apologising for the situation.

The state-run Ceylon Petroleum Corporation on Sunday hiked the price for diesel by 15 per cent to 460 rupees ($1.27) a litre and petrol by 22pc to 550 rupees.

Since the beginning of the year, diesel prices have gone up nearly four-fold and gasoline has almost tripled.

Wijesekera said there would be an indefinite delay in getting new shipments of oil and urged motorists not to queue up until he introduces a token system to a limited number of vehicles daily.

US takes stock
A delegation from the US Treasury and the State Department meanwhile arrived to “explore the most effective ways for the US to support Sri Lankans in need”, the US embassy in Colombo said.

“As Sri Lankans endure some of the greatest economic challenges in their history, our efforts to support economic growth and strengthen democratic institutions have never been more critical,” US ambassador Julie Chung said in a statement.

US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Treasury for Asia Robert Kaproth and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Kelly Keiderling were in the delegation.

The embassy said it had committed $158.75 million in new financing in the past two weeks to help Sri Lankans.

About 1.7m residents need “life-saving assistance”, according to the United Nations which issued a flash appeal last week.

Four out of five people in the nation of 22m have reduced their food intake due to severe shortages and galloping prices, the UN noted.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe warned parliament on Wednesday that more hardships were on the way.

“Our economy has faced a complete collapse,” Wickremesinghe said. “We are now facing a far more serious situation beyond the mere shortages of fuel, gas, electricity and food.”

Unable to repay its $51 billion foreign debt, the government declared it was defaulting in April and is negotiating with the International Monetary Fund for a possible bailout.

Sri Lanka's official inflation at the end of May was 45.3pc, according to official data, but private economists have placed it at 128pc, the second-highest in the world after Zimbabwe.
 
A banner was displayed at Galle Fort asking President and Prime Minister to resign during second day’s play between Sri Lanka and Australia.

FWgF4ysXEAEBKCx.jpg
 
Sri Lanka president asks Russia's Vladimir Putin for help to buy fuel

Sri Lanka's president says he has asked Russia's Vladimir Putin to help his cash-strapped nation import fuel, as it faces its worst economic crisis since independence from Britain in 1948.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa said he "had a very productive" discussion with Mr Putin.

It comes after Sri Lanka's energy minister warned at the weekend that the country may soon run out of petrol.

On Wednesday, hundreds of people took to the streets of the capital Colombo to protest against the government.

"I requested an offer of credit support to import fuel," Mr Rajapaksa tweeted in reference to his conversation with the Russian leader.

Mr Rajapaksa also said he had "humbly made a request" for flights between Moscow and Colombo to resume, after the Russian flag carrier Aeroflot suspended services last month.

"We unanimously agreed that strengthening bilateral relations in sectors such as tourism, trade and culture was paramount in reinforcing the friendship our two nations share," he added.

The country has already purchased oil from Russia in recent months to help bolster fuel supplies during the crisis, and the government has signalled that it is willing to buy more from the energy-rich country.

Attempts by Mr Rajapaksa to resolve Sri Lanka's worst economic crisis in more than 70 years, including securing financial support from India and China, have so far failed to end weeks of shortages of fuel, power, food and other essential items.

On Sunday, energy minister Kanchana Wijesekera said the country only had enough petrol left for less than a day under regular demand.

Last week, authorities suspended sales of petrol and diesel for non-essential vehicles in an attempt to preserve its dwindling fuel stocks.

UK reinstates warning against travel to Sri Lanka
What's behind Sri Lanka's petrol shortage?
On Thursday, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka raised its key interest rates by one percentage point to tackle the soaring cost of living in the country.

The lending rate was raised to 15.5%, while the deposit rate was increased to 14.5%, the highest in 21 years.

It comes as annual inflation hit a record high of 54.6% June as the cost of food rose by more than 80%.

Hundreds of protesters had a day earlier on Wednesday gathered near the parliament building in Colombo as they launched what they called the "final push" to remove Mr Rajapaksa's government.

This week, the UK reinstated advice against all but essential travel to Sri Lanka because of civil unrest in the country.

The Foreign Office warned holidaymakers could encounter "demonstrations, roadblocks and violent unrest at short notice".

Visiting countries against Foreign Office advice would be likely to invalidate one's travel insurance, the Association of British Insurers said.

Willing to take the risk

Sri Lanka desperately needs the help of Russian President Vladimir Putin for both fuel and tourists, which are both vital to rescuing the country's economy.

The island nation has virtually run out of fuel, crippling businesses and public transport.

It is struggling to get oil shipments from its usual suppliers in the Gulf or elsewhere due to a lack of foreign currency as well as banking and logistical difficulties.

Western nations have imposed restrictions on Russian oil in response to its invasion of Ukraine. But President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is clearly willing to take the risk of triggering the displeasure in Western capitals.

To add to Colombo's woes, Aeroflot suspended Moscow-Colombo passenger flight services last month after a Sri Lankan court briefly detained one of its planes following a commercial dispute over payment.

Russians accounted for almost a fifth of total tourist arrivals in the months before the war started in Ukraine.

Even if the flights resume, it may not be easy to attract Russian tourists as they could find it difficult to pay for things while they are on holiday.

Several Russian banks have been disconnected from using the SWIFT international payment system and Visa and Master credit cards have suspended Russian operations in response to Moscow's war on Ukraine.

Sri Lanka has seen its foreign exchange reserves shrink due to economic mismanagement and the impact of the pandemic.

As a result it has struggled to pay for imports of essential goods, including fuel, food and medicine.

In May, it defaulted on its debts for the first time in its history after a 30-day grace period to come up with $78m (£63m) of unpaid debt interest payments expired.

The country is currently in negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) over a £3bn bailout.

Sri Lanka's government has said it needs $5bn this year in support from the international community, including the IMF.

BBC
 
Police in Sri Lanka’s commercial capital Colombo imposed a curfew after firing tear gas and using a water cannon on student protesters on Friday ahead of a planned weekend rally, as public discontent escalates over the worst economic crisis in seven decades.

The island nation has been crippled by a shortage of foreign exchange that has left it struggling to pay for essential imports of fuel, food and medicine. Its 22 million people have been bearing the brunt of record inflation, currency depreciation and rolling power cuts for months.

Many blame President Gotabaya Rajapaksa for the swift slide in living conditions, the worst since independence in 1948, which has sparked widespread protests that have sometimes turned violent.

“People are dying in fuel queues and can barely manage three meals a day. This is what the president and his government have done to this country,” said Wasantha Mudalige, a member of the Inter University Students’ Federation that organised a march to the president’s house on Friday.

“We will not give up until this president and prime minister go home,” Mudalige said, referring to Ranil Wickremesinghe who was appointed as prime minister in May to replace Rajapaksa’s elder brother after he stepped down.

In a statement, Rajapaksa said the public were being misled and said essential supplies were scheduled to be delivered soon.

“At a time when successful solutions have been achieved to the existing problematic situation, the programme of the opposition political groups to mislead the people is very sad and unpleasant,” the statement said.

“This will lead to set the country back once again.”

The students will stage a sit-in overnight, with other protesters including healthcare workers, clergy, trade unions and opposition supporters joining them on Saturday, organisers said.

Starting 9 pm local time on Friday, a curfew will be imposed in Colombo and several suburbs, police said in a statement.

It did not say when restrictions will be lifted.

“People living in the areas under curfew should remain at home. Breaking of police curfew will be seen as a disruption of public order and strict legal action will be taken,” a police notice said.

Security was tightened in Colombo with about 3,000 police and paramilitary deployed, along with reinforced barricades around major public buildings, police spokesperson Nalin Thalduwa said.

A spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said there were concerns over Saturday’s protest turning violent.

“With security forces we have seen the use of lethal weapons in protests. This is why we are putting out this preventive call because we are very concerned about what might happen tomorrow,” Ravina Shamdasani told reporters.

US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung called for the military and police to allow peaceful protests.

“Violence, chaos and force will not fix the economy or bring the political stability that Sri Lankans need right now,” she said in a tweet.

Political instability could potentially undermine Sri Lanka’s ongoing talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a potential $3 billion bailout.

The country hopes to submit a debt restructuring plan to the global lender by August and raise additional funding via a donor conference after reaching a staff level agreement.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1698846/sri-lanka-police-impose-curfew-fire-tear-gas-as-unrest-escalates
 
Sri Lanka is realising the gigantic importance of choosing their leaders properly, and the impact of their policies on the masses.
 
Savak said:
Sri Lanka is realising the gigantic importance of choosing their leaders properly, and the impact of their policies on the masses.
Click to expand...

Sri Lankan finance was extremely ill managed, they are realizing the importance of fiscal responsibility.

The warnings were there for everyone to see but people kept calling it as propaganda.

Various Indian governments(esp State ones) are at fault as well , esp the subsidy governments.

Majority of the times Leaders are reflection of their citizens.
 
Thousands of protesters in Sri Lanka have broken through police barricades and stormed the president's official residence, news reports have said.

In one of the largest anti-government marches in the country this year, the protesters are demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Thousands of people swarmed into Sri Lankan capital Colombo's government district, shouting slogans against the president and dismantling several police barricades to reach Mr Rajapaksa's house, according to the Reuters news agency.

Police fired shots in the air but were unable to stop the angry crowd from surrounding the presidential residence.

At least 21 people including two police officers have been hurt by the unrest, hospital sources said.

The president was removed from his official premises as a safety precaution, according to two defence ministry sources, as hundreds of protestors were seen packed inside the property on a Facebook livestream.

Sri Lanka, which has a population of 22 million people, is facing its worst economic crisis since 1948.

It has been struggling under a severe foreign exchange shortage that has limited essential imports of fuel, food and medicine.

Many blame the country's decline on Mr Rajapaksa, who has faced ongoing calls to resign.

Anger has intensified in recent weeks as fuel shipments dwindled, leading to petrol and diesel being rationed for essential services.

SKY
 
MenInG said:
Thousands of protesters in Sri Lanka have broken through police barricades and stormed the president's official residence, news reports have said.

In one of the largest anti-government marches in the country this year, the protesters are demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Thousands of people swarmed into Sri Lankan capital Colombo's government district, shouting slogans against the president and dismantling several police barricades to reach Mr Rajapaksa's house, according to the Reuters news agency.

Police fired shots in the air but were unable to stop the angry crowd from surrounding the presidential residence.

At least 21 people including two police officers have been hurt by the unrest, hospital sources said.

The president was removed from his official premises as a safety precaution, according to two defence ministry sources, as hundreds of protestors were seen packed inside the property on a Facebook livestream.

Sri Lanka, which has a population of 22 million people, is facing its worst economic crisis since 1948.

It has been struggling under a severe foreign exchange shortage that has limited essential imports of fuel, food and medicine.

Many blame the country's decline on Mr Rajapaksa, who has faced ongoing calls to resign.

Anger has intensified in recent weeks as fuel shipments dwindled, leading to petrol and diesel being rationed for essential services.

SKY
Click to expand...

Protesters enjoying a dip in the presidential pool

<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.515%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/0ykvuk" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="100%" allowfullscreen style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div>
 
The country's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesighe has agreed to resign, his office says, to make way for an all-party government.

There have been months of protests over his handling of the worst economic crisis in Sri Lanka’s history.
 
What I would give for Bajwa, SS, NS, AZ and Diesel to be dragged through the streets. As Marx said you have nothing to lose but your chains.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sri Lankan PM's residence set on fire after being broken into by protesters during a day of demonstrations over economic crisis <a href="https://t.co/5kfaLx7tAK">https://t.co/5kfaLx7tAK</a></p>— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) <a href="https://twitter.com/BBCBreaking/status/1545803937286070274?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Scary.. South Asia goes through some of the worst situations.

But this should signify the end of Dynasty politics FGS, enough of family ruling nations, the personal wealth of the Rajpaksha family was ridiculous!
 
I think because I grew up in an Indian state near Lanka makes the images scary, but even growing up in Chennai we were exposed to the killings Lankan Armies did against Tamils, while many were LTTE sympathizers but majority killed were just average people, refugee crisis was ridiculous even in those days.

Many now in Canada..I wonder how they see this as.
 
Bewal Express said:
What I would give for Bajwa, SS, NS, AZ and Diesel to be dragged through the streets. As Marx said you have nothing to lose but your chains.
Click to expand...

Sorry to say but Pakistanis don't seem to have as much spunk as the Sri Lankans, or the Iranians - two countries in its neighbourhood who have dictated terms to the people in power. The 'chalta hai' attitude seems to be prevalent in Pakistan.
 
Varun said:
Sorry to say but Pakistanis don't seem to have as much spunk as the Sri Lankans, or the Iranians - two countries in its neighbourhood who have dictated terms to the people in power. The 'chalta hai' attitude seems to be prevalent in Pakistan.
Click to expand...

Sadly you are right
 
Bewal Express said:
Sadly you are right
Click to expand...

I dont think he is.

Sri Lanka's situation is at breaking point. No fuel, no food in some shops, no jobs etc.

Pakistanis are waiting for the general election. If they fix for PTI to lose & situation becomes like Sri Lanka, Pakistanis will run riot like not many other people. The armed forces will have to back down too.

Lets hope it doesnt get to this.
 
KingKhanWC said:
I dont think he is.

Sri Lanka's situation is at breaking point. No fuel, no food in some shops, no jobs etc.

Pakistanis are waiting for the general election. If they fix for PTI to lose & situation becomes like Sri Lanka, Pakistanis will run riot like not many other people. The armed forces will have to back down too.

Lets hope it doesnt get to this.
Click to expand...

PK have an elite of 15000(led by the 2 mafia families, their boot polishers and painful as it is to admit but the generals) and they dont care for PK or its people, to them its a cash to be milked and then the money laundered through property at home and abroad. I guarantee that the majority will still not do anything because they are hoping that someone else will do it for them.
 
Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has announced he will step down after protesters stormed his official residence and set the prime minister's house on fire.

Neither the PM nor the president were in the buildings at the time.

Hundreds of thousands descended on the capital Colombo, calling for Mr Rajapaksa to resign after months of protests over economic mismanagement.

Mr Rajapaksa will step down on 13 July. PM Wickremesinghe has agreed to resign.

The speaker of parliament said the president decided to step down "to ensure a peaceful handover of power" and called on the public to "respect the law".

The announcement triggered an eruption of celebratory fireworks in the city.

Political leaders are due to hold further meetings to discuss a smooth transition of power. Sri Lanka's military has appealed to people to cooperate with security forces to maintain calm.

After Saturday's events, the United States appealed to the Sri Lankan leadership to act promptly to resolve the country's economic crisis.

One protester, Fiona Sirmana, who was demonstrating at the president's house, said it was time "to get rid of the president and the prime minister and to have a new era for Sri Lanka".

"I feel very, very sad that they didn't go earlier because had they gone earlier there wouldn't have been any destruction," she told Reuters.

Dozens of people were injured in Saturday's protests, and a spokesperson for Colombo's main hospital told AFP news agency that three people were being treated for gunshot wounds.

Sri Lanka is suffering rampant inflation and is struggling to import food, fuel and medicine amid the country's worst economic crisis in 70 years.

It has run out of foreign currency and has had to impose a ban on sales of petrol and diesel for private vehicles, leading to days-long queues for fuel.

The extraordinary events of Saturday appeared to be the culmination of months of mainly peaceful protests in Sri Lanka.

Huge crowds converged on the official residence of President Rajapaksa, chanting slogans and waving the national flag before breaking through the barricades and entering the property.

Footage online showed people roaming through the house and swimming in the president's pool, while others emptied out a chest of drawers, picked through the president's belongings and used his luxurious bathroom.

The contrast between the luxury of the palace and the months of hardship endured by the country's 22 million people was not lost on the protesters.

"When the whole country is under such strain people have come here to release that pressure. When you see the luxuries in this house it is obvious that they don't have time to work for the country," Chanuka Jayasuriya told Reuters

BBC
 
This could eventually be Pakistan too. the way things are heading the people may rise too cause such mayhem.
 
Sri Lanka: President confirms resignation, PM's office says

Sri Lanka's beleaguered President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has confirmed his resignation, says the prime minister's office, after protesters stormed both leaders' official residences.

Demonstrators are still occupying the presidential palace and prime ministerial residence and have refused to leave until the leaders step down.

The parliament speaker said on Saturday the president would resign on 13 July.

But many protesters were strongly sceptical of the announcement.

On Monday, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's office said in a statement it had been officially informed by Mr Rajapaksa that he would step down on Wednesday. However, there has been no direct word from Mr Rajapaksa.

Under Sri Lanka's constitution, his resignation can only formally be accepted when he resigns by letter to the parliament speaker - which has yet to happen.

Mr Wickremesinghe had earlier also said he would step down from his position.

Mr Rajapaksa's location is currently undisclosed but military sources have told the BBC he is on a navy vessel in Sri Lankan waters.

His brother, former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, is on a naval base in the country, the sources say.

Thousands descended on the capital on Saturday demanding the president's resignation after months of protests.

Mr Rajapaksa has been blamed for the country's economic mismanagement, which has caused shortages of food, fuel and medicine for months.

Protesters inside the palaces have refused to budge until both leaders leave office.

"Our struggle is not over," student protest leader Lahiru Weerasekara said, quoted by AFP. "We won't give up this struggle until [President Rajapaksa] actually leaves," he said.

"The next couple of days are going to be extremely uncertain times as to see what transpires politically," political analyst and human rights lawyer Bhavani Fonseka told Reuters, adding that it would be interesting to see if the two leaders "actually resign".

Political leaders held further meetings to discuss a smooth transition of power on Sunday.

The speaker of Sri Lanka's parliament told the BBC World Service Newshour programme that a new cross-party coalition government must be formed within a week of the president officially stepping down.

Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, a member of the president's governing party, also mostly blamed Covid-19 for the country's economic woes.

"The Covid pandemic has created havoc in the country economically so we had to spend all our money on vaccinations," he said.

BBC
 
Sri Lanka's embattled president was flown to an airbase near the main international airport Monday, officials said, raising speculation he will flee into exile abroad.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the presidential palace in Colombo under naval protection on Saturday, shortly before tens of thousands of protesters overran the compound.
Hours later, the parliamentary speaker announced Rajapaksa would resign on Wednesday to allow a "peaceful transition of power".

The 73-year-old leader had taken refuge at a navy facility, a top defence official told AFP, before being brought to the Katunayake airbase -- which shares a perimeter fence with the country's main Bandaranaike International airport.

"He and his entourage were flown back to Colombo in two Bell 412 choppers," he added.


There was no official word from the president's office about his whereabouts, but several local media reports speculated he was set to leave for Dubai later Monday.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's office said Rajapaksa had officially informed him of his intention to resign, without specifying a date.

Cash in court

Earlier in the day, 17.85 million rupees (about $50,000) in cash Rajapaksa left behind at the presidential palace was handed over to a court after being turned in by protesters, police said.

Official sources said a suitcase full of documents had also been left behind at the stately mansion.

Rajapaksa took up residence at the two-century-old building after he was driven out of his private home on March 31 when protesters tried to storm it.

If Rajapaksa steps down as promised, Wickremesinghe will automatically become acting president until parliament elects an MP to serve out his term that ends in November 2024.

But Wickremesinghe has himself announced his willingness to step down if consensus is reached on forming a unity government.

The succession process could take between three days -- the minimum time taken to convene parliament -- and a maximum of 30 days allowed under the statute.

The main opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) party was huddled in talks with smaller political groups Monday to secure support for their leader Sajith Premadasa.

An SJB official said they reached a tentative agreement with dissidents in Rajapaksa's SLPP to support 55-year-old Premadasa, who lost the 2019 presidential election.

Premadasa is the son of former president Ranasinghe Premadasa, who was assassinated in a Tamil rebel suicide bombing in May 1993.

Former Rajapaksa loyalist, Dullas Alahapperuma, 63, an ex-media minister, was tipped to be the new prime minister, an SJB legislator involved in the talks told AFP.

Five ministers resigned over the weekend and Wickremesinghe's office said the cabinet had agreed on Monday to resign en masse once an agreement was reached on an "all-party government".

Protesters stay put

On Monday, huge queues formed to visit the palace -- in a line longer than some of the petrol queues snaking their way through the city.

Protesters say they will not leave until Rajapaksa formally quits.

"The demand is very clear, people are still asking for the resignation (of Rajapaksa), and full resignation, in a written confirmation," said protester Dela Peiris.

"So hopefully we will have this resignation from the government including the prime minister and president in the coming days."

The premier's private home in Colombo was also set on fire on Saturday night.

Demonstrators had been camping outside the president's office for more than three months demanding he quit over the country's unprecedented economic crisis.

Rajapaksa is accused of mismanaging the economy to a point where the country has run out of foreign exchange to finance even the most essential imports, leading to severe hardships for the 22 million population.

Wickremesinghe, an opposition legislator, was made premier in May to try to lead the country out of its economic crisis -- the sixth time he has been appointed to the post.

Sri Lanka defaulted on its $51 billion foreign debt in April and is in talks with the IMF for a possible bailout.

The island has nearly exhausted its already scarce supplies of petrol. The government has ordered the closure of non-essential offices and schools to reduce commuting and save fuel.

NDTV
 
Colombo: Basil Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka's former finance minister, tried to flee to Dubai amid the wave of protests in the country but had to stay back after people at the airport identified him and immigration officers refused to clear his journey, sources have said.
Mr Rajapaksa, brother of Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, was trying to leave the country this morning through the VIP terminal at Colombo international airport when people recognised him and objected to him leaving the country, a source said.

The sources said he reached the check-in counter at 12.15 am and was there till 3.15 am as immigration officials refused to clear him.

He had to eventually leave the airport after the immigration officers did not clear him, the sources added.


Indian government sources have, meanwhile, denied reports that Basil Rajapaksa is being sheltered here.

The sources have also denied that President Rajapaksa, who is likely to resign tomorrow in the face of the massive economic crisis in the island nation, escaped to India. The sources indicated that none of Sri Lanka's top leaders could fly out.

Sri Lanka is in the throes of a massive economic crisis over the past few months, and the protests reached a climax this weekend when protesters barged into the President's official residence. Following intelligence inputs, the President had been moved out of his residence.

The Lankan president was also stopped from leaving his country following a similar humiliating standoff with airport immigration staff, news agency AFP reported today, quoting official sources.

As president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa enjoys immunity from arrest and he is believed to want to go abroad before stepping down to avoid the possibility of being detained.

But immigration officers refused to go to the VIP suite to stamp his passport, while he insisted he would not go through the public facilities, fearing reprisals from other airport users.

The president and his wife spent the night at a military base next to the main international airport after missing four flights to the United Arab Emirates.

The last couple of days have thrown up shocking scenes of protesters exploring the President's residence. There are reports of them finding millions in cash and discovering a secret bunker. Visuals on social media have shown protesters bathing in the swimming pool and cooking in the kitchen after taking over the President's residence.

Many have hit out at the President and his family members -- many of whom were in the government -- for leading a lavish life as the people of the country suffered due to the economic crisis.

Sri Lanka has run out of foreign exchange to finance even the most essential imports, leading to severe hardships for its 22 million people. The country defaulted on its $51-billion foreign debt in April and is in talks with the International Monetary Fund for a possible bailout.
The country is reeling under a massive fuel crisis and non-essential offices and schools have been shut to reduce travel.

NDTV
 
Sri Lanka's president Gotabaya Rajapaksa has fled the country, the BBC has confirmed, following mass protests over the island's economic crisis.

The president had been in hiding after crowds stormed his palace on Saturday.

His brother, former Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa, has also left the crisis-hit country, sources have told the BBC.

BBC
 
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa flees the country on military jet

Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has fled the country on a military jet, amid mass protests over its economic crisis.

The country's air force confirmed the 73-year-old flew to the Maldives with his wife and two security officials.

They arrived in the capital, Male, at around 03:00 local time (22:00 GMT), BBC Sinhala understands.

Mr Rajapaksa's departure ends a family dynasty that has ruled Sri Lanka for decades.

He had been in hiding after crowds stormed his residence on Saturday.

The president had earlier pledged to resign on Wednesday 13 July.

His brother, former Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa, has also left the country, sources have told the BBC. He is said to be heading to the US.

As Sri Lankans awoke to news of the president's departure, thousands of people took to the streets of the capital, Colombo. Many gathered at Galle Face Green, the city's main protest site. Some listened to fiery speeches at a makeshift stage set up for ordinary people to take the mic.

Punctuated by cries of "Victory to the struggle" in Sinhalese, the rallying cry of the protest movement, speakers railed against a government and the leaders they feel have failed them.

Sri Lankans blame President Rajapaksa's administration for their worst economic crisis in decades.

For months they have been struggling with daily power cuts and shortages of basics like fuel, food and medicines.

The leader, who enjoys immunity from prosecution while he is president, is believed to have wanted to flee abroad before stepping down to avoid the possibility of arrest by the new administration.

BBC
 
Crisis-hit Sri Lanka declared an indefinite nationwide state of emergency on Wednesday, hours after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country, the prime minister's office said.

"Since the president is out of the country, an emergency has been declared to deal with the situation in the country," Dinouk Colombage, spokesman for Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, told AFP.

Police said they were also imposing an indefinite curfew across the Western Province, which includes the capital Colombo, to contain growing protests after Rajapaksa flew to the Maldives in a military aircraft.

Thousands of demonstrators had mobbed the premier's office, prompting police to fire tear gas to hold them back from overrunning the compound.

"There are ongoing protests outside the prime minister's office in Colombo and we need the curfew to contain the situation," a senior police officer told AFP.

He said they were under orders to crack down against demonstrators disrupting the functioning of the state.

https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/sri...es-news-agency-afp-quoting-pms-office-3152907
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Imagine Mr Bean brought into the team despite selectors rejected him because he is an ACTOR & not a cricketer! However, not only does he play when umpire rules him out refuses to leave the crease ! No more games. Last man has no chance to bat alone in cricket. Leave GRACEFULLY <a href="https://t.co/4neKZKAbV4">https://t.co/4neKZKAbV4</a></p>— Sanath Jayasuriya (@Sanath07) <a href="https://twitter.com/Sanath07/status/1547116311850848257?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Protesters have stormed the office of Sri Lanka's prime minister as police use tear gas on crowds.

A nationwide state of emergency has been declared by the prime minister's office and a curfew has been imposed in the Western Province in Sri Lanka.

Last night, Sri Lanka's president Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country after months of turmoil culminated in protesters converging on the presidential palace. He has agreed to resign today.

In recent days, protesters have occupied several government buildings demanding their top leaders step down, showing their anger over a three-month economic crisis.

People have flocked to the presidential palace - swimming in the pool, marvelling at the paintings and lounging on the beds piled high with pillows.

On Wednesday, groups could be seen scaling the wall and entering the office as the crowds roared in support, cheering them on and waving the Sri Lankan flag.

Police stationed outside the prime minister's office fired several rounds of tear gas and a military helicopter briefly
circled overhead, but protesters appeared undeterred and finally surged into the compound.

The president has fled the country, and multiple government buildings have been occupied in the protests.

Protesters have now taken over the country's national TV broadcaster, Rupavahini.

Bhasura Wickremesinghe, a 24-year-old student of maritime electrical engineering, who came with friends, said the president fleeing the country was a "timid act".

"I'm not celebrating. There's no point celebrating. We have nothing in this country at the moment."

Mr Rajapaksa left the country in a military jet bound for the Maldives with his wife and two bodyguards.

Sri Lanka's parliamentary speaker said Mr Rajapaksa appointed prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as acting president, enabling him to carry out presidential responsibilities.

Protesters have vowed to occupy the official buildings until the top leaders are gone and are calling for the resignation of the prime minister.

Sri Lankan lawmakers agreed to elect a new president next week but have struggled to decide on the makeup of a new government to lift the bankrupt country out of economic and political collapse.

The new president will serve the remainder of Mr Rajapaksa's term, which ends in 2024, and could potentially appoint a new prime minister, who would then have to be approved by parliament.

However, the promised resignations have not put an end to the crisis.

At one point, protesters also burned the prime minister's private home.

The economic crisis in Sri Lanka has triggered severe food and fuel shortages resulting in people queuing for hours to buy supplies.

SKY
 
Colombo/New Delhi: Former Sri Lankan cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya, who is among the fiercest critics of the island nation's regime, in an exclusive interview to NDTV said the blame for the protests after July 9 squarely rests on Ranil Wickremesinghe and Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who remained glued to their seats as Prime Minister and President, respectively, amid the unprecedented economic crisis and despite calls for their resignation from the initial stages of the protest.

"They said that they will resign, but they did not keep their promise. People lost all confidence in them," Mr Jayasuriya told NDTV, adding one of the ways to end the protests would be for the Prime Minister and the President to resign immediately.

"The people from the start have been demanding for the President to resign. But he left the country without resigning and gave power to the Prime Minister for the time being. So the people will not trust them anymore," he said.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had promised at the weekend to resign on Wednesday and clear the way for a "peaceful transition of power" after fleeing his official home in Colombo just before tens of thousands of protesters overran it. But he suddenly flew to the Maldives.

On whether the President should have stayed, Mr Jayasuriya said, "It's an individual position. The people never told him to leave the country. He was only asked to resign. It is his own decision to leave the country."

The former cricketer said no one wants to continue the protest, but the people have been compelled to do so by the circumstances. "We have to stop somewhere quickly. We want a peaceful life soon," he said.

On concerns over a power vacuum in Sri Lanka that could bring more instability to the island nation, Mr Jayasuriya said, "It is a concern. The only thing we can do is the Speaker of parliament needs to come up with a plan with everyone on board, including former leaders, opposition leaders...We have quite a lot of people experienced in the system...according to constitution they should find a solution."

He said India from the start has been very helpful to Sri Lanka. "India has given a lot of help. But how long can we ask from India? We need to have our own plan to overcome this crisis. Sri Lanka and myself thank India for the help," Mr Jayasuriya said.

Protesters today defied tear gas, water cannon and a state of emergency to storm the Prime Minister's office, with the crowd demanding both men step down. In a televised statement, Mr Wickremesinghe said he had instructed the military and police to do "what is necessary to restore order".

But footage showed armed security personnel standing by in the grounds of his office as protesters, some holding national flags, milled and took pictures. Other demonstrators at one point broke into state television studios, as the country's months-long political and economic crisis appeared to be moving towards a climax, news agency AFP reported.

NDTV
 
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has told the military to do "whatever is necessary to restore order" after protesters stormed his office on Wednesday.

Mr Wickremesinghe has been appointed acting president by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who has fled the country.

But the decision to leave him in charge triggered further protests demanding that the prime minister must also go.

Sri Lanka has been suffering from the worst economic crisis in decades.

Many blame the Rajapaksa administration for the crisis and see Mr Wickremesinghe, who became prime minister in May, as part of the problem.

On Wednesday, for the second time in less than a week, protesters broke into a highly secure state building. This time it was the prime minister's office.

Echoing earlier scenes over the weekend of the occupied president's official residence, people in the prime minister's office lounged on plush sofas snapping photos, while others stood on chairs and desks waving the Sri Lankan flag.

In a television address, Mr Wickremesinghe called on protesters to leave his occupied office and other state buildings and co-operate with authorities.

"We can't tear up our constitution. We can't allow fascists to take over. We must end this fascist threat to democracy," he said.

But asked whether the prime minister's statement was an indication that the army might take control, a human rights lawyer in Colombo, Bhavani Fonseka, told the BBC's World at One that Sri Lanka "doesn't have a history where military has played an active role in politics or government - unlike some of the other countries in the neighbourhood".

"We have had a very robust democracy and it's been elected representatives in that role. But we are also in an unprecedented situation, so anything is possible," she added.

Outside the president's office, the BBC's Tessa Wong said armed soldiers stood by impassively watching the protesters celebrate inside the office.

And demonstrators ignored the prime minister's calls for the office to be emptied.

"Our goal is for Gota to go home. And Ranil and other cabinet members to go home," one protester at the prime minister's office, Nixon Chandranathan, told the BBC. "We need truthful and honest leaders to build up Sri Lanka now."

"We feel proud," Satish Bee, a businessman who came to explore the compound after it was stormed told AFP. "There's no proper governance in this country. It has never been good... The youngsters, they don't want to continue like this."

The continued unrest came as the news arrived that President Rajapaksa had fled to the Maldives.

The president went into hiding and pledged to resign after his official residence was stormed on Saturday.

The leader, who has enjoyed immunity from prosecution as president, is believed to have wanted to flee abroad before stepping down to avoid the possibility of arrest by the new administration.

He is, however, yet to submit a formal letter of resignation.

BBC
 
Gotabaya Rajapaksa has resigned as president of Sri Lanka after fleeing to Singapore in the face of mass protests at home over his rule.

He arrived in Singapore after first flying to the Maldives on Tuesday night. Reports say he is accompanied by his wife and two bodyguards.

He is believed to have wanted to leave Sri Lanka before stepping down to avoid the possibility of arrest.

The cost of food, fuel and other basic supplies has soared for Sri Lankans.

Singapore's foreign ministry said Mr Rajapaksa had not asked for asylum or been granted asylum. "Singapore generally does not grant requests for asylum," it added.

The acting president, Ranil Wickremesinghe, does not formally become interim president until he is sworn in.

Once sworn in he has 30 days for parliament to endorse him. If they do not, MPs need to hold a vote for a new president.

BBC
 
Sri Lanka accepts president's resignation after letter flown from Singapore
Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena says a new president will be appointed "quickly and successfully" - with the process set to be completed within seven days.

Sri Lanka's parliament has accepted a letter of resignation from President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

The letter was flown from Singapore late last night, and its authenticity has now been verified.

Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena says a new president will be appointed "quickly and successfully" - with the process set to be completed within seven days.

Mr Rajapaksa fled Sri Lanka on Wednesday after anger grew over an economic crisis - with protesters storming the president's home, and the official residence of the prime minister.

The appointment of the prime minister as acting president further angered protesters who have accused him of protecting Mr Rajapaksa.

Mr Rajapaksa had initially fled to the Maldives on a military jet along with his wife and two security guards, but later travelled onwards to Singapore.

The embattled president had initially sent an email to confirm he was stepping down.

There were jubilant scenes in the capital Colombo after the resignation was confirmed - with crowds setting off firecrackers and dancing in the streets.

Next president to serve remainder of term

Their new choice as president will serve the remainder of Mr Rajapaksa's term, which ends in 2024.

That person could potentially appoint a new prime minister, who would then have to be approved by Parliament.

Crisis sparked by shortages

Sri Lanka has run short of money to pay for imports of basic necessities such as food, fertiliser and fuel, to the despair of its 22 million people.

Its rapid economic decline has been all the more shocking because before this crisis the economy had been expanding, with a growing, comfortable middle class.

SKY
 
The Rajapaksa political family in Sri Lanka got further hemmed in today. After Gotabaya Rajapaksa's resignation as President of Sri Lanka was formally announced, the Supreme Court barred his two brothers — former prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and former finance minister Basil Rajapaksa — from leaving the country. Gotabaya Rajapaksa has, however, already left earlier this week, first for the Maldives, onwards to Singapore.

Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned as PM only two months ago, after his supporters attacked some people protesting outside his brother, the then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's office. The protests became more intense after that, and finally Gotabaya Rajapaksa had to leave the country and resign. His departure came after months of protests over mismanagement of the island nation's economy, leading to severe hardships for its 2.2 crore people.

"Gotabaya has legally resigned" with effect from yesterday, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana told reporters today.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has been sworn in as acting president. Parliament will elect a new President on Wednesday, July 20, an official said.

Protesters also today handed back the Presidential Palace, which they'd overrun last Saturday, to the government. A forensic team immediately came in and started collecting fingerprints, besides assessing the degree of the damage.
Addressing Parliament after he was sworn in as acting president, PM Wickremesinghe pledged to "strictly maintain law and order", and also to revive a key constitutional amendment, which had cut down on presidential powers and empowered the parliament.

The 19th amendment — adopted in 2015, with Mr Wickremesinghe as main mover — was scrapped after Gotabaya Rajapaksa won the November 2019 presidential election.

The PM-cum-acting president said that the armed forces have been given the powers and the freedom to deal with any acts of violence and sabotage. "I am one hundred per cent supportive of peaceful demonstrations. There is a difference between rioters and protesters."


Parliamentarians expected to vote in election of the next President will be given full protection to attend Parliament, he said.
 
Sri Lankan cricketer Chamika Karunaratne waits in a long queue at the fuel station to fill up his car after two days. A young international cricketer who made his international debut in 2019 is now upset by the recent crisis in the country.
Speaking exclusively to ANI on Saturday, "Luckily got it after being in a long fuel queue for two days, Due to the huge fuel crisis, I am not able to even go to my cricket practices," he told ANI.

Sri Lanka is going to host the Asia Cup 2022 in August this year. But the whole country is facing an economic crisis along with an acute shortage of fuel since independence. Even the troubled cricketer does not know what will happen, "I am coming on such a day because two important series and Lanka Premier League (LPL) matches have been announced," he said.

"Asia Cup is coming and LPL is also scheduled this year. I do not know what will happen because I have to go to Colombo and different places for the practices and do attend club season. Due to fuel shortage. I cannot go to the practices... since two days I did not go anywhere because..I am in a long queues for petrol. Luckily I got it today, but for ten thousand rupees that will go only maximum two to three days," he told ANI.

Chamika Karunaratne is confident about the readiness of himself and the Sri Lankan team for the upcoming Asia Cup 2022, but shows concern about the recent crisis too.

"We are ready for the Asia Cup and I think for the big event, the country will provide enough fuel. We are playing with Australia and the matches were nice. Even for the Asia Cup preparation is underway," he told ANI.

The Sri Lankan cricketer also spoke about the ongoing crisis. "I cannot say much on it, but nothing going is going well right now. I hope that when the right people come, something good will happen, people have to choose the right person..so we can take the international support and things will definitely come to the right place."

In a recent interview with ANI, ace cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya said, "Cricket must go for it at any cost. I would like to thank the Australian cricket captain and High Commissioner who did not cancel the Test match," he told ANI."

Sri Lanka had recently hosted Australia for a multi-format series. The series was highly competitive and saw good cricket from both sides. Australia won the T20I series 2-1, the ODI series was won by Sri Lanka 3-2, while the Warne-Murli Trophy in Tests was shared after the two-match series ended in a 1-1 draw.

Sri Lanka has never seen a fuel and economic crisis on the island since independence in 1948 when only 10 per cent of its people are able to obtain fuel on a daily basis.

NDTV
 
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka’s Parliament will vote by secret ballot Wednesday for a new president to lead the country out of the deep political, economic and humanitarian crisis that toppled the previous leader and has left simmering tensions in the island nation.

Prime Minister and Acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who has been the face of the government's handling of the economic crisis, will face a hefty challenge after late support swelled for his main rival.

Dullas Alahapperuma, a former government minister and spokesman, was nominated by a breakaway faction of the ruling coalition, and ethnic minority parties also said they’ll support him. Marxist party leader Anura Dissanayake was also expected to run.

The winner will serve the remainder of Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s term that ends in 2024. Rajapaksa fled the country and resigned by email last week after protesters furious over the country’s economic collapse stormed his official residence and took over key state buildings.

The economic crisis has left Sri Lanka’s 22 million people struggling with shortages of essentials including medicine, fuel and food while the government negotiates a bailout with the International Monetary Fund. And the resulting political crisis has left worries about whether a new government will be enough to fix the economy and placate a public furious at its politicians' failures.

Wickremesinghe, 73, has wide experience in diplomatic and international affairs and has been leading the crucial IMF talks. Serving in a double role as the finance minister, he has delivered weekly addresses in Parliament cautioning that the path out of the crisis would be difficult, while also pledging to overhaul a government that increasingly has concentrated power under the presidency.

Wickremesinghe is deeply unpopular among the general public, which sees him as a holdover from the Rajapaksa government that led the country into economic catastrophe.

Only a few lawmakers have publicly said they would vote for Wickremesinghe given the hostility against him. Dozens of lawmakers loyal to Rajapaksa whose homes were burned down by protesters in May are said to be backing Wickremesinghe on the assurance that he will severely punish the perpetrators and maintain law and order.

He had looked to be leading contender during a deadlock in discussions for an alliance between Alahapperuma and opposition leader Sajith Premadasa over who should be the presidential candidate. But support grew quickly for Alahapperuma after Premadasa withdrew and threw his support to him.

Some expected Wickremesinghe supporters within the ruling coalition switched to him, and parties that had not decided their vote said they backed Alahapperuma. A main ethnic Tamil party with 10 lawmakers also decided it will vote for Alahapperuma.

If Wickremesinghe loses, he most likely will also lose his job as prime minister because the new president has the discretion to appoint a new prime minister. Premadasa is likely to be appointed prime minister if Alahapperuma wins the presidency.

Wickremesinghe is a six-time prime minister making his third attempt at the highest office after losing presidential elections in 1999 and 2005.

Opponents of his candidacy fear he represents an extension of the Rajapaksa rule and a potential comeback for a beleaguered political dynasty.

Students and political activists held small protests Tuesday demanding Wickremesinghe step down before they force him to. Some intimidating posts circulating on social media warned lawmakers against returning to their constituencies if they vote for Wickremesinghe.

Alahapperuma, 63, is viewed as a populist, with good public relations and communications skills. Even though he is a former government spokesman and has served in various posts including minister of information and mass media, minister of sports and minister of power under previous governments he previously was not considered for top leadership posts.

Marxist party leader Anura Dissanayake, 53, was also expected to contest Wednesday’s vote. He also ran for president in 2019.

The vote starts at 10 a.m. with the secret ballot of the 225 members of Parliament presided over by the secretary general. The votes will be counted and announced immediately.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/worl...sedgntp&cvid=9ec853d616974820a07ca8235ae4c4c3
 
Sri Lanka president vote: Ranil Wickremesinghe wins amid protests
MPs pick ex-PM seen as close to ousted president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, a move likely to frustrate protesters

Sri Lanka’s prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, has been elected as president to replace ousted Gotabaya Rajapaksa, a result that is likely to provoke turmoil among protesters who have been calling for weeks for him to resign.

Wickremesinghe, who has been prime minister six times but never president, won an overwhelming victory in parliament on Wednesday morning, where MPs voted for the new president in an unprecedented secret ballot. The vote came after protesters forced former president Rajapaksa from office amid anger over a spiralling economic crisis.

Wickremesinghe faces a tough road ahead as Sri Lanka continues to be crippled by the worst economic crisis since independence, with shortages of food and fuel, and also grapples with a mass crisis of trust in parliament.

In a speech after his victory was declared, Wickremesinghe asked opposition political parties to work with him. “I need not tell you the status our country is in. Now that the election is over we have to end this division. We had 48 hours to stay divided but from now on I am ready to have a dialog with you,” he said.

Wickremesinghe’s election follows a dramatic week in Sri Lanka, during which Rajapaksa toppled after his offices and his palace were stormed by thousands of protesters, who jumped in his pool and worked out in his gym. Amid the anger, Rajapaksa was forced to flee to Singapore via the Maldives and his resignation was formally announced last Friday.

This was the first time in Sri Lanka’s history that a sitting president has been toppled mid-term by a mass protest movement.

Wickremesinghe, 73, had the backing of the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna party (SLPP), which has the most seats in parliament, and was seen as the candidate favoured by the Rajapaksa family, who despite no longer being in power have significant influence over the party they formed.

Wickremesinghe beat competition from another SLPP MP, Dullas Alahapperuma, who was part of a breakaway group of the party and who had the support of the major opposition parties. However, it appeared that in the vote, most of the ruling party MPs had rallied behind Wickremesinghe and secured his victory with 134 votes out of 219, while Alahapperuma got just 82.

Present in the parliamentary chamber for the vote were three members of the Rajapaksa family who still remain MPs, including Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s older brother, the former president and prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. It was the first public outing for the Rajapaksa family since Gotabaya Rajapaksa was forced to flee the country.

There has been fierce resistance and protests on the streets against a Wickremesinghe presidency. Many fear he will protect the powerful Rajapaksas from being held accountable and would not instigate the systemic change being demanded by the protest movement. In recent days, Wickremesinghe, who declared a state of emergency this week, had made statements calling protesters “fascists” and indicating he would crack down on the demonstrations if he became president.

Wickremesinghe has over four decades of experience in politics and has pitched himself as an experienced and capable pair of hands to guide Sri Lanka through its worst political and economic crisis in its history, and in particular help the country negotiate a critical bailout from the International Monetary Fund.

However, his legitimacy among voters has been tainted by his close relationship to the Rajapaksas, and many in the people’s protest movement, known as the Aragalaya, have vowed to continue their protests until he also steps down. As the secret ballot took place on Wednesday, a silent protest was held at the presidential secretariat in Colombo calling for Wickremesinghe to resign.

Wickremesinghe will now serve for the rest of president Rajapaksa’s term till November 2024.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...-vote-ranil-wickremesinghe-wins-amid-protests
 
Ridiculous, they still chose him ,my goodness one family and its stooges, I thought Congress PML were bad Lankan politics is taking it to an extreme level.
 
<b>Crisis-hit Sri Lanka faces an even darker future of President-elect fails to ditch wealthy elites</b>

<I>President-elect Ranil Wickremesinghe has been prime minister six times, is a veteran of 50 years in the swamps of Sri Lankan politics, and is closely aligned with the elites that have brought so much ruin to this country.</I>

Sri Lankans rose up in their hundreds of thousands and clamoured for change - instead they have been handed more of the same.

President-elect Ranil Wickremesinghe has been prime minister six times, is a veteran of 50 years in the swamps of Sri Lankan politics, and is closely aligned with the elites that have brought so much ruin to this country.

On the steps of a Buddhist monastery he mocked claims he was an old friend of the Rajapaksas.

No surprise he disowned them. Sri Lankans blame the family of billionaires for their crippling economic crisis.

But he knows the people believe he has been, and remains their close ally.

Gotbaya Rajapaksa may have been ousted from office by Sri Lanka's extraordinary people power uprising, but the family still has enormous clout in parliament.

Wickremesinghe told Sky News he has no plans to call fresh elections. Without them, Sri Lanka's crisis will surely only deepen.

The country is in economic freefall and for millions of people, life is a daily struggle for survival with the barest essentials in short supply, from fuel to food to medicine.

Politically it remains in crisis. The masses have demanded change but they say the system has just gone back to square one.

The last few weeks have seen a titanic struggle between the masses and the parliament meant to represent them, but instead most believe it is in hock to rich elites.

The elites are unlikely to support reforms that weaken their grasp on power, but without the system changing, massive popular discontent will only continue.

Wickremesinghe has declared a state of emergency and protestors believe he may use it mobilise the military and crush unrest.

He has the opportunity to prove them wrong and usher in the kind of economic and political reforms this country so badly needs. Otherwise it faces an even darker future.

https://news.sky.com/story/crisis-h...-elect-fails-to-ditch-wealthy-elites-12655784
 
Shocking how naive Lankan voters are, there is absolutely no homegrown political maturity.

Politicians are worse , God knows how back they have sent Lanka back with their policies.

Still baffled how the new Prez got voted in .
 
Several protesters have been injured after Sri Lankan forces raided an anti-government camp at the president's office.

Media footage showed soldiers in riot gear and armed with assault rifles tearing down the camp, which was set up by demonstrators in April.

Activists stormed the president's home and office as well as the prime minister's residence in Colombo over their outrage at the country's economic situation.

Corruption and mismanagement have left the island nation laden in debt, causing severe shortages of fuel, food and medicines.

"A joint operation involving the military, police and police special forces was launched in the early hours to recover the presidential secretariat from the protesters as they have no legal right to hold it," police spokesperson Nalin Thalduwa said.

"Nine people, including two injured, have been arrested."

During the protests, people flocked to the president's residence, swimming in the pool, playing games in the corridors and having picnics in the garden.

'I can't feed the child in her womb' - Father's heartbreak as Sri Lanka chaos means he can't put food on the table

In recent days, they have feared a crackdown was imminent after a new president was sworn in.

Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was seen as an ally of his ousted predecessor Gotabaya Rajapaksa, came to power on Thursday - just a day after lawmakers chose him to finish the term of the former president.

Mr Rajapaksa fled the country with his wife and bodyguards just days after activists took over.

Organisers of the demonstrations said hundreds of security personnel surrounded the protest camp after midnight and then took apart a section of it.

In the early hours of Friday morning, dozens of troops marched through the area and rows of protesters' tents were cleared out.

At least 50 activists were injured, with some beaten by security forces, the organisers added.

"They beat us really cruelly," said Buddhika Abeyrathne, a protester who witnessed the raid but did not appear injured himself.

"Mr Wickremesinghe doesn't know what democracy is."

Protesters had vowed to occupy the official buildings until the top leaders had stepped down.

Sri Lanka has been under a state of emergency since Monday and a nationwide curfew had been in place until Thursday morning.

The president is expected to appoint Rajapaksa ally Dinesh Gunewardena as prime minister along with a new cabinet later on Friday.

SKY
 
The scene has not changed for more than a century-and-a-half, since the British brought tea to what was then Ceylon.

Under a hot morning sun, women fan out through the clipped tea bushes, oversize baskets on their backs hanging from straps pulled tight across their foreheads.

Sri Lanka's great tea industry has survived world wars and global depressions, using methods that have barely altered. But now all that is in jeopardy.

Expert hands pick only the right leaves, leaving the youngest shoots and avoiding the darker older growth. It is painstaking manual work under a hot sun but has endured the test of time, until now.

The women who do it can fill their huge baskets in a morning throwing the plucked leaves over their shoulders as they chat to others up the line. For generations they have passed down these skills.

But their livelihoods are now threatened and their lives have become much harder.

"We don't know what will happen in the future," Marie Amarawathy told Sky News. "We have something to eat now but we don't know about tomorrow.

"It's hard to live right now."

Gannapathy Vallimail joined in: "This month we manage but don't know about the next."

The economic crisis making their lives barely supportable is undoing their industry too.

Global economic headwinds have swept through Sri Lanka as they have other countries but doing more damage and bringing more chaos. Rising fuel prices, food and fuel shortages, inflation, the legacy of the pandemic and the impact of the war in Ukraine have all played a role.

But the crisis is homegrown, too.

Read more: Inside Sri Lanka's presidential palace after it was stormed by protesters

Three years ago, the country's now disgraced president Gotabaya Rajapaksa ordered an almost overnight ban on the use of chemical fertiliser. He hoped to the turn the country's agriculture sector organic and save $400m in foreign currency.

But the move led to the near-collapse of much of agriculture instead. Rice and tea production plummeted and the country was forced to spend hundreds of millions on rice imports to feed its people.

The government declared bankruptcy and a political crisis and mass unrest followed.

The president resigned taking the heat out of the people-power uprising in Sri Lanka's capital for now, while politicians choose his successor - but inland in the hills of tea country the damage has been done.

Tea production has almost halved. Fertiliser can be used again but has gone up twenty times in price not least because of the war in Ukraine. Herbicide and pesticide are also hard to come by.

Making matters worse, demand has declined too as overseas markets tip toward recession.

There may be an end in sight to Sri Lanka's crisis as plans develop in the capital for an all-party interim government and fresh elections. But that may have come too late to save the tea industry. Tea planters fear its collapse is reaching an unstoppable momentum.

Former deputy chairman of the Tea Planters Association of Ceylon Rajith Gnanasekera told Sky News one of the world's most iconic drinks could be lost forever while workers run out of food because of the mistakes of their government.

He said: "They're starving actually at the moment poor people are starving because of their decisions by the politicians. I'm of course worried because we don't know what will happen to us also. From the top to bottom [people] are going to suffer because of the decisions of these politicians.

"The worst thing that could happen is the world is going to lose Ceylon tea."

It is Sri Lanka's most iconic product and its number one export.

If the tea industry goes to the wall, it will be another calamity in a season of catastrophes unravelling Sri Lanka's failing economy.
SKY
 
Sri Lanka: Gotabaya Rajapaksa expected to return to country, official says

Sri Lanka's former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa is expected to return to the country from Singapore, a Sri Lankan lawmaker says.

Cabinet spokesperson Bandula Gunawardena told reporters on Tuesday that Mr Rajapaksa was not in hiding but the date of his return was not known.

The former leader fled Sri Lanka after mass unrest over an economic crisis.

Many protesters say he mishandled the nation's finances, leading to soaring prices of essential goods.

Mr Rajapaksa left Sri Lanka on 13 July for the Maldives, before making his way to Singapore on 14 July.

He submitted his resignation shortly after his arrival, which was formally accepted by the Sri Lankan cabinet on 15 July.

The former president travelled with his wife and two bodyguards. He no longer has legal immunity as a head of state.

Singapore says the ousted president did not ask for political asylum when he arrived.

Mr Rajapaksa had been initially granted a 14-day visa for his stay in Singapore. But that has now been extended another 14 days, Singapore local media reported on Wednesday.

Speculation has since swirled about his possible plans, with some suggesting he might move to the United Arab Emirates.

However Bloomberg quoted an unnamed Sri Lankan official as saying Mr Rajapaksa was keen to return to Colombo.

"To my knowledge he is expected to come back," Mr Gunawardena told reporters on Tuesday.

Sri Lankans blame Mr Rajapaksa's administration for their worst economic crisis in decades.

They have been struggling with months of daily power cuts and shortages of basics like fuel, food and medicines.

Mr Rajapaksa has been replaced as president by his close ally Ranil Wickremesinghe - he was voted in by lawmakers last week but is deeply unpopular among Sri Lankans.

BBC
 
Sri Lanka's new president Ranil Wickremesinghe has formally invited MPs to join an all-party unity government to revive the bankrupt economy by undertaking painful reforms, his office said Sunday.

Wickremesinghe took office earlier this month after public anger over the island nation's worst economic crisis forced his predecessor Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee the country and quit.

In a meeting Saturday with the influential monks of the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, one of Buddhism's most sacred shrines, Wickremesinghe outlined his plans.

"As the president, I wish to start a new journey," Wickremesinghe was quoted as telling the monks in his first meeting with the powerful Buddhist clergy since taking office.

"I would like to get all the parties together and go on that journey as well as to form an all-party government."

He has written to all lawmakers asking them to join a unity government.

A former opposition MP, Wickremesinghe, 73, took up the premiership for the sixth time in May after Rajapaksa's elder brother Mahinda resigned and there were no other takers for the job.

Wickremesinghe went onto become the president after Gotabaya escaped on July 9 when tens of thousands of protesters angry at the economic crisis stormed the presidential palace.

He fled to Singapore from where he resigned five days later and Wickremesinghe became interim president and later won a vote in parliament confirming his ascension.

Sri Lanka's 22 million people have endured months of lengthy blackouts, record inflation and shortages of food, fuel and medicines.

Since late last year, the country has run out of foreign exchange to finance even the most essential imports.

In April, Sri Lanka defaulted on its $51 billion foreign debt and opened bailout talks with the International Monetary Fund.

Wickremesinghe told monks that the economy would decline further this year with a contraction of 7.0 percent, but expected a recovery next year.

"I am working to re-stabilise this economy and build the economy in such a way that the country can be developed by 2023, 2024.

"It is a difficult task. But if you don't do it now, it will be more difficult. We should think about whether we should try to cure the patient by giving medicine or let the patient die without giving medicine," he added.

He said inflation currently running at 60.8 percent could go up further.

After his election as president, Wickremesinghe, while ordering security forces to clear protest sites, has appointed an interim cabinet leaving the door open for others to join.

He has called a new session of parliament from Wednesday and is expected to expand the 18-member cabinet to accommodate members from opposition parties.

https://www.france24.com/en/live-ne...sident-seeks-unity-government-to-save-economy
 
Sri Lanka says it has asked China to defer a planned visit of a Chinese ship to the island country after initially approving its arrival this week, yielding to diplomatic pressure from neighbour India to keep the military vessel out.

The Yuan Wang 5 was due to arrive on Thursday at the Chinese-built and leased Hambantota port in Sri Lanka’s south for five days for replenishment. It is currently sailing in the east Indian Ocean, according to Refinitiv Eikon.

Foreign security analysts describe the Yuan Wang 5 as one of China’s latest generation space-tracking ships, used to monitor satellite, rocket and intercontinental ballistic missile launches.

The Pentagon says Yuan Wang ships are operated by the Strategic Support Force of the People’s Liberation Army.

New Delhi fears its bigger and more powerful rival China will use Hambantota as a military base in India’s back yard. The $1.5bn port is near the main shipping route from Asia to Europe.

Sri Lanka’s foreign ministry said on July 12 it had approved the ship’s arrival for this month.

“Subsequently in light of the need for further consultations, the ministry has communicated to the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Colombo to defer the visit of the said vessel to the Hambantota port,” the ministry said in a statement on Monday.

India said late last month it was monitoring the planned visit of the ship, adding that New Delhi would protect its security and economic interests. India also lodged a verbal protest with the Sri Lankan government.

Asked about the controversy over the ship, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a regular news briefing that China’s relations with Sri Lanka were “not targeted at third parties”.

Wenbin told reporters it is “completely unjustified for certain countries to cite the so-called ‘security concerns’ to pressure Sri Lanka”.

“As Sri Lanka grapples with economic and political difficulties, to grossly interfere in Sri Lanka’s normal exchange and cooperation with other countries is to exploit its vulnerability, which is morally irresponsible and against the basic norms governing international relations,” he said.

“We urge the relevant parties to see China’s marine scientific research activities in a rational light and stop disrupting normal exchange and cooperation between China and Sri Lanka,” he added.

Relations between India and China have been strained since armed clashes on their Himalayan border two years ago killed at least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers.

Both China and India have tried to expand their influence in Sri Lanka, which is facing its worst economic crisis in its independent history, though India has provided more help to it this year than any other nation.

At the same time, China’s agreement to restructure its infrastructure loans to Sri Lanka is vital for the country to be able to reach a bailout programme with the International Monetary Fund.

China backed Sri Lanka during a civil war with ethnic Tamil rebels and defended it from accusations of gross human rights abuses. Since the end of the war in 2009, China has lent Sri Lanka billions of dollars for development projects.

Al Jazeera
 
Aug 10 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's ousted president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, is expected to arrive in Thailand on Thursday, seeking temporary shelter in a second Southeast Asian country after fleeing his island nation last month amid mass protests, two sources said.

Rajapaksa fled to Singapore on July 14, via the Maldives, following unprecedented unrest triggered by Sri Lanka's worst economic crisis in seven decades and days after thousands of protesters stormed the president's official residence and office. read more

Advertisement · Scroll to continue
The retired military officer then resigned from the presidency, becoming the first Sri Lankan president to quit mid-term.

The former president is expected to leave Singapore and go to Thailand's capital Bangkok on Thursday, two sources said, asking not to be named.

Sri Lanka's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Thai government spokeswoman Ratchada Thanadirek told Reuters “no comment”.

Rajapaksa has not made any public appearances or comments since leaving Sri Lanka, and Singapore's government said this month that the city-state had not accorded him any privileges or immunity. read more

A member of the influential Rajapaksa family, the 73-year-old served in the Sri Lankan military and later as defence secretary.

During his time as defence secretary government forces finally defeated Tamil Tiger rebels in 2009 to end the Sri Lankan civil war. Some rights groups now want accusations thatRajapaksa committed war crimes to be investigated. Rajapaksa has previously strenuously denied the allegations. read more

Some critics and protesters also accuse Rajapaksa and his family of mishandling the economy during his term as president, leading to the country's worst financial crisis since independence from Britain in 1948.

His elder brother, Mahinda Rajapaksa, is a former president and prime minister. Their younger sibling, Basil Rajapaksa, served as finance minister till earlier this year.

Rajapaksa's successor, Ranil Wickremesinghe, has previously indicated that the former president should refrain from returning to Sri Lanka in the near future.

"I don't believe it's the time for him to return," Wickremesinghe told the Wall Street Journal in an interview on July 31. "I have no indication of him returning soon."

If Rajapaksa returned to Sri Lanka, he might not be protected under law if any charges were filed against him, legal experts have said. read more

Reuters.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

MenInG
Mubarak to the Nation! Miftah borrows more from the IMF!
Replies
20
Views
2K
MenInG
MenInG
G
Is Turkey heading for an economic crisis?
2
Replies
94
Views
8K
SalimBhai
SalimBhai
S
Leaked documents show plan to wage financial war on Qatar and steal World Cup
Replies
38
Views
3K
Pakpak
Pakpak
S
Member Interview : Savak [part 1]
Replies
0
Views
3K
Saj
S
Back
Top