1 Year Later, Sri Lanka’s Struggle Continues
1 year, 5 months ago

1 Year Later, Sri Lanka’s Struggle Continues

The Diplomat  

On the first anniversary of the people’s uprising, the spirit of dissent among Sri Lankan citizens remains strong. Sri Lanka marked the first anniversary of the historical people’s uprising known as “Aragalaya,” meaning struggle, on July 9. “We still suffer, we feel forgotten, and I am not sure what to do.” Fathima’s poignant words shed light on the harsh reality faced by many Sri Lankan citizens, particularly those from marginalized backgrounds. Arulingam believes that an “economic crime on the Sri Lankan people is being committed” by the Sri Lankan president, the International Monetary Fund, and international creditors in the name of paying back the debts owed. “The Sri Lankan government’s inability to find a solution to the country’s debt problems can be attributed to a combination of factors,” Rahman told The Diplomat.

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History of this topic

Protests ousted Sri Lanka’s last president. Ahead of new election, many are still waiting for change
3 months ago

Protests ousted Sri Lanka’s last president. Ahead of new election, many are still waiting for change

Associated Press  

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Two years ago, tens of thousands of Sri Lankans rose up against their president and forced him to flee the country. Days after Rajapaksa fled the country, Sri Lanka’s parliament replaced him with then-prime minister Ranil Wickremensignhe in a vote that many protesters saw as a victory for the status quo. Pathum Kerner, a 42-year-old physician …

Why Bangladesh didn’t go the Sri Lanka way
4 months, 1 week ago

Why Bangladesh didn’t go the Sri Lanka way

Hindustan Times  

Recent events in Bangladesh — protests, violence and the ouster of an elected government — bear an eerie resemblance to what happened in Sri Lanka in 2022. In Sri Lanka, the protests turned violent when the ruling party’s youth cadres were unleashed on the protesters. The divergence is because in Sri Lanka, the military, while not firing upon the protesters, …

A symbolic march to retrace history and assert rights
1 year, 4 months ago

A symbolic march to retrace history and assert rights

The Hindu  

Some in the group had walked over 200 kilometres, before they reached Matale last weekend. Through the long march — from Thalaimannar in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province to Matale in the Central Province —members of the Malaiyaha Tamil community sought to symbolically retrace their south Indian ancestors’ arduous journey, when the British brought them to Sri Lanka’s northern borders by …

40 Years Since Black July, No Change, No Justice in Sri Lanka
1 year, 5 months ago

40 Years Since Black July, No Change, No Justice in Sri Lanka

The Diplomat  

To date, no government official, politician, or civilian has been held accountable for the violence against Tamils seen during Black July. Speaking to an interviewer with the London Daily Telegraph in the midst of the devastation of Sri Lanka’s Black July, then-Sri Lankan President J. R. Jayawardene stated: “Really, if I starve the Tamil people out, the Sinhala people will …

AP photos from Sri Lanka, Ukraine were Pulitzer finalists
1 year, 7 months ago

AP photos from Sri Lanka, Ukraine were Pulitzer finalists

Associated Press  

The Associated Press was a finalist in two Pulitzer Prize categories — for breaking news photography of Sri Lanka’s political crisis, and for feature photography of the elderly in Ukraine. Protesters storm Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s office, demanding he resign after president Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country amid economic crisis in Colombo, Sri Lanka, July 13, 2022. Protesters …

Is Transformation Possible in Sri Lanka?
1 year, 8 months ago

Is Transformation Possible in Sri Lanka?

The Diplomat  

Sri Lanka marks 75 years of independence this year. This has seen advocacy targeting key capitals and the United Nations with several resolutions adopted at the United Nations Human Rights Council that highlighted Sri Lanka’s past legacies and continuing challenges. Despite its past experiences – a near three-decade ethnic conflict, the devastating Easter Sunday attacks in 2019, and numerous cycles …

Protest in Sri Lanka on fourth anniversary of Easter bombings
1 year, 8 months ago

Protest in Sri Lanka on fourth anniversary of Easter bombings

Al Jazeera  

Thousands march to demand government uncover who the real conspirators were behind the 2019 attacks that killed nearly 270 people. Thousands of Sri Lankans have held a protest in the main city of Colombo, demanding justice for the victims of the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed nearly 270 people. The protesters on Friday demanded the government uncover who they …

Rights group says Sri Lanka harassed, intimidated protesters
2 years, 4 months ago

Rights group says Sri Lanka harassed, intimidated protesters

Associated Press  

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — An international human rights group says Sri Lanka’s government is using emergency laws to harass and arbitrarily detain protesters who are seeking political reform and accountability amid the island country’s economic crisis. New York-based Human Rights Watch said in a statement Wednesday that Sri Lanka’s military sought to curtail protests through intimidation, surveillance, and arbitrary arrests …

A Movement, a Group & a Feeling: How Sri Lanka's 'Aragalaya' Perfectly Represents Nation's 'Struggle'
2 years, 5 months ago

A Movement, a Group & a Feeling: How Sri Lanka's 'Aragalaya' Perfectly Represents Nation's 'Struggle'

News 18  

“We need a change and we are the change,” protester Nilu told the AFP after the demonstration against the corrupt regime in Sri Lanka reached its 100th day on July 17. The Sinhalese word for “struggle,” aragalaya, is widely used to describe the daily gathering of people at Colombo’s Galle Face Green, which began with the demand that Gotabaya resign …

Indian official assaulted in Sri Lanka
2 years, 5 months ago

Indian official assaulted in Sri Lanka

The Hindu  

A senior Indian government official posted in Sri Lanka sustained grievous injuries in an unprovoked assault, the Indian High Commission here said on Tuesday as it urged its nationals to remain aware of the latest developments in the island nation and plan their movements and activities accordingly. The Indian High Commission in a tweet said the relations between the people …

‘Supreme power of people’: Sri Lanka marks 100 days of protests
2 years, 5 months ago

‘Supreme power of people’: Sri Lanka marks 100 days of protests

Al Jazeera  

The mainly youth-led movement over the island’s worst-ever economic crisis completes 100 days, with people saying the struggle is not yet over. Colombo, Sri Lanka – A mainly youth-led mass protest movement over Sri Lanka’s worst-ever economic crisis has completed 100 days. “I am glad that Gotabaya Rajapaksa is gone but we can’t enjoy or celebrate it as long as …

Sri Lanka protest movement reaches 100 days
2 years, 5 months ago

Sri Lanka protest movement reaches 100 days

The Hindu  

Sri Lanka's protest movement reached its 100th day Sunday having forced one president from office and now turning its sights on his successor as the country's economic crisis continues. His mismanagement is blamed for Sri Lanka's financial turmoil, which has forced its 22 million people to endure shortages of food, fuel and medicines since late last year. The campaign to …

Janatha Aragalaya | The movement that booted out the Rajapaksas
2 years, 5 months ago

Janatha Aragalaya | The movement that booted out the Rajapaksas

The Hindu  

The staggering visual of tens of thousands breaching the high, iron gates of Sri Lanka’s heavily guarded Presidential secretariat and residence on July 9, to unseat its most powerful politician, is still playing on loop in everyone’s mind. Through 2021, Sri Lanka witnessed a string of protests island wide, as angry farmers vehemently resisted President Gotabaya’s abrupt switch to organic …

Sri Lanka Crisis: Plan Handed Over by Peaceful Protesters Good, Says Acting President Wickremesinghe
2 years, 5 months ago

Sri Lanka Crisis: Plan Handed Over by Peaceful Protesters Good, Says Acting President Wickremesinghe

News 18  

Sri Lanka?s acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe, main Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa are among the four leaders who have joined the race to become the country?s next President as the lawmakers met on Saturday to start the process of electing a new president to succeed Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who resigned after unprecedented protests against his government over the country?s economic collapse. Sri …

Sri Lanka crisis: The story of our next-door neighbour's collapse | Photo Diary
2 years, 5 months ago

Sri Lanka crisis: The story of our next-door neighbour's collapse | Photo Diary

India Today  

Starving people, a crippling economy, dysfunctional politics, a sea of protesters on the streets and police trying to maintain law and order - that's the story of our next-door neighbour, Sri Lanka. Reeling under a severe foreign exchange crisis with falling reserves, Sri Lanka is now struggling to elect a president after Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country and Ranil Wickremesinghe …

Sri Lanka crisis: How the island nation descended into chaos; what's next | Explained
2 years, 5 months ago

Sri Lanka crisis: How the island nation descended into chaos; what's next | Explained

India Today  

Violent protests, a debt-laden economy, a President who fled the country and citizens staring at a grim future - that's Sri Lanka today, plunging into deeper economic as well as social crisis with no improvement in sight. With internal political dysfunction and external economic disturbance, the situation is only getting worse even as Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe took charge as …

In Sri Lanka, no quiet after the storm
2 years, 5 months ago

In Sri Lanka, no quiet after the storm

The Hindu  

Even after the fall of his official residence and the Presidential Secretariat into the hands of protesting citizens, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa tried to defy the massive public pressure on him to resign. Abolishing Sri Lanka’s much-hated executive presidential system of government through a comprehensive package of political reforms will have to be a priority in the policy agenda …

A crescendo that felled Lanka’s most powerful
2 years, 5 months ago

A crescendo that felled Lanka’s most powerful

Hindustan Times  

July 9 was a watershed day in Sri Lanka’s political history when tens of thousands of its citizens flooded Colombo, breached three iconic seats of political power, and pushed the president and prime minister to agree to resign from office. July 13, however, brought forth a more volatile mix of emotions – relief at the exit of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who …

The uprising: on ongoing protests in Sri Lanka
2 years, 5 months ago

The uprising: on ongoing protests in Sri Lanka

The Hindu  

Public wrath is paving the way for momentous changes in Sri Lanka. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, whose secretariat was overrun by thousands of people and his official residence occupied by boisterous protesters, and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, whose private residence was set ablaze, have both expressed readiness to resign. Mr. Rajapaksa, the main target of the people’s unbridled anger, has conveyed …

What Do Popular Protests in Sri Lanka Amid Crisis Mean for the Future?
2 years, 5 months ago

What Do Popular Protests in Sri Lanka Amid Crisis Mean for the Future?

News 18  

There is no parallel in the South Asian region to what happened in Sri Lanka over the weekend even if nations like Pakistan and Bangladesh had experienced prolonged popular protests, egged on by the political Opposition, against the government leadership of the day. On Saturday, 9 July 2022, exactly 60 days after the people’s ‘struggle’, or ‘Aragalaya’ in Sinhala, had …

Sri Lanka crisis: As Gotabaya flees, protesters swim in Presidential pool, flex at his gym | Videos
2 years, 5 months ago

Sri Lanka crisis: As Gotabaya flees, protesters swim in Presidential pool, flex at his gym | Videos

India Today  

As the economic crisis in Sri Lanka escalates, thousands of protestors on Saturday stormed the presidential palace in Colombo and made themselves home, enjoying the luxuries reserved for the President and his family. #WATCH | As the economic crisis in Sri Lanka triggers nationwide unrest, protestors stormed the premises of the presidential palace in the capital Colombo, earlier today#SriLankaCrisis pic.twitter.com/zFAsj3qPhw …

As Sri Lanka’s Rajapaksa agrees to step down, singing on streets - but an uncertain future
2 years, 5 months ago

As Sri Lanka’s Rajapaksa agrees to step down, singing on streets - but an uncertain future

CNN  

CNN — Sri Lanka woke on Sunday to an uncertain future, with both its President and Prime Ministerset to step down after thousands of protesters stormed their homes in fury over the nation’s crippling economic crisis. People protest outside the prime minister's office in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Wednesday, July 13. Abhishek Chinnappa/Getty Images Tear gas is used to disperse …

Photos: All that happened in Sri Lanka on big day of protests
2 years, 5 months ago

Photos: All that happened in Sri Lanka on big day of protests

Al Jazeera  

Outrage over Sri Lanka’s collapsing economy came to a boil on Saturday when tens of thousands of protesters stormed the colonial-era residence of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and later set the prime minister’s house on fire. The protesters, many holding the Sri Lankan flag, swarmed into Rajapaksa’s colonial-era fortified residence and the presidential secretariat. Some made tea, while others issued statements …

Sri Lanka’s ‘picturesque’ protests
2 years, 6 months ago

Sri Lanka’s ‘picturesque’ protests

Al Jazeera  

Every time there is a crisis in the Global South, Western news organisations parachute their correspondents and photographers in to document the developments. This has largely been the case with the international coverage of Sri Lanka’s ongoing protests demanding that the ruling Rajapaksa family leave office. This is nothing unique to Sri Lanka – we often see similar narratives of …

Sri Lanka war anniversary: Tamil victims remembered in Colombo
2 years, 7 months ago

Sri Lanka war anniversary: Tamil victims remembered in Colombo

The Hindu  

Scores of people on Wednesday gathered in Mullivaikkal village, in Sri Lanka’s northern Mullaitivu district, to remember the tens of thousands of Tamil civilians who were brutally killed in the final stages of the civil war in May 2009, when the armed forces crushed the LTTE. While the UN has recorded at least 40,000 civilian deaths in the final stages …

The kernel of Sri Lanka’s waterfront protests
2 years, 7 months ago

The kernel of Sri Lanka’s waterfront protests

The Hindu  

For 30 days in Sri Lanka’s own ‘Gota go gama’, a space carved out by protesters in front of the Presidential Secretariat, Sri Lankans responded to a vision of an alternative Sri Lanka — one that was democratic, non-violent, inclusive and creative; where youth would find a special place and where fear no longer would be the governing principle. Inspired …

Sri Lanka protests | Backstories at Colombo’s Galle Face seafront
2 years, 7 months ago

Sri Lanka protests | Backstories at Colombo’s Galle Face seafront

The Hindu  

Covering Sri Lanka’s ongoing protests at Galle Face, Colombo’s charming seafront, exposes me to a lot about this crucial moment in crisis-hit Sri Lanka — the changing dynamics of the struggle, the varied demands coming out of it, the diverse participants and their shared resolve, and the leadership’s stubbornness that is imperilling the country’s economic and political future. “They were …

Ethnic Conflict, Economic Doom: Sri Lanka’s Horrors Set To Grow Bigger?
2 years, 7 months ago

Ethnic Conflict, Economic Doom: Sri Lanka’s Horrors Set To Grow Bigger?

The Quint  

The unceremonious and unprecedentedly violent exit of Sri Lanka Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa could not have come at a worse time, which is already reeling under the twin weight of an economic crisis and the political instability caused by it. The irony at the end of the day is that no one is talking about these two complications, focusing instead …

Midnight protests rock Sri Lanka’s Parliament
2 years, 7 months ago

Midnight protests rock Sri Lanka’s Parliament

The Hindu  

Several hundred people gathered outside Sri Lanka’s Parliament late Thursday night, hours after police tear-gased students who marched to the spot as part of ongoing citizens’ protests against the ruling Rajapaksas. The demonstrators chanted anti-government slogans outside the Parliament complex, in the latest escalation of agitations demanding that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resign, taking responsibility for …

A chance to hit refresh in Sri Lanka
2 years, 8 months ago

A chance to hit refresh in Sri Lanka

The Hindu  

Having swept to power in a landslide victory in late 2019, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa wasted no time declaring unequivocally that his would be a Sinhalese ethno-nationalist state. But I did not receive the response I anticipated.” Eroding support Less than three years later, Mr. Rajapaksa is as unpopular a head of state as has ever held office in …

Protests intensify in Sri Lanka over killing of anti-government protester
2 years, 8 months ago

Protests intensify in Sri Lanka over killing of anti-government protester

The Hindu  

The fatal shooting of an anti-government protester by the Sri Lankan police on Tuesday has sparked wide condemnation domestically and internationally, while intensifying ongoing anti-government protests in the wake of severe food shortages and record inflation. The Bar Association of Sri Lanka, a body of lawyers, said it was “shocked and saddened at the loss of life” in the incident …

Sri Lankan protesters mark new year near president’s office
2 years, 8 months ago

Sri Lankan protesters mark new year near president’s office

Associated Press  

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lankans shared milk rice and oil cakes to celebrate their traditional new year on Thursday opposite President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s office, where they camped out for a sixth day demanding his resignation over the worst economic crisis in memory. Soldiers who were disabled in the island nation’s civil war lit a hearth, Buddhist monks chanted religious …

Voice from Sri Lanka: The Sea of Protesters is Not Going Home Until Rajapaksa Does
2 years, 8 months ago

Voice from Sri Lanka: The Sea of Protesters is Not Going Home Until Rajapaksa Does

News 18  

Sri Lanka, an island of 22 million, still deeply fractured only 13 years since the end of a civil war, has united as never before. The primary rallying cry “go home Gota” has been accompanied by “go home Rajapaksas” — a fierce rebuke of the family that has dominated Sri Lankan politics this century. Galle Face Green, a seafront public …

Sri Lanka: People protest outside Mahinda Rajapaksa's residence amid unrest
2 years, 8 months ago

Sri Lanka: People protest outside Mahinda Rajapaksa's residence amid unrest

Firstpost  

Anti-government protests continue to take place in Sri Lanka, demanding solutions to the current economic crisis Colombo: Amid the ongoing unrest in Sri Lanka following the economic crisis, several people protested outside the residence of Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. Meanwhile, the 66th convention and exhibition of Travel Agent Association India which was supposed to be held in Sri …

Sri Lanka economic crisis: Embassies shut, govt loses majority | Top points
2 years, 8 months ago

Sri Lanka economic crisis: Embassies shut, govt loses majority | Top points

Hindustan Times  

The economic crisis in Sri Lanka has escalated into political turmoil, days after the public protested outside President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's house in the capital Colombo. Here are top updates from the Sri Lanka crisis: >In a setback for the Sri Lankan government, finance minister Ali Sabry resigned within 24 hours after his appointment and ahead of crucial talks scheduled with …

Entire Sri Lankan cabinet resigns, social media ban lifted as country's economic crisis worsens
2 years, 8 months ago

Entire Sri Lankan cabinet resigns, social media ban lifted as country's economic crisis worsens

ABC  

The entire Sri Lankan cabinet has resigned from their positions, as anti-government protesters defy curfews in the country's worsening economic crisis. Key points: Coalition parties are demanding that a caretaker cabinet be appointed The nationwide social media ban ended at 6am today For months, Sri Lankans have endured significant fuel, food and medicine shortage All 26 ministers, except for President …

Watch | Sri Lanka Crisis: Opposition holds protest defying curfew
2 years, 8 months ago

Watch | Sri Lanka Crisis: Opposition holds protest defying curfew

The Hindu  

Sri Lanka’s main opposition party Samagi Jana Balawegaya on Sunday held a protest at Colombo’s Independence Square, defying a curfew imposed by the government that faces sharp criticism over its response to the country’s worsening economic crisis. Over the past week, citizen’s protests have intensified across Sri Lanka, amid a persisting shortage of food supplies and fuel, soaring prices of …

Day after unrest, Sri Lanka government declares Emergency
2 years, 8 months ago

Day after unrest, Sri Lanka government declares Emergency

The Hindu  

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared a state of Emergency in crisis-hit Sri Lanka, a day after angry citizens converged in front of his residence demanding his immediate resignation. the President has blamed “organised extremists” for staging a large protest outside his private residence on Thursday night,aspublic anger mounts over his government’s handling of the economic crisis gripping Sri Lanka. Thursday’s protest …

Sri Lanka president blames 'extremist' group for violence amid economic crisis
2 years, 8 months ago

Sri Lanka president blames 'extremist' group for violence amid economic crisis

Hindustan Times  

Sri Lankan President, Gotabaya Rajapaksa's office blamed an unidentified 'extremist' group for creating the violent situation during the protest near the Jubilee Post in Nugegoda, Colombo, the Colombo Page reported citing President's media division's press release. Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa The mob armed with iron clubs, sickles and clubs marched towards the Sri Lankan President's residence at Mirihana Pangiriwatta, …

Sri Lanka crisis: 45 arrested after violent protest near President's residence
2 years, 8 months ago

Sri Lanka crisis: 45 arrested after violent protest near President's residence

India TV News  

At least 45 people were arrested and a curfew briefly imposed in most parts of Colombo city after hundreds of protesters gathered outside the residence of Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa demanding his resignation for failing to address the worst economic crisis in the island nation. On Thursday protesters shouted slogans, directing their ire against what they perceive as the …

As Sri Lanka crisis worsens, hundreds march to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s house
2 years, 8 months ago

As Sri Lanka crisis worsens, hundreds march to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s house

The Hindu  

Hundreds of angry protestors gathered outside President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s private residence in Colombo late on Thursday night, after the island experienced a 13-hour-long power cut amid Sri Lanka’s worsening economic meltdown. Triggered by a long-brewing Balance of Payments problem, that heightened after the pandemic and led to a dollar crunch late last year, the crisis swiftly escalated from the beginning …

Sri Lanka opposition protests economic distress, shortage in massive Colombo demonstration
3 years, 1 month ago

Sri Lanka opposition protests economic distress, shortage in massive Colombo demonstration

The Hindu  

Thousands mobilised by Sri Lanka’s main Opposition party Samagi Jana Balawegaya on November 16 took to the streets in capital Colombo, protesting mounting economic woes and a shortage of essentials. In one of the biggest public assertions of the SJB since the Rajapaksas’ Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna swept the November 2019 Presidential elections and August 2020 Parliamentary elections, Leader of …

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