Sri Lanka’s hill-country Tamils want to be seen as rightful citizens, not passive beneficiaries
7 years, 10 months ago

Sri Lanka’s hill-country Tamils want to be seen as rightful citizens, not passive beneficiaries

The Hindu  

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s public rally on May 12 with Sri Lanka’s hill-country Tamils, on the second day of his two-day visit to the country, was a success, if you went by conventional markers such as the crowd he drew or the cheers that arose from it. In Sri Lanka’s key 2015 presidential elections, hill-country or Malayaha Tamils decisively voted for the President Maithripala Sirisena-Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe opposition combine that ousted the authoritarian Mahinda Rajapaksa regime. Several decades of neglect by the plantation companies and the state, that earned huge profits and export revenue from the estate workers’ cheap labour, have pushed hill-country Tamils to the margins of society. Given the task ahead and the limits to what an external actor can do, the euphoria around Mr. Modi’s visit not only appears misplaced but also has the danger of reinforcing hill-country Tamils as passive beneficiaries rather than rightful citizens.

Community India Sri Lanka Political Indian Estate Modi Sri Tamils Malayaha Tamil Malayaha Tamils  community  sri  estate  beneficiaries  citizens  plantation  passive  lankas  hillcountry  tamils  political  seen  workers  malayaha  tamil  rightful

History of this topic

Sri Lanka’s Tamil parties have no choice but to unite in Parliament: Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam
2 weeks, 5 days ago

Sri Lanka’s Tamil parties have no choice but to unite in Parliament: Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam

The Hindu  

Political parties representing Tamil people in Sri Lanka’s north and east have no choice but to consolidate their presence in Parliament to effectively challenge the Anura Kumara Dissanayake government and assert the rights of the Tamil people, according to Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, Jaffna MP and Leader of the Tamil National People’s Front. Speaking to The Hindu on what lies ahead for …

‘Won’t allow anti-India activities’: Sri Lankan President Dissanayake
Trending News
3 months ago

‘Won’t allow anti-India activities’: Sri Lankan President Dissanayake

Hindustan Times  

Sri Lanka will not allow its soil to be used against Indian interests, its President Anura Kumara Dissanayake told Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi on Monday as the two sides agreed on measures to bolster strategic and security cooperation. A joint statement said Dissanayake reiterated Sri Lanka’s “stated position of not permitting its territory to be used in any …

‘Sri Lanka’s Territory Wouldn’t Be Used Against India’s Security Interests’: President Dissanayake After Meeting PM Modi
3 months, 1 week ago

‘Sri Lanka’s Territory Wouldn’t Be Used Against India’s Security Interests’: President Dissanayake After Meeting PM Modi

ABP News  

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, during his maiden overseas visit to India, assured New Delhi that Sri Lanka's territory would not be used against India’s security interests. “It is a privilege to visit India on my first overseas trip as President and I am grateful to PM @narendramodi for supporting Sri Lanka during the economic crisis and for aiding …

Modi-Dissanayake meet: Sri Lankan President says he won’t allow island nation to be used in ways ‘detrimental’ to India
3 months, 1 week ago

Modi-Dissanayake meet: Sri Lankan President says he won’t allow island nation to be used in ways ‘detrimental’ to India

Live Mint  

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held extensive talks on Monday with Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on several issues, including improving cooperation between the two nations, as concerns grow over China's influence in the region. The Sri Lankan leader assured that his country would not allow the island nation to be used in “a manner that is detrimental to the …

Sri Lanka’s Dissanayake meets Modi: ‘Won’t allow our land to be used against India’s interests’
Trending News
3 months, 1 week ago

Sri Lanka’s Dissanayake meets Modi: ‘Won’t allow our land to be used against India’s interests’

Firstpost  

After holding a bilateral meeting with PM Modi in New Delhi, Sri Lankan President Dissanayake said: ‘I have given an assurance to the Prime Minister of India that we will not allow our land to be used in any way in a manner that is detrimental to the interest of India’ Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, on Monday, assured …

Interview | Sri Lankan democracy has been altered by citizens themselves: Jayadeva Uyangoda
4 months ago

Interview | Sri Lankan democracy has been altered by citizens themselves: Jayadeva Uyangoda

The Hindu  

Published : Nov 22, 2024 18:57 IST - 21 MINS READ Jayadeva Uyangoda, emeritus professor of political science at the University of Colombo, spoke to Amit Baruah about the groundbreaking November 14 election results and their implications for Sri Lanka’s future. Since independence—actually since 1931 when we got the universal adult franchise—political power through elections has always been the monopolistic …

An overturning of Sri Lanka’s old political order
4 months ago

An overturning of Sri Lanka’s old political order

The Hindu  

The National People’s Power, led by Sri Lanka’s President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, has swept the Sri Lankan parliamentary polls with an astounding majority. There is another side to this story: Sri Lanka is Asia’s oldest electoral democracy, with universal suffrage going back to 1931, and its citizenry, in an awesome political swing, have not only given the new government an …

Sri Lanka parliamentary election: How the NPP won over country’s ethnic minorities
4 months ago

Sri Lanka parliamentary election: How the NPP won over country’s ethnic minorities

The Hindu  

The staggering mandate — over a two-thirds majority — that Sri Lanka’s National People’s Power coalition led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake received in the November 14 general elections is a first in the country’s proportional representation system. In almost all districts across Sri Lanka’s north, east, central and southern hill country, where Tamils, Muslims, and Malaiyaha Tamils live, the …

‘Need a change’: Sri Lanka’s leftist win sparks hopes, bridges old divides
Trending News
4 months, 1 week ago

‘Need a change’: Sri Lanka’s leftist win sparks hopes, bridges old divides

Al Jazeera  

President Dissanayake’s party has won a two-thirds majority in parliament, including among Tamils and Muslims. Dissanayake’s National People’s Power won a landslide majority in Thursday’s parliamentary election, securing 159 seats in a house of 225 members – representing a comfortable two-thirds majority. They have shown they need a change from the old politics.” Vote for change According to political analyst …

Party of Sri Lanka’s new Marxist-leaning president wins two-thirds majority in parliament
4 months, 1 week ago

Party of Sri Lanka’s new Marxist-leaning president wins two-thirds majority in parliament

Associated Press  

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — The party of Sri Lanka’s new Marxist-leaning President Anura Kumara Dissanayake won a two-thirds majority in parliament, according to official election results Friday, providing a strong mandate for his program for economic revival. Of the 225 seats in parliament, 196 were up for grabs under Sri Lanka’s electoral system, which allocates seats in each district among …

Sri Lanka votes in parliamentary election
Top News
4 months, 1 week ago

Sri Lanka votes in parliamentary election

China Daily  

Updated: 2024-11-15 10:24 A woman walks out of a polling station with her daughter after casting her vote in Sri Lanka's capital Colombo on Thursday. THILINA KALUTHOTAGE / REUTERS COLOMBO — Sri Lankans were voting in a parliamentary election on Thursday that is key for the country's new president to follow through on promises of economic recovery. "I expect a …

Sri Lanka Election 2024: Tamil Support Surges for President Dissanayake in Jaffna Ahead of Parliamentary Vote
4 months, 1 week ago

Sri Lanka Election 2024: Tamil Support Surges for President Dissanayake in Jaffna Ahead of Parliamentary Vote

The Hindu  

Published : Nov 12, 2024 21:15 IST - 6 MINS READ Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake is selling hope ahead of the November 14 Parliamentary elections. “I invite all of you, the people of Jaffna, to join me in this effort to change the political culture of our country.” Restoring land and trust Saying what the people wanted to …

Sri Lanka’s multi-ethnic east reflects challenges facing Anura Kumara Dissanayake
4 months, 1 week ago

Sri Lanka’s multi-ethnic east reflects challenges facing Anura Kumara Dissanayake

The Hindu  

As President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s ruling alliance eyes a parliamentary majority in Sri Lanka’s November 14 general elections voters in Ampara, located on Sri Lanka’s east coast, reflect all that is going well for the new leader and the challenges that remain. Also known as the Digamadulla electoral district, Ampara is an interesting case-study for voter sentiments across Sri Lanka’s …

Sri Lanka President Anura Dissanayake promises return of Tamils’ land grabbed by state agencies
4 months, 1 week ago

Sri Lanka President Anura Dissanayake promises return of Tamils’ land grabbed by state agencies

The Hindu  

Sri Lanka’s President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Sunday assured Tamils that their land —currently held by state agencies — will be returned by his government. Mr. Dissanayake, who was elected to the country’s top office in September, made the pledge at a public rally in Jaffna, days ahead of Sri Lanka’s November 14 parliamentary polls. Further, Mr. Dissanayake said elections …

Tamil Actor Vijay's Political Splash: Will Thalapathy Disrupt Tamil Nadu's Revolving-Door Politics?
Trending News
4 months, 3 weeks ago

Tamil Actor Vijay's Political Splash: Will Thalapathy Disrupt Tamil Nadu's Revolving-Door Politics?

Live Mint  

Tamil actor Vijay has announced his entry into politics with his TVK party, marking a significant shift in the state's political landscape. Vijay's decision to enter politics at 50, amidst the dominance of the DMK and AIADMK, has sparked discussions about his potential impact on the elections. While Vijay's popularity and star power are undeniable, his political journey remains uncertain, …

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake: A New Era of Reform Amid Economic Turmoil in Sri Lanka
5 months, 2 weeks ago

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake: A New Era of Reform Amid Economic Turmoil in Sri Lanka

The Diplomat  

National People’s Power leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake was sworn in as the ninth executive president of Sri Lanka on September 23. The growing support for Dissanayake, a center-left politician often wrongly labeled as a “Marxist” by the international media, is a reflection of Sri Lanka’s broader societal unrest. The political dynasty of the Rajapaksas was at the center of Sri …

A new chapter in India-Sri Lanka relations
5 months, 3 weeks ago

A new chapter in India-Sri Lanka relations

Hindustan Times  

The Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s victory and ascension to the presidency marks a significant shift in Sri Lanka’s political landscape, with effects on its relations with India. PM Modi’s immediate outreach indicates India’s desire to build on the $4 billion assistance package it provided during Sri Lanka's economic crisis, deepening collaboration in areas like infrastructure, energy, and trade​. Dissanayake’s approach to …

Sri Lankans ousted Rajapaksa clan from power two years ago. Now they are back in the fray
6 months ago

Sri Lankans ousted Rajapaksa clan from power two years ago. Now they are back in the fray

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “People will understand, you know, because if you look …

Ramification | Sri Lanka: First presidential election after economic crisis and all weather Colombo-Delhi ties
6 months, 1 week ago

Ramification | Sri Lanka: First presidential election after economic crisis and all weather Colombo-Delhi ties

Firstpost  

Irrespective of the outcome of the election, India, as it has done in the past, will continue to support Sri Lanka in its economic recovery President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena gesture as they arrive at the Election Commission in Rajagiriya to submit his nomination papers for the upcoming presidential election, scheduled for September 21, in Colombo, Sri …

Sri Lankans’ fury forced the powerful Rajapaksa clan out. Now its heir is running for president
6 months, 1 week ago

Sri Lankans’ fury forced the powerful Rajapaksa clan out. Now its heir is running for president

Associated Press  

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — When an uprising ousted Sri Lanka’s president, many saw it as the end of his powerful family’s hold on the island nation after more than 12 years of rule. Alan Keenan, senior consultant on Sri Lanka at the International Crisis Group, said the younger Rajapaksa’s bid for the presidency is a test run that would establish …

In Sri Lanka’s hill country, expectations low ahead of presidential polls
6 months, 3 weeks ago

In Sri Lanka’s hill country, expectations low ahead of presidential polls

The Hindu  

“There is little to look forward to in Sri Lanka,” says Kathir*, who will board a plane to Dubai later this month for an electrical maintenance job, leaving behind his parents, wife and two children. Enduring deprivation Families like his, living in the towns of Sri Lanka’s hill country, may still be relatively better off, compared to those working and …

Prominent Tamil party in Sri Lanka seeks governance structure based on federal model
7 months, 1 week ago

Prominent Tamil party in Sri Lanka seeks governance structure based on federal model

The Hindu  

The Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi, a prominent political party representing Tamils of Sri Lanka’s north and east, has said it would consider backing a presidential aspirant who agrees to its demand for a governance structure based on a federal model. The party’s position, which reiterates its long-standing demand for a just political solution to the civil war-scarred country’s Tamil question, …

Heir apparent to Sri Lanka’s powerful Rajapaksa family will run in September’s presidential election
7 months, 2 weeks ago

Heir apparent to Sri Lanka’s powerful Rajapaksa family will run in September’s presidential election

Associated Press  

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — The man who is considered the heir apparent to the powerful Rajapaksa family in Sri Lanka will contest the presidential election in September, his political party said Wednesday, in an apparent bid to regain his family’s lost power after a humiliating setback two years ago during an unprecedented economic crisis in the Indian ocean island nation. …

Rajapaksas’ party fields Mahinda’s son Namal in Sri Lanka’s presidential race
7 months, 2 weeks ago

Rajapaksas’ party fields Mahinda’s son Namal in Sri Lanka’s presidential race

The Hindu  

Sri Lanka’s ruling party helmed by the Rajapaksa clan, who were booted out of office by mass protests in 2022, on Wednesday named Namal Rajapaksa, son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, as its candidate for the September presidential polls. After Mr. Gotabaya was forced to resign at the height of Sri Lanka’s crushing unprecedented economic crisis in 2022, its MPs …

Rajapaksas’ party decides against backing Ranil in presidential election
7 months, 3 weeks ago

Rajapaksas’ party decides against backing Ranil in presidential election

The Hindu  

The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna — led by the once-powerful Rajapaksa clan which was deposed from power in 2022 — has said it will not back President Ranil Wickremesinghe in the presidential polls in September. On their party’s poll-time decision, SLPP General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam said Mr. Wickremesinghe’s policies were not agreeable to members. Namal Rajapaksa, son of former President …

A moderate voice for Sri Lankan Tamils
8 months, 2 weeks ago

A moderate voice for Sri Lankan Tamils

The Hindu  

The recent passing of R. Sampanthan, a veteran leader of the Tamil National Alliance in Sri Lanka, has created a vacuum in the political leadership of the Tamils, who are yet to exit the trauma of the civil war that ended 15 years ago. Chelvanayakam, who founded the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi in 1949, Sampanthan was first elected in 1977 …

Veteran Sri Lankan Tamil leader Sampanthan passes away
8 months, 3 weeks ago

Veteran Sri Lankan Tamil leader Sampanthan passes away

The Hindu  

Veteran Sri Lankan Tamil leader Rajavarothiam Sampanthan, who dedicated his political life to pursuing a just solution to the island nation’s Tamil question, passed away in Colombo late on Sunday. Sampanthan, of the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi, was a sitting MP from the eastern Trincomalee district and led the Tamil National Alliance, the main grouping representing Tamils of Sri Lanka’s …

Is TN A Bird Sanctuary For PM To Visit During Polls, Asks MK Stalin
11 months, 1 week ago

Is TN A Bird Sanctuary For PM To Visit During Polls, Asks MK Stalin

Deccan Chronicle  

Is Tamil Nadu a bird sanctuary for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit during the election season alone, Chief Minister M K Stalin asked, elucidating on the neglect that the State had suffered under the BJP government in New Delhi in various forms. He said that vote cast by the people in favour of the INDIA coalition candidates was not …

Modi attacks opposition on corruption, misgovernance in TN, Kerala, Telangana
1 year ago

Modi attacks opposition on corruption, misgovernance in TN, Kerala, Telangana

Hindustan Times  

Chennai/Kochi/Hyderabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday accused the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu, the Congress and the Left parties in Kerala and Congress and Bharat Rashtra Samiti in Telangana of corruption, misgovernance and harbouring anti-national sentiment. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed confidence that the BJP will perform well in the three southern states Modi expressed confidence that the BJP …

Sri Lanka President Wickremesinghe backs India-mooted 13A as solution to Tamil community's demand for political autonomy
1 year, 2 months ago

Sri Lanka President Wickremesinghe backs India-mooted 13A as solution to Tamil community's demand for political autonomy

The Hindu  

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe on January 5 backed the India-mooted 13th Amendment as a solution to address the minority Tamil community's long-pending demand for political autonomy. Addressing a group of professionals in Jaffna, the capital of the Tamil-dominated Northern Province, Mr. Wickremesinghe said the devolution of power shouldn’t merely be a political concept but an economic reality. The 13A …

Viral: 'Will you lead the Opposition alliance?' Sri Lanka President asks Mamata Banerjee | Know her reply
1 year, 6 months ago

Viral: 'Will you lead the Opposition alliance?' Sri Lanka President asks Mamata Banerjee | Know her reply

India TV News  

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe asked West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee asked her if she would be leading the Opposition alliance, I.N.D.I.A. “His Excellency the President of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe saw me at the Dubai International Airport Lounge and called me to join for some discussion. I have been humbled by his greetings and invited him to the …

Modi Has Asked Wickremesinghe To Act On Tamil Issue, Eyeing 2024. But, It's Easier Said Than Done
1 year, 7 months ago

Modi Has Asked Wickremesinghe To Act On Tamil Issue, Eyeing 2024. But, It's Easier Said Than Done

ABP News  

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s visit to India last week was although high on connectivity, trade and investment plans between both countries, it did little to resolve the decades-long controversy that continues to strain the relationship — and that is the issue of Tamil reconciliation that continues to stir up the bloody past of the civil war in Sri Lanka …

PM Modi raises aspirations of Tamils with Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe
1 year, 8 months ago

PM Modi raises aspirations of Tamils with Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe

The Hindu  

India expects Sri Lanka to implement the Thirteenth Amendment and ensure a “life of respect and dignity” for its Tamil population, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday. Welcoming Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe to India, Mr Modi informed that both sides have held talks on a number of infrastructure projects that can ensure greater connectivity between the two countries …

Sri Lankan President Wickremesinghe meets PM Modi at Delhi's Hyderabad House
1 year, 8 months ago

Sri Lankan President Wickremesinghe meets PM Modi at Delhi's Hyderabad House

India TV News  

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi, on the second day of his two-day visit to India. The Sri Lankan President will also meet his Indian counterpart Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhawan before departing. On Thursday, Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan welcomed Wickremesinghe at …

Sri Lankan President Wickremesinghe to visit India on July 21
1 year, 8 months ago

Sri Lankan President Wickremesinghe to visit India on July 21

The Hindu  

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe will embark on a two-day visit to India on July 21 during which he is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, officials here said on July 9. This will be Mr. Wickremesinghe’s first visit to India since being appointed President of the cash-strapped country last year following the ouster of Gotabaya Rajapaksa in a …

A people of an emerald isle, waiting with doosras
1 year, 9 months ago

A people of an emerald isle, waiting with doosras

The Hindu  

George Bernard Shaw visited Ceylon in 1948, skipping India altogether. ‘…born in Kandy…to a Hill Country Tamil Hindu family of tea plantation workers, the eldest of the four sons born to Lakshmi and to Sinnasamy Muttiah who runs a successful biscuit-making business, he is a grandson of Periasamy Sinnasamy who migrated from south India in 1920 to find work on …

‘Strengthen our fight’: Tamil nationalist Seeman favours Vijay’s political entry
1 year, 11 months ago

‘Strengthen our fight’: Tamil nationalist Seeman favours Vijay’s political entry

Hindustan Times  

Tamil nationalist and the Naam Tamilar Katchi leader S Seeman on Wednesday favoured actor Vijay’s much anticipated political entry saying that it will strengthen their fight against the two major Dravida parties in Tamil Nadu. Vijay, who has a cult following, has been hinting at his political entry in Tamil Nadu, where silver screen idols such as former chief minister …

An Alliance fraught with challenges - The Hindu
2 years, 2 months ago

An Alliance fraught with challenges - The Hindu

The Hindu  

For most of its two decade-existence, Sri Lanka’s Tamil National Alliance has been engaged in talks with the southern Sinhalese leadership, to negotiate a durable solution to the island nation’s lingering national question. “We can’t despair, we can’t abandon things,” Mr. Sampanthan told The Hindu in 2018, when the Alliance joined a Constitution drafting process initiated by the President Maithripala …

An uphill struggle in Sri Lanka’s tea country
2 years, 3 months ago

An uphill struggle in Sri Lanka’s tea country

The Hindu  

Watch | How the economic crisis has hurt Sri Lanka’s hill Tamils Sathish Sumithra’s son, barely two years old, is too young to make sense of Sri Lanka’s unrelenting economic crisis, but not to escape it. “An egg costs 70 rupees now,” says Sumithra, breaking down what the country’s 70% inflation and over 80% food inflation means in her working-class …

Mahinda Rajapaksa blames ‘foreign forces’ for Sri Lanka’s crisis
2 years, 4 months ago

Mahinda Rajapaksa blames ‘foreign forces’ for Sri Lanka’s crisis

The Hindu  

COLOMBO: Two-time President and former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on Tuesday blamed “foreign forces” and the former government for Sri Lanka’s economic collapse, while admitting to “some wrong decisions” taken by their ousted administration. Foreign powers “eyeing Sri Lanka’s national assets”, and their “local agents” who were “still active” were fuelling anti-government protests, Mr. Mahinda told Parliament, during the second …

Sri Lankan President Wickremesinghe hopeful of resolving problems faced by ethnic Tamils
2 years, 4 months ago

Sri Lankan President Wickremesinghe hopeful of resolving problems faced by ethnic Tamils

The Hindu  

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has said he is hopeful of resolving the problems faced by ethnic Tamils in the country, as he announced the appointment of a committee to find ways to integrate the Indian-origin workers in the plantation sector into the society. “While some of the Tamils of Hill Country origin had integrated successfully into the Sri Lankan …

Lankan Govt to Appoint Panel for Integration of Indian-origin Tamil Workers in Society: Prez Wickremesinghe
2 years, 4 months ago

Lankan Govt to Appoint Panel for Integration of Indian-origin Tamil Workers in Society: Prez Wickremesinghe

News 18  

President Ranil Wickremesinghe has said his government will appoint a committee to seek how best to integrate the Indian-origin Tamil workers in the hill plantation regions further into the Sri Lankan society. “While some of the Tamils of Hill Country origin had integrated successfully into the Sri Lankan society, some have failed and measures would be taken to assist them …

Sri Lanka's former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa comes back after 51-day of self imposed exile
2 years, 6 months ago

Sri Lanka's former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa comes back after 51-day of self imposed exile

Firstpost  

Rajapaksa fled Sri Lanka to the Maldives on a Sri Lanka Airforce plane and then proceeded to Singapore, from where he resigned on 14 July Colombo: Sri Lanka’s former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa was accorded a warm welcome as he returned to Colombo from Thailand amid tight security on late Friday, ending his 51-day self-imposed exile after fleeing abroad following months-long …

Sri Lanka\'s ousted ex-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa returns home from Thailand
2 years, 6 months ago

Sri Lanka\'s ousted ex-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa returns home from Thailand

Deccan Chronicle  

Colombo: Sri Lanka's former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa was accorded a warm welcome as he returned to Colombo from Thailand amid tight security on late Friday, ending his 51-day self-imposed exile after fleeing abroad following months-long mass protests over the country's worst economic crisis. After being welcomed by lawmakers of the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna party, Rajapaksa left the airport …

Sri Lanka’s former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa returns home from Thailand
2 years, 6 months ago

Sri Lanka’s former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa returns home from Thailand

The Hindu  

Former Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Friday returned to the country from Thailand, nearly two months after he fled the country following a massive uprising against his government over the island nation’s worst-ever economic crisis. After being received at the airport by several ministers and Parliamentarians of the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna party, Mr. Rajapaksa left the airport …

Sri Lanka's Rights Body Urges Wickremesinghe to Provide Protection to Gotabaya Rajapaksa & His Family
2 years, 7 months ago

Sri Lanka's Rights Body Urges Wickremesinghe to Provide Protection to Gotabaya Rajapaksa & His Family

News 18  

Sri Lanka's top human rights body has urged President Ranil Wickremesinghe to provide adequate protection to the family of his predecessor Gotabaya Rajapaksa as guaranteed by the Constitution and facilitate the former president's return to the crisis-hit country. In a letter, the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka on Monday said that it had received several complaints alleging that the …

Ranil Wickremesinghe: The Rajapaksas’ Puppet on a String
2 years, 7 months ago

Ranil Wickremesinghe: The Rajapaksas’ Puppet on a String

The Diplomat  

Hopes that a new president would usher in a measure of calm to restive Sri Lanka seem to have been dashed, with parliamentarians electing Ranil Wickremesinghe as the country’s eighth president in late July. Wickremesinghe ordered the military and police “to do what is necessary to restore order.” Sure enough, on July 22, Sri Lankan security forces violently cleared the …

Sri Lanka: Ruling party asks president Wickremesinghe to facilitate ex-leader Gotabaya Rajapaksa's return
2 years, 7 months ago

Sri Lanka: Ruling party asks president Wickremesinghe to facilitate ex-leader Gotabaya Rajapaksa's return

Firstpost  

In response to speculations that former president Rajapaksa may return to Sri Lanka next week, the SLPP General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam told reporters that the request was made during a meeting with president Wickremesinghe on Thursday Colombo: The ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna party has urged president Ranil Wickremesinghe make arrangements for Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s safety so that he can return …

Sri Lanka's main Tamil minority party extends support to Wickremesinghe's call for all-party government – Firstpost
2 years, 7 months ago

Sri Lanka's main Tamil minority party extends support to Wickremesinghe's call for all-party government – Firstpost

Firstpost  

Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe has called upon all the major parties of the countries to come together to form a national unity government to mitigate the ongoing crisis Colombo: Sri Lanka’s main Tamil minority party TNA on Monday announced that it will support President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s efforts to form an all-party national government to help the bankrupt country to …

Sri Lanka: Can the Rajapaksas oust president Ranil Wickremesinghe from power?
2 years, 7 months ago

Sri Lanka: Can the Rajapaksas oust president Ranil Wickremesinghe from power?

Firstpost  

Backed by the Rajapaksas’ party, Wickremesinghe became the president. Now at the helm of affairs, he faces multiple challenges including how to keep the Rajapaksas at bay It was a dream of a lifetime come true for Ranil Wickremesinghe when he took the oath as Sri Lanka’s president on 21 July 2022. Backed by the Rajapaksas’ party Sri Lanka Podujana …

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