Ranil Wickremesinghe sworn in as Sri Lanka\'s new president
2 years, 5 months ago

Ranil Wickremesinghe sworn in as Sri Lanka\'s new president

Deccan Chronicle  

Colombo: Veteran politician Ranil Wickremesinghe was on Thursday sworn in as Sri Lanka's eighth president and will face the tough task of leading the country out of its economic crisis and restoring order after months of mass protests. Wickremesinghe, who took over as the Acting President after his predecessor Gotabaya Rajapksa fled the country and resigned last week, is the first Sri Lankan president to be elected by Parliament following a vote. Wickremesinghe's comfortable victory with the backing of the Rajapaksa's Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna party showed the Rajapaksa family's firm grip on Sri Lankan politics despite the resignations of President Rajapaksa, former prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and former finance minister Basil Rajapaksa in recent weeks in the face of massive anti-government protests. Wickremesinghe's victory could inflame the situation once again as many anti-government protesters see him as inextricably tied to the erstwhile Rajapaksa regime, blamed for the country's worst economic crisis since independence in 1948.

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History of this topic

Sri Lanka votes in parliamentary election
Top News
1 month, 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 Lankans vote in parliamentary election
1 month, 1 week ago

Sri Lankans vote in parliamentary election

Deccan Chronicle  

Colombo: Sri Lankans on Thursday began voting in the snap parliamentary election, the first major test of the ruling National People's Power party led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.The voting is taking place at over 13,314 polling stations across the country. Sri Lankans on Thursday began voting in the snap parliamentary election, the first major test of the ruling National …

Sri Lanka set for parliamentary election, all arrangements in place
1 month, 1 week ago

Sri Lanka set for parliamentary election, all arrangements in place

New Indian Express  

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka is set to hold its parliamentary election on Thursday with all arrangements in place to ensure a fair and transparent process, a top election commission official has said. Director General of the Elections Commission Saman Sri Ratnayaka on Tuesday said that all ballot boxes and other equipment needed at the polling stations would be dispatched on Wednesday. …

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake: A New Era of Reform Amid Economic Turmoil in Sri Lanka
2 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 …

Sri Lanka has entered a new dawn with its new president. What does the diaspora think of Anura Dissanayake?
3 months ago

Sri Lanka has entered a new dawn with its new president. What does the diaspora think of Anura Dissanayake?

ABC  

For decades, Sri Lankan politics has looked like a revolving door through which the same parties and families have come and gone. Unlike many of Sri Lanka's past presidents, Mr Dissanayake has no political lineage and is from the socialist National People's Power party which he founded in 2019. For some of Sri Lanka's younger generation the election result "was …

Sri Lanka's priority to be economic recovery
3 months ago

Sri Lanka's priority to be economic recovery

China Daily  

Anura Kumara Dissanayake is sworn in as the ninth executive president of Sri Lanka at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo on Monday. XINHUA The top priorities of Sri Lanka's new president will be to boost economic recovery, reduce poverty and improve the quality of life for citizens, an expert says, as the weekend's national election came two years after the …

The Left turn in Sri Lanka
3 months ago

The Left turn in Sri Lanka

Hindustan Times  

The election of Anura Kumar Dissanayake, the leader of Janata Vimukti Perumuna, an outfit with Marxist leanings, as the ninth President of Sri Lanka, marks a new chapter in the island nation’s politics. In a way, the ascent of the JVP, which led two violent insurrections in 1971 and during 1987-89, and its eclipsing of the three mainstream parties that …

Sri Lanka election: Marxist Anura Kumara Dissanayake becomes president
3 months ago

Sri Lanka election: Marxist Anura Kumara Dissanayake becomes president

Associated Press  

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Marxist politician Anura Kumara Dissanayake was sworn in as Sri Lanka’s president on Monday after an election that saw voters reject an old guard accused of leading the country into economic crisis. Dissanayake, 55, who ran as head of the Marxist-leaning National People’s Power coalition, defeated President Ranil Wickremesinghe, opposition leader Sajith Premadasa and 35 other …

Sri Lankan PM resigns following new president elected
3 months ago

Sri Lankan PM resigns following new president elected

China Daily  

File photo of Dinesh Gunawardena. COLOMBO -- Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena submitted his resignation on Monday morning following Anura Kumara Dissanayake's election as the country's new president. In his resignation letter, Gunawardena stated that with the election of Dissanayake as the ninth executive president of Sri Lanka, he is stepping down in accordance with the country's constitution. "I …

Ranil Wickremesinghe bids an emotional farewell to Lanka presidency
3 months ago

Ranil Wickremesinghe bids an emotional farewell to Lanka presidency

Hindustan Times  

Colombo, President Ranil Wickremesinghe who lost Sri Lanka's presidential election on Sunday bid an emotional farewell to his 26 months job as the island nation's president and handed over the care of the "child" called Sri Lanka to president-elect Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Ranil Wickremesinghe bids an emotional farewell to Lanka presidency “President Anura Dissanayake, I am handing over to your …

Sri Lanka will elect a new president two years after ousting former leader
3 months ago

Sri Lanka will elect a new president two years after ousting former leader

NPR  

Sri Lanka will elect a new president two years after ousting former leader Sri Lanka heads for an unprecedented three-way presidential vote today. SCOTT SIMON, HOST: Two years ago, protesters overran and smashed up the home of Sri Lanka's president, forcing him to flee the tropical island country just south of India. DIAA HADID, BYLINE: Folks at a rally in …

Two years after Sri Lanka’s president was ousted by protests – could it all have been for nothing?
3 months ago

Two years after Sri Lanka’s president was ousted by protests – could it all have been for nothing?

The Independent  

In the summer of 2022, Pali Abeywickrama and his friends marched to the presidential palace during Sri Lanka’s popular anti-government uprising. open image in gallery Protesters hold Sri Lankan flags as they stand on top of the office of PM Ranil Wickremesinghe in July 2022 Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya party is at 32 per cent …

Sri Lanka Presidential Polls: Perception Favours Anura, Numbers Sajith & Ranil, Namal Under No Pressure To Win
3 months, 1 week ago

Sri Lanka Presidential Polls: Perception Favours Anura, Numbers Sajith & Ranil, Namal Under No Pressure To Win

News 18  

Sri Lanka is a tear-drop shaped island nation in the Indian Ocean. Since Sri Lanka’s independence from the Great Britain in 1948, the country has fought two major civil wars sacrificing a lakh lives, went through a killer Tsunami in 2004, which claimed another 25,000 lives, and very recently a massive public unrest named ‘Aragalaya’, which forced the President to …

Ramification | Sri Lanka: First presidential election after economic crisis and all weather Colombo-Delhi ties
3 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
3 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 …

What’s at stake in Sri Lanka’s first presidential vote since its economic meltdown?
3 months, 2 weeks ago

What’s at stake in Sri Lanka’s first presidential vote since its economic meltdown?

Associated Press  

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka will hold its presidential election on Sept. 21 in a crucial vote that will decide the future of the South Asian nation still struggling to recover from its economic collapse in 2022, which provoked mass protests and forced the former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee the country and later resign. Almost 17 million of …

Sri Lanka's Presidential polls: Ranil Wickremesinghe backed by grand alliance of more than 30 parties
4 months, 1 week ago

Sri Lanka's Presidential polls: Ranil Wickremesinghe backed by grand alliance of more than 30 parties

The Hindu  

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, the front runner in the Presidential poll scheduled for next month, was on Friday endorsed by a grand coalition of more than 30 political parties and groups. Ranil Wickremesinghe, the leader of the now decimated grand old party, the United National Party, is backed by the Rajapaksa family breakaways from the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna. …

39 candidates are approved for Sri Lanka’s presidential election, the highest number ever
4 months, 1 week ago

39 candidates are approved for Sri Lanka’s presidential election, the highest number ever

Associated Press  

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka’s elections commission on Thursday accepted applications from a record 39 candidates to run in next month’s presidential election, which will decide the course of the country’s financial reforms to survive an unprecedented economic crisis. Unsustainable debt, a severe balance of payments crisis, the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the government’s insistence on …

Heir apparent to Sri Lanka’s powerful Rajapaksa family will run in September’s presidential election
4 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
4 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
4 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 …

Sri Lanka will hold presidential election on September 21, its first since declaring bankruptcy in 2022
4 months, 4 weeks ago

Sri Lanka will hold presidential election on September 21, its first since declaring bankruptcy in 2022

The Hindu  

Sri Lanka’s presidential polls will be held on September 21, the Election Commission said on Friday. Some 17 million voters will have their first chance of electing the country’s leader, after a mass people’s uprising ousted former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa two years ago. His office announced making a cash deposit at the Commission for his candidacy as an independent, although …

Sri Lanka's economic crisis takes centre stage as election date set for September 21
4 months, 4 weeks ago

Sri Lanka's economic crisis takes centre stage as election date set for September 21

Firstpost  

Incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe is widely expected to run in the election, with almost 17 million of Sri Lanka’s 22 million population eligible to vote Sri Lankan election workers hold ballot boxes for security clearance at the election office before distributing them for transport to various regions of Colombo. File images/ Reuters Sri Lanka will vote on Sept. 21 to …

Ranil Wickremesinghe to contest presidential polls as independent candidate, says aide
5 months, 2 weeks ago

Ranil Wickremesinghe to contest presidential polls as independent candidate, says aide

The Hindu  

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe will contest the Presidential election as an independent candidate, his aide said on July 7. Deputy Chairman of the United National Party Ruwan Wijewardene confirmed that the presidential election will definitely be held and Mr. Wickremesinghe, 75, will contest the election as an independent candidate, News 1st reported. Mr. Ratnayake said the commission is currently …

Election crucial for Sri Lanka's future: President Ranil Wickremesinghe
6 months, 1 week ago

Election crucial for Sri Lanka's future: President Ranil Wickremesinghe

The Hindu  

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has said that the Presidential elections scheduled to be held later this year will determine the island nation's success and failure rather than the individual triumphs or losses, according to a media report on June 12. Addressing a policy reform discussion on June 11, Mr. Wickremesinghe said, "The outcome of the upcoming election is not …

Sri Lanka to hold presidential election between September 17 and October 16: Election Commission
7 months, 2 weeks ago

Sri Lanka to hold presidential election between September 17 and October 16: Election Commission

The Hindu  

Sri Lanka will hold presidential election between September 17 and October 16, the country's top electoral body announced on Thursday. President Ranil Wickremesinghe is expected to contest the presidential election under a new symbol, his top aide said last month. Mr. Wickremesinghe, 75, will represent several parties as a national candidate, Senior Presidential Advisor and UNP senior leader Ashu Marasinghe …

Sri Lanka holds its first presidential election since the country declared bankruptcy
54 years, 11 months ago

Sri Lanka holds its first presidential election since the country declared bankruptcy

Associated Press  

DATE OF ELECTION Likely in November TYPE OF ELECTION Presidential WHO’S RUNNING Incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe could run, seeking a mandate for his tough economic reforms, as the country strives to recover from its worst economic crisis in recent history. WHY IT MATTERS TO THE WORLD The election will be the first held after Sri Lanka was roiled by a …

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

PM Modi, Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe hold talks in Delhi. Photos
1 year, 5 months ago

PM Modi, Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe hold talks in Delhi. Photos

Hindustan Times  

PM Modi, Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe hold talks in Delhi. Photos Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Ranil Wickremesinghe in new Delhi on Friday, a day after the Sri Lankan president arrived in India for his two day visit.. 1 / 5 View Photos in a new improved layout Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe on …

PM Modi raises aspirations of Tamils with Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe
1 year, 5 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, 5 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 arrives in India; boosting cooperation on energy connectivity on agenda
1 year, 5 months ago

Sri Lankan President Wickremesinghe arrives in India; boosting cooperation on energy connectivity on agenda

India TV News  

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Thursday arrived in Delhi on a two-day official visit to India. Taking to his official Twitter handle, Ministry of External Affairs official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi noted that Wickremesinghe's visit will further boost the multi-prolonged partnership between India and Sri Lanka. During his visit, President Wickremesinghe will meet his Indian counterpart Droupadi Murmu and discuss …

Sri Lankan President Wickremesinghe to visit India on July 21
1 year, 5 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 …

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 …

Sri Lanka's President Ranil Wickremesinghe seeks India's help with policy reforms, governance, public service delivery
1 year, 8 months ago

Sri Lanka's President Ranil Wickremesinghe seeks India's help with policy reforms, governance, public service delivery

Firstpost  

The Indian delegation led by the Director General of the National Centre for Good Governance, Bharat Lal met Sri Lanka’s President Ranil Wickremesinghe and discussed topics like policy reforms, good governance, digitalization, and assured public service delivery New Delhi: Sri Lanka’s President Ranil Wickremesinghe sought India’s help in establishing policy reforms, governance, capacity building, digitalization, and public service delivery, according …

Sri Lanka delays first vote since new president
1 year, 10 months ago

Sri Lanka delays first vote since new president

Firstpost  

Colombo: Sri Lanka’s independent election commission indefinitely postponed local polls Friday after the president – installed by parliament last year after his predecessor fled – refused to fund the vote. The 9 March polls would only have picked local councillors but would be the first electoral test for Ranil Wickremesinghe since he took office in July after months of protests …

Sri Lanka’s ousted president Gotabaya Rajapaksa faces arrest calls after return
2 years, 3 months ago

Sri Lanka’s ousted president Gotabaya Rajapaksa faces arrest calls after return

The Hindu  

Deposed Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa faced calls for his arrest on September 3 after returning home from self-imposed exile under the protection of his successor’s government. “He can’t live freely as if nothing has happened.” Mr. Rajapaksa’s government was accused of chaotic mismanagement as the Sri Lankan economy spiralled into a blistering downturn. Sri Lanka’s main opposition alliance, the …

Sri Lanka’s ousted president returns home after fleeing
2 years, 3 months ago

Sri Lanka’s ousted president returns home after fleeing

Associated Press  

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka’s former president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled the country in July after tens of thousands of protesters stormed his home and office in a display of anger over the country’s economic crisis, returned to the country early Saturday after seven weeks. Rajapaksa, a former military officer, was elected on promises to uplift the country’s economy …

Sri Lanka's former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa comes back after 51-day of self imposed exile
2 years, 3 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, 3 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 Lankan ousted President Rajapaksa returns home from Thailand
2 years, 3 months ago

Sri Lankan ousted President Rajapaksa returns home from Thailand

Live Mint  

Former Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled the country about two months ago during the nation's worst-ever economic crisis situation, returned home from Thailand on Friday, according to news agency PTI. Rajapaksa fled the country on July 13 after protestors in Sri Lanka demanded his resignation and stormed the President’s House in Colombo and several other state buildings in …

Sri Lanka’s former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa returns home from Thailand
2 years, 3 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: Bankrupt deposed former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa 'to return home'
2 years, 3 months ago

Sri Lanka: Bankrupt deposed former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa 'to return home'

Firstpost  

Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled Sri Lanka under military escort in July after unarmed crowds stormed his official residence Colombo, Sri Lanka: Bankrupt Sri Lanka’s deposed former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa is expected to end his self-imposed exile in Thailand and return home imminently, a top defence official told AFP on Friday. The unit comprises elements from the army and police commandos.” Sri …

Sri Lanka's Rights Body Urges Wickremesinghe to Provide Protection to Gotabaya Rajapaksa & His Family
2 years, 4 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, 4 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's main Opposition party demands former president Rajapaksa must be tried for misusing funds
2 years, 4 months ago

Sri Lanka's main Opposition party demands former president Rajapaksa must be tried for misusing funds

Firstpost  

Rajapaksa, 73, fled the country and resigned last month in the face of a popular uprising against his government for mismanaging the island nation’s economy Colombo: Sri Lanka’s former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa has the right to return to the country, but he must be tried for allegations of misuse of funds since he does not enjoy legal immunity, main Opposition …

Sri Lanka: Ruling party asks president Wickremesinghe to facilitate ex-leader Gotabaya Rajapaksa's return
2 years, 4 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 …

Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa set for return to Sri Lanka next week, says report
2 years, 4 months ago

Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa set for return to Sri Lanka next week, says report

India TV News  

Highlights Sri Lanka's former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is all set to return next week to the island nation Gotabaya Rajapaksa was forced to flee in the month of July after massive protests against him Former Sri Lankan Ambassador to Russia, hinted that Gotabaya Rajapaksa will return on August 24 Sri Lanka news : Sri Lanka's former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is …

Concerns as Sri Lanka arrests top protest leader Joseph Stalin
2 years, 4 months ago

Concerns as Sri Lanka arrests top protest leader Joseph Stalin

Al Jazeera  

The arrest is part of an ongoing crackdown against people protesting against the government over the country’s worst economic crisis in decades. Colombo, Sri Lanka – The arrest of a top protest leader as part of an ongoing crackdown and intimidation of people protesting against the government over the country’s worst economic crisis in decades has raised concerns. Stalin is …

Sri Lanka crisis: Man held for sitting on President's chair during anti-government protests
2 years, 4 months ago

Sri Lanka crisis: Man held for sitting on President's chair during anti-government protests

Firstpost  

A video circulating on social media platforms showed the man emulating Presidential credentials while sitting on the President’s chair as anarchy mounted in Sri Lanka amid an unprecedented financial crisis Colombo: A 28-year-old man has been arrested for illegally entering the Sri Lankan President’s House and taking photographs while sitting on the President’s chair, a media report said on Wednesday. …

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