Sinhala News

Courtesy The Straits Times

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The IMF hopes unrest in Sri Lanka will be resolved soon so that aid talks that were interrupted can resume, a fund spokesman said on Thursday (July 14).

Formal discussions on a new loan programme for the cash-strapped nation began last month but were thrown off course by the political upheaval that led to the resignation of the country’s president.

“We are, of course, deeply concerned about the ongoing crisis of impact on the Sri Lankan people and particularly the poor and the vulnerable groups,” IMF spokesman Gerry Rice told reporters.

Following constructive early talks, “clearly the political and the social emergency situation… has interrupted those discussions,” he said.

The international crisis lender is “closely monitoring” developments there, and “we hope for a resolution of the current situation that would allow for our resumption of a dialogue on an IMF-supported programme,” Rice said.

The upheaval forced now ex-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee the country, amid dramatic scenes of protesters occupying the presidential palace.

Rajapaksa is accused of mismanaging the island nation’s economy to a point where it has run out of foreign exchange to finance even the most essential imports, leading to severe hardships for its 22 million people, with four out of five Sri Lankans skipping meals.

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Sri Lanka defaulted on its US$51 billion (S$71 billion) foreign debt in April and has nearly exhausted its already scarce supplies of petrol, with the government ordering the closure of non-essential offices and schools to reduce commuting and save fuel.

Rice said the IMF remains in contact with technical officials in Colombo, at the finance ministry and central bank, but as with any aid deal, a loan programme for Sri Lanka “would require adequate assurances on debt sustainability.”

Courtesy Hiru News

The President of Sri Lanka Gotabaya Rajapaksa has sent  the letter of resignation from his post as President of Sri Lanka to the Speaker.

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has resigned after landing in Singapore since he left the island on Tuesday.

The parliament Speaker has also confirmed he has received President Rajapaksa’s resignation letter.

The President’s resignation comes on a day the protesters announced they would end their occupation of official buildings, including the presidential house, presidential secretariat and the Prime Minister’s office.

The Singapore government has said the former Sri Lankan President is on a “private visit” and has not applied for asylum.

President Rajapaksa while he was President enjoyed immunity from arrest, which he used to leave Sri Lanka. He stepped down only after he was outside the country to avoid the possibility of being detained.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has asked security forces to restore order and declared a state of emergency.

Courtesy Adaderana

Sri Lanka Army says that members of the Armed Forces are legitimately empowered to exercise their force, if the situation deems necessary as security to the public property, key installations, vulnerable points and human lives, does fall within the purview of their responsibility.

In view of escalation of violent acts, those protesters, intent on harming the Armed Forces or the public property are therefore earnestly urged to desist from all forms of violence immediately or be prepared to face consequences, the army said issuing a statement.

Read the full statement below:

Members of the Armed Forces and the Police in terms of provisions, vested in them by the Constitution of Sri Lanka have been empowered to enforce law and order of the country and maintain the same in order to protect her people, public property and the country at large at the expense of their own lives. 

This has been practised since the country became an independent state and a free nation, through which the sovereignty of the republic, freedom of expression and free movement of the public as enshrined in the Constitution are upheld and exercised as it has been distinctly manifested in the most recent months during the series of public protests that began in May this year.

It is worthwhile to mention here that except for a few negligible arguments and skirmishes between the protesters and members of the Army, NO major incidents of violence of considerable nature occurred due to enforcement of law and order or breach of it during those mass protests, including the one on 9 July in Colombo, Fort.

The Chief of Defence Staff, Tri service Commanders and the Inspector General of Police on more than THREE occasions publicly appealed to protesting groups to remain calm, safeguard state buildings and all property and earnestly urged the protesters to resolve the issues constitutionally with the exit of the President Gotabaya Rajapaksa from the country.

All Heads of the Armed Forces and the Police during meetings with the acting President and Prime Minister, Speaker of the Parliament and Political Party leaders in the past 72 hours while requesting all of them to accelerate resolution of the issues, pertaining to the political instability and the crisis in the island through constitutional provisions, unanimously maintained that peaceful protests should NOT in anyway be dealt with full force, BUT with the minimum force as long as those protesters do not resort to violence or damage the public property.

Irrespective of those assurances, it has been unfortunately observed that a certain section of the protesters, purposefully deviating from its proclaimed ‘non-violent’ approach continued to breach law and order as of Wednesday (13) afternoon and resorted to violence by trying to place the Parliament complex as well as the Speaker’s official residence under siege while destroying Police barricades through heavy machinery brought in there, in an attempt to take control of the Parliament complex which is the sole legislative body which can only exercise the sovereignty of the country and democratic values in conformity with Constitutional provisions.

By 7.00 pm on Wednesday (13), those unruly protesting mobs, unresponsive to repeated appeals of Army personnel, trying to forcibly enter the Parliament complex aggressively went on harassing and attacking the troops on duty using clubs, iron rods, stones, helmets, etc and snatched TWO T-56 weapons with ammunition rounds and caused injuries to a dozen of Army personnel, making two of them even unconscious who have now been admitted to the Colombo National Hospital and the Colombo Army Hospital for emergency treatment. The Police have been alerted to the loss of these two T-56 weapons, now possessed by those protesters who fled with those weapons.

In return, Army troops using minimum force after firing several shots in the air held some of those unruly violent elements who were inciting others too to harm Army personnel and the Police. However, Army personnel along with Policemen, not deterred by their cycle of violence brought the situation under control as of Wednesday (13) night with minimum force and took all precautionary security measures by dispersing those violent elements, awaiting to storm the Parliamentary complex.

In view of escalation of violent acts, those protesters, intent on harming the Armed Forces or the public property are therefore earnestly urged to desist from all forms of violence immediately or be prepared to face consequences as members of the Armed Forces are legitimately empowered to exercise their force, if the situation deems necessary as security to the public property, key installations, vulnerable points and human lives, does fall within the purview of their responsibility.”

ප්‍රියන්කා

“ගෝටාභය රාජපක්ෂ බලයෙන් ඉවත් විය යුතුයය. ඊළඟට මේ රටේ සිංහල බෞද්ධ ජනතාවගේ බලය එතනින් ඉවරයය ” ඕමල්පේ සෝභිත තෙර අන්‍ය ආගමිකයින් පිරිවෙරාගෙන 2022 ජූලි 10 දා කියන්ගන් ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ අවරුදු දෙදාහකට වඩා පැරණ සිංහල බෞද්ධ රාජ්‍ය කඩා දාන වීරයා ලෙසය.

රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහ නමැති නෝන්ජල් පඹයා නම් මීලඟ ජනාධිපති පදවියට තප්පරයක්වත් පත් නොකළ යුතුයි-සෝභිත හිමි

ඔහු සැබෑ වීරයෙක්ද එහෙම නැත්නම් බටහිර රහස්බලවේග (Western Deep State) වලට
තමන්ගේ කම සහ දේශය පාවාදෙන දොන් ජුවන් ධර්මපාල කෙනෙක්ද?

https://www.lankaweb.com/news/items17/Aragalaya%20Pitupasa.pdf

රජිත් කීර්ති තෙන්නකෝන්

සජිත්ට තනියෙන් ජනපති/අගමැති විය හැකිද?

පාර්ලිමේන්තුවේ නිල විපක්ෂයට හිමි උපරිම ඡන්ද ගණන  62 කි. යථාර්ථවාදී සංඛ්‍යාව 58 කි.

 සජබ ට හරීන් හා මනූෂ නැතිව කෙළින්ම 45 කි.  එයට චම්පික රණවක ද ඇතුළත් ය. (ඔවුන්ගේ ඉෂාක් රහමන්, එම්.එස්.තවුෆික්, දිගාමඩුල්ලේ ෆයිසාල් කාසිම් සහ එච්.එම්.එම්.හාරීස් ද (සජිත්ට ඡන්දය දෙන්නේ නම් පමණක්  49 කි.)

 ද්‍රවිඩ ජාතික සන්ධානයේ 10 ම සජිත් සමඟය.  ගජේන්ද්‍ර පොන්නම්බලම් ගේ AITC මන්ත්‍රී 2 හා විග්නේෂ්වරන් ගේ TMTK මන්ත්‍රී ධූරය ද ලෙස ද්‍රවිඩ මන්ත්‍රීවරු 13 ක් සජිත්ට සහාය දේ.   

ජනතා විමුක්ති පෙරමුණ (3) සජිත්ට ඡන්දය දෙන්නේ නැත. 

ඒ අනුව සජිත් අවමය 58 කි.  උපරිම ඡන්ද 62 කි.

ශ්‍රීලනිප හා ඩලස් කණ්ඩායම

ශාන්ත බණ්ඩාර හා සුරේන් රාගවන් නැති ශ්‍රීලනිප හා පොහොට්ටුවේ ස්වාධීන කණ්ඩායමට දැනට මන්ත්‍රීවරු 69 කි.  එය 70 ක් ද විය හැකිය.

පොහොට්ටුව ගන්නා ඕනෑම තීරණයකට එකඟ මන්ත්‍රී සංඛ්‍යාව 90 කි.   මැයි 9 කෝලාහලයෙන් නිවාස දේපල හානි වූ මන්ත්‍රීවරුන් 77 න් සිව් දෙනෙකු හැර අන් සියල්ලම ඉන්නේ මේ කණ්ඩායමේ ය. ඔවුන්ගේ ජනපති/අගමැති රනිල් සහ දිනේෂ් විය හැකිය.

ඒ අනුව, සජබ සජිත්ට සිදුවන්නේ තුන්වන ස්ථානයට පත්වීමටය.

සජබ හා ස්වාධීන මණ්ත්‍රීවරුන් එකඟතාවයෙන් අපෙක්ෂකයෙකු ඉදිරිපත් කරන්නේ නම් (සජිත්, මෛත්‍රීපාල, ඩලස් හෝ වෙනත්) ඒ අපේක්ෂකයා පැහැදිලිවම  ජයගන්නේය.

අනෙක් අතට, තිදෙනෙකු ඉදිරිපත්වන ඡන්දයක දී ජනාධිපතිවන්නට අවශ්‍ය බහුතර ඡන්දය මිස 113 ක් නොවේ.

රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහ නොවන දිනේෂ් ගුණවර්ධන වැනි අපේක්ෂකයෙකුට (උදා- රමේෂ් පතිරණ) ස්වාධීන කණ්ඩායමේ කිහිප දෙනෙකු සහාය දෙන්නේ නම් ජයග්‍රහණය ඒ අපේක්ෂකයාට ය.   

අපේක්ෂකයින් තිදෙනෙකු නම්, ප්‍රධාන විපක්ෂය එනම් සජබ (සජිත්) තුන්වන තැනට පත්වීම නොවැලැක්විය හැකිය.

විපක්ෂයේ සත්‍ය බලය කොපමණද?

පාර්ලිමේන්තු ඡන්ද විමසීම්වල දී විපක්ෂයේ වැඩිම ඡන්ද සංඛ්‍යාව නියෝජ්‍ය කතානායක තරඟයේ දී (රෝහිණී කවිරත්න) ලැබූ ඡන්ද 76 යි.  ශ්‍රීලනිප හා ස්වාධීන ඡන්ද එයට හේතු විය.

ද්‍රවිඩ ජාතික සන්ධානයේ මන්ත්‍රීන් 4 ක් සජිත් ප්‍රේමදාස ට වඩා රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහ ට සමීප ය. ටෙලෝ ඡන්ද කොහොමත් සජිත් ට වඩා සමීප රනිල්ට ය.  ශ්‍රීලනිප යේ 12 අතුරින් නිමල් සිරිපාල, චාමර සම්පත්, අමරවීර ඇතුළු 7 ක්ම සජිත් ට වඩා රනිල් ට සමීපය. රහස් ඡන්දයක විපක්ෂයේ අපේක්ෂිකාවට තිබූ වාසිය, සජිත් ප්‍රේමදාසට අවාසියක් විය හැක්කේ කවුරු කාට ඡන්දය දෙන්නේ දැයි අනාවරණය නොවන නිසාය.  

පොදු අපේක්ෂකයෙක් සොයාගත හැකි ද?

සජිත් හෝ ඩලස් නොවන පොදු අපේක්ෂකයෙකු සොයා ගැනීමට සජබ, ශ්‍රීලනිප, ස්වාධීන කණ්ඩායමට මේ අනුව සිදුවන්නේය.

එසේ නොවේ නම්, කථානායක මහින්ද යාපා අබේවර්ධන මහතාට ජනාධිපති ධූරය පැවරීමට ඔවුන් අතර පොදු එකඟතාවයක් ඇති කර ගත හැකිය. එය ආරක්ෂිතම ප්‍රවේශය ලෙස ද විපක්ෂය මේ වන විට සලකා බලමින් ඇත. පොහොට්ටුවේ මන්ත්‍රීවරයෙකු හා පක්ෂග්‍රාහී පුද්ගලයෙකු ලෙස ඔහු සැලකෙන බැවින් එය බල දේශපාලනයේ දී විපක්ෂයට අවාසිය කි.

මාගේ අදහස නම්, තුන්වන තැනට පත්වන්නට සජිත් ප්‍රේමදාස ඡන්දයට ඉදිරිපත් වන්නේ නැති බව සහ ඉදිරිපත් නොවිය යුතු බවය.

අංක ගණිතය වැදගත්වන්නේ තම දේශපාලන න්‍යාය පත්‍රය වනෙුවට පොදු වැඩපිළිවෙලකට එකඟත්වය ලබා ගැනීමට ය.  2021 දෙසැම්බර් සිට අපි මේ ‘විපක්ෂයේ පොදු එකඟතාව ගොඩනගන්නට‘ උත්සහ කළෙමු.  ප්‍රධාන විපක්ෂය එය නොතකා හැරියේය. අවශ්‍ය නම් තවමත් කල් තිබේ.  නැතිනම් විපක්ෂය ඔවුන්ගේම විනාශයේ පාර කපාගනු ඇත.

රජිත් කීර්ති තෙන්නකෝන්  

Fair Dinkum

A Russian film crew was given access to the home of Ranil Wickremesinghe and his brother, who lived in a neighbouring house that was also destroyed by protestors according to him, appears describing what occurred, and the damage caused, including the destruction of artworks and 2,600 books which had been handed down from Ranil’s ancestors and which he intended to donate to libraries for future Sri Lankans.

https://videopress.com/embed/ZRFMOr5l?hd=1&cover=1&loop=0&autoPlay=0&permalink=1&muted=0&controls=1&playsinline=0&useAverageColor=0

While the burning of his house is itself a criminal act in which the perpetrators MUST be brought to justice, this destruction of the nation’s history in terms of burning artifacts, sculptures and paintings of the colonial era, and historical texts is a far greater crime against the Sri Lankan nation. It disgusts me. Who needs the Tamil Tigers when Sri Lankans can do a better job at destroying buildings and the nation’s treasures by themselves! The Tigers will be jumping for joy in their graves at this destruction, and the icing on the cake is the knowledge that the Sinhalese, joined with their Tamil brothers, are now working for the Tamil Tigers.

It is evident that rogue elements have infiltrated into the protest movement which means the leaders of this protest movement (whoever they may be) are either complicit in allowing rogue elements to penetrate their movement, or unable to control them. Either way, the leaders should be identified and held accountable for what has occurred. The credibility of this movement has been damaged by these actions and it can no longer be regarded as a genuine democratic protest movement. These rogue elements are intent on inciting evil acts designed to wreck the nation, ferment chaos, cause as much destruction as possible, and seize power for themselves.

Ranil Wickremesinghe has not been accused of corruption and regardless of the circumstances in which he became Prime Minister (which are not ideal), under the Constitution, he is legally the President until fresh elections are called for. Sri Lanka cannot allow protestors to make over twenty demands for instant action, including the demand for a new constitution, a new leader, by seizing government buildings and creating chaos until their demands are met. This is the law of the jungle. It is not a genuine protest movement. There is a proper democratic process Sri Lankans need to go through which is: (1) stand for parliament, (2) get elected, and (3) bring their demands or proposals to the parliament for a vote. Letting unelected and unnamed protestors dictate demands is not just an attack on democracy, but an attack on the democratic processes on which the Sri Lankan state is built on.

Some decades ago, during the JR period, an Israeli MOSSAD officer described Sri Lankans as monkeys just down from the trees”. I found it offensive back then, but I am having second thoughts as it is beginning to seem like an accurate description given what I have seen take place …

The last part of the news item refers to the implications of Sri Lanka taking out a further loan from the IMF.

It’s time the Sri Lankan government used the law enforcement to remove the protestors from government buildings as they are clearly obstructing the country from moving forward, and wrecking the nation far more than the Rajapakse’s. Authorities must be allowed the space to implement a democratic process to bring about fresh elections. Protestors must never be allowed to hijack the democratic process in a coup d’état which was what we are now witnessing taking place.

Hiru News

US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung has called for calm from all parties during this time.

The United States reiterates our call for calm at this time. We urge all parties to approach this juncture with a commitment to the betterment of the nation to work quickly to implement solutions that will bring long-term economic political stability. We condemn all violence call for the rule of law to be upheld. A peaceful transfer of power within SL’s democratic ‘ constitutional framework is essential so the people’s demands for accountability, transparency, democratic governance a better future can be realized she said in a Tweet.

Courtesy Outlook

Sri Lankan Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena on Thursday informed Gotabaya Rajapaksa that he should submit his letter of resignation as the President as soon as possible or else he will consider other options to remove him from the office, according to a media report.

Sri Lankan Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena on Thursday informed Gotabaya Rajapaksa that he should submit his letter of resignation as the President as soon as possible or else he will consider other options to remove him from the office, according to a media report.

On Wednesday, the Parliament Speaker said that the President in a telephone conversation had informed that he would tender his letter of resignation during the day, before midnight. However, he has not done it yet.

Speaker Abeywardena said that he informed President Rajapaksa to submit his letter of resignation as soon as possible, citing that he too is under pressure, News First Lanka reported on Thursday.

He said that since an acting President has been appointed, the Office of the Speaker is exploring the legal provisions to consider the option of “have vacated his post” if the President does not tender in his letter of resignation, the report added.

A spokesperson from the Sri Lanka Parliament said that given that the President had not yet tendered his letter of resignation, it is uncertain if Parliament would be convened on Friday.

The Prime Minister’s Media Division on Wednesday said that the acting President has informed Speaker Abeywardena to nominate a Prime Minister who is acceptable to both the Government and Opposition.

There have been mass protests in Sri Lanka. At least 84 people were hospitalised when protesters clashed with the security forces at the prime minister’s office and at the main access junction to Parliament on Wednesday after Rajapaksa fled the country.

The police fired tear gas and water cannons at the mob who were trying to break barriers and enter the restricted zone.

The police spokesman Nihal Thalduwa said protesters had grabbed a T56 firearm and 60 bullets from a Sri Lanka Army soldier. A police complaint had been lodged, the police said.

Sri Lankan authorities on Thursday also lifted the curfew, which was imposed in the Western province after the eruption of violence in the capital here.

Sri Lanka is going through a deepening political turmoil and economic crisis.

Sri Lanka, a country of 22 million people, is under the grip of an unprecedented economic turmoil, the worst in seven decades, leaving millions struggling to buy food, medicine, fuel and other essentials. Prime Minister Wickremesinghe last week said Sri Lanka is now a bankrupt country.

Courtesy India Today

he vehicles will be surrounding the Parliament at different locations. While there is no expected protest at the parliament, this is just a safety measure to be on the safe side.

A video from Colombo shows tracked armoured vehicles with army men moving on the streets of the city. The vehicles are reportedly heading towards Sri Lanka Parliament amid the Sri Lankan economic crisis.

The vehicles will be surrounding the Parliament at different locations. Parliament is the last phase where protesters might protest today. While there is no expected protest at the parliament, this is just a safety measure to be on the safe side.

https://embed.indiatoday.in/share/video/embed/3037

Army and security forces are on the streets of Columbo amid the Sri Lankan economic crisis.

Protesters have so far taken over the Presidential palace, the PM’s office, the PM’s house, and the state broadcaster. Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa called the government’s actions thus far “total anarchy“.

The Sri Lankan economic crisis is escalating by the minute with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa refusing to step down. He appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe the acting President after he fled to Male, Maldives, with his wife and two staffers on Wednesday, infuriating protesters further.

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

Acting President and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has informed Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena to nominate a Prime Minister who is acceptable to both the Government and Opposition.

In a statement, the Prime Minister’s Media Division said that on Monday (11th) the Prime Minister held a meeting with the Members of the Cabinet at the Prime Minister’s Office and all ministers who participated in this meeting were of the opinion that as soon as there is an agreement to form an all-party government, they will hand over the responsibilities to that government.

Accordingly, the ruling party and the opposition must form an all-party government, the statement said.

Thereby Acting President and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has informed Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena to nominate a Prime Minister who is acceptable to both the Government and Opposition. (Yohan Perera)

Courtesy Adaderana

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is following the situation in Sri Lanka very closely and has urged all party leaders to embrace the spirit of compromise” for a peaceful and democratic transition.

The comments by Mr. Guterres came as embattled Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on July 14 fled to the Maldives on a military jet, hours before he was supposed to step down in the face of a public revolt against him and his family for mishandling the economy that has bankrupted the country.

I continue to follow the situation in Sri Lanka very closely. It is important that the root causes of the conflict and protestors’ grievances are addressed. I urge all party leaders to embrace the spirit of compromise for a peaceful and democratic transition,” Mr. Guterres said in a tweet on Wednesday.

President Rajapaksa had informed both Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe that he will resign on July 13, days after protesters stormed his official residence in rage over the island nation’s worst economic crisis. He is yet to submit his resignation.

Amidst growing anti-government protests, Sri Lanka’s political parties have stepped up efforts to form an all-party government and subsequently elect a new President on July 20 to prevent the bankrupt nation from sliding further into anarchy.

Source: AP

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

The Sri Lanka Army said today that protesters had brutally assaulted two soldiers last night during the protests near Parliament and took two automatic T-56 assault rifles from their possession along with ammunition. 

Army Spokesman Brigadier Nilantha Premaratna said two army soldiers were brutally assaulted and their weapons and ammunition were stolen by protesters who behaved violently in and around the Parliament roundabout.

He urged the public to be vigilant as violence can be spread using these stolen weapons.

Meanwhile, the spokesman said at least 16 soldiers have been injured during the clash with protesters yesterday and are receiving treatment at the Army Hospital.

Meanwhile, the Army said in a statement that members of the Armed Forces and the Police have been empowered to enforce the law and order in the country to protect her people, public property, and the country at large at the expense of their own lives. (DSB)

The Statement

Members of the Armed Forces and the Police in terms of provisions, vested in them by the Constitution of Sri Lanka have been empowered to enforce law and order of the country and maintain the same in order to protect her people, public property and the country at large at the expense of their own lives. This has been practised since the country became an independent state and a free nation, through which the sovereignty of the republic, freedom of expression and free movement of the public as enshrined in the Constitution are upheld and exercised as it has been distinctly manifested in the most recent months during the series of public protests that began in May this year.
             
It is worthwhile to mention here that except for a few negligible arguments and skirmishes between the protesters and members of the Army, NO major incidents of violence of considerable nature occurred due to enforcement of law and order or breach of it during those mass protests, including the one on 9 July in Colombo, Fort.

The Chief of Defence Staff, Tri service Commanders and the Inspector General of Police on more than THREE occasions publicly appealed to protesting groups to remain calm, safeguard state buildings and all property and earnestly urged the protesters to resolve the issues constitutionally with the exit of the President Gotabaya Rajapaksa from the country. 
            
All Heads of the Armed Forces and the Police during meetings with the acting President and Prime Minister, Speaker of the Parliament and Political Party leaders in the past 72 hours while requesting all of them to accelerate resolution of the issues, pertaining to the political instability and the crisis in the island through  constitutional provisions, unanimously maintained that peaceful protests should NOT in anyway be dealt with full force, BUT with the minimum force as long as those protesters do not resort to violence or damage the public property.
        
Irrespective of those assurances, it has been unfortunately observed that a certain section of the protesters, purposefully deviating from its proclaimed  ‘non-violent’ approach continued to breach law and order as of Wednesday (13) afternoon and resorted to violence by trying to place the Parliament complex as well as the Speaker’s official residence under siege while destroying Police barricades through heavy machinery brought in there, in an attempt to take control of the Parliament complex which is the sole legislative body which can only exercise the sovereignty of the country and democratic values in conformity with Constitutional provisions.
             
By 7.00 pm on Wednesday (13), those unruly protesting mobs, unresponsive to repeated appeals of Army personnel, trying to forcibly enter the Parliament complex aggressively went on harassing and attacking the troops on duty using clubs, iron rods, stones, helmets, etc and snatched  TWO T-56 weapons with ammunition rounds and caused injuries to a dozen of  Army personnel, making two of them even unconscious who have now been admitted to the Colombo National Hospital and the Colombo Army Hospital for emergency treatment. The Police have been alerted to the loss of these two T-56 weapons, now possessed by those protesters who fled with those weapons.

In return, Army troops using minimum force after firing several shots in the air held some of those unruly violent elements who were inciting others too to harm Army personnel and the Police. However, Army personnel along with Policemen, not deterred by their cycle of violence brought the situation under control as of Wednesday (13) night with minimum force and took all precautionary security measures by dispersing those violent elements, awaiting to storm the Parliamentary complex. 

In view of escalation of violent acts, those protesters, intent on harming the Armed Forces or the public property are therefore earnestly urged to desist from all forms of violence immediately or be prepared to face consequences as members of the Armed Forces are legitimately empowered to exercise their force, if the situation deems necessary as security to the public property, key installations, vulnerable points and human lives, does fall within the purview of their responsibility. (Ends)

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has departed from the Maldives a short while ago, on board a Saudi Airlines flight, the Daily Mirror learns. 

He is now on his way to Singapore along with his wife and two security officials who flew with him from Colombo.

He had been escorted to the plane by special forces of the Maldives Defence Force. (Jamila Husain)

Malinda Seneviratne

 I write (it is 12.09 pm, on Wednesday) at a time when there’s a remarkable and unprecedented lack of political clarity in the country. As I write, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa has left the country. As per the Constitution, if indeed Rajapaksa did resign, or, as reported, Rajapaksa citing Article 37.1 of the constitution , Ranil Wickremesinghe has assumed the presidency in an acting capacity. There’s ‘fighting’ within parliament with parties and politicians unable to decide on Rajapaksa’s successor and of course who the next premier should be. There’s fighting among ‘aragalists’ over representational legitimacy, ideological and political thrust, and preferred endgames.

W B Yeates, in his poem ‘The Second Coming,’ seems to have anticipated all this.

Turning and turning in the widening gyre  
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere  
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst  
Are full of passionate intensity.

That’s a nutshell-capture if ever there was one. All this is new to Sri Lanka and post-Independence generations — yes, even during the UNP-JVP bheeshanaya, the Green-Black July, the long years of terrorist-besieging and at points of economic collapse, things didn’t really fall apart. The centre did hold. Today, there’s no ‘centre’.

There’s struggle of course. That is decent enough English for ‘aragalaya,’ after all.  Actually it should have been ‘aragala’ considering all pluralities pertaining to aragalists and outcome preferences, which, it was pretty obvious from the get go were glossed over by the singularity of the prominent slogan and end-point envisaged: ‘Gota go home!’ And it was not all about lofty visions of revolutionary change, system transformation and such. As my friend Kanishka Goonewardena put it, ‘It’s a bread riot, channelled into #gotagohome.’ True, at a very pertinent level, it was about availability, affordability and the political economy of entitlement.

The struggle, then, had something to do with multiplicity. For now, though, it is about what happens next in terms of the political order, crudely put it is about who takes over.  There are three broad struggles unfolding before us. One, within parliament or, let’s say, the established political order which of course is in crisis. Two, there’s a struggle outside parliament which has several subplots: a) coherence in terms of political programme, b) agreement on options on the economic front, c) crisis of representational legitimacy. Three, the conflict between ‘the aragalaya’ and the ‘political order’.  These three are not mutually exclusive of course, but such a characterisation is decent enough for analytical ease. Analytical ease notwithstanding, the way each plays out and interacts with one another is marked by one thing and one thing alone: unpredictability.

As one might expect in a mass uprising that is marked by spontaneity and the glossing over of the specific with an all-can-agree objective, the aftermath tends to favour the organised, those with specific agendas. The spoils not necessarily to the aragalists but rather the politicians and political parties, especially if we defer to parliament and constitution. The lack of coherence on all counts on things outside of ‘sending Gota home’ certainly strengthens the hand of the politician.

The eclectic nature of the aragalaya and aragalists most certainly was a necessary precondition for ‘victory’ but that’s where dreams flounder too. We say this on July 9, 2022. Everything that the aragalaya stood against was affirmed by ‘aragalists’: theft, vandalism, arson and violence of other kinds. Sure, you cannot blame everyone for the pranks of some, but there were many, academics, journalists, self-appointed radicals etc., who openly spurred them on or turned into shameless apologists. The most generous reading is that all of that was just a manifestation of the degree to which people have been disenfranchised.

As for the position(s) of the aragalaya, we can also be generous and say ‘early days; they need time to obtain coherence in terms of broader and indeed overall objectives. It will not be clean. The various pretenders to the leadership are putting forward demands/plans that range from minimalistic and decent through iffy to outrageously ridiculous.

Given that Wickremesinghe has assumed power, whether or not he has political control, and considering the declaration of curfew in the Western Province and emergency island-wide, things are coming to a head. How it unfolds is unclear. When and how the political air clears, no one can tell. At some point though, it must be understood that there was a mass movement, incoherent in objective though it was and is, that brought us to where we are right now. Everyone seems to have forgotten that it was essentially an economic and not political crisis that precipitated matters. That remains conspicuously ignored ;beyond the call for immediate relief measures, presumably on the basis of more foreign loans and debt, which is part of the problem rather than the solution, the demands do not address the structural dimension of the economic crisis confronting the country,’ as Kanishka puts it. And as he pointed out, ‘this is precisely the problem concerning which radical demands must be precisely articulated.’

Here are some additional and pertinent points he has made: ‘The Aragalaya—which proudly includes members of all classes—seems to have missed the local and global class dimension of the economic crisis in its demands. The limitations of the political vision of the Aragalaya, restricted to liberal constitutional reform, raises moreover the question about its own representative credentials: how does the Aragalaya authorize itself to speak in the name of the people of Sri Lanka? On what kind of democracy is the Aragalaya itself premised, in order to derive its own political legitimacy in distinction from that of the parliament, with or without constitutional reforms?
 
‘The Aragalaya is without doubt a popular and mass uprising, diverse in participants and spontaneous in evolution. As such it begs comparison with other revolutionary and non-revolutionary mass uprisings, from the bourgeois French Revolution to the workers’ Bolshevik Revolution to the more recent Arab Spring and Occupy movements. In the more successful among revolutionary uprisings, those that achieved systemic and emancipatory change at the level of social, economic and political structures, revolutionaries produced new political forms in conjunction with fundamental economic transformations. No such radicalism is so far evident in the demands of the Aragalaya—in spite of its rhetoric of radical change.
 
‘The true challenge for the Aragalaya in Sri Lanka now is to liberate itself from liberal political reformism and co-optation by the actually existing global capitalist economy, ably represented by the US Ambassador in Colombo, and to imagine what real change actually would look like and how another world is possible in Sri Lanka.’

As things stand, considering that the overall political establishment is severely compromised, nay has lost all semblance of legitimacy, whether anyone likes it or not, hope lies with the aragalaya and Aragalists. The challenges are enormous. It is easy to rubbish them and rubbished they will be, ironically, more so by the classes that never suffered and in fact benefited from the system that has come under fire. May the blood-dimmed tide be turned. May innocence recover its fragrance. May the best renew conviction and may the worst dial down passionate intensity. We are a resilient people. We must prevail.

By P.K.Balachandran Courtesy NewsIn.Asia

Colombo, July 13 (newsin.asia): Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who was to resign on Wednesday, July 13, now intends to resign on July 14, upon reaching Singapore, informed sources said.

Gotabaya Rajapkasa had difficulty in getting into Maldives as the immigration staff were reluctant to allow him in. It was only after Maldives parliament Speaker Mohamed Nasheed intervened, that the Lankan President was allowed in. Nasheed pointed out that if a Head of State wanted to land in a country, he could not be barred.

Gotabaya was put up in the post resort Waldorf Astoria Maldives at Ithaafushi  sources said.

After some rest on Wednesday, Gotabaya and his wife Anoma, left for Singapore. It appears that Basil Rajapaksa, brother of the President, who was not allowed to board a flight at the Karunyaka airport in Colombo earlier, eventually left Colombo, presumably with President Gotabaya.

Meanwhile, President Gotabaya formally appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as Acting President. The appointment was gazetted after the Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa said that Wickremesinghe could not function as an Acting President without a formal appointment letter, though as Prime Minister he is an automatic successor as per Art 40 C of the constitution.

Unfazed by the agitation against him, demanding his resignation, Acting President Wickremesinghe kept issuing orders from his parliament office. His own office on Flower Road had been occupied by the agitators after a clash with the police earlier in the day.

The police did not prevent the crowd from entering the office in large numbers and squatting there throughout the day. However, the police were also inside, to see that the crowd did not damage or steal property.

The police and army troops had been told to control crowds without using firearms. There should not be a single death,” they had been told.

The Sri Lanka Bar Association as well some Buddhist high priests had appealed for non-violent action.

Acting President Wickremesinghe has formed a committee of the service chiefs and the police chief, headed by the Chief of Defense Staff, Gen.Shavendra Silva to enforce law and order. Gen.Silva in turn appealed  to the people to cooperate with the law enforcement agencies to maintain peace and law and order.

At the all-party meeting convened by the parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, opposition parties asked Wickremesinghe to resign from both the Presidency and the Premiership. But Wickremesinghe stuck to his guns and said he would resign from the Presidentship only if defeated in the election due on July 20 and he would quit the Premiership after a national or all-party government was formed. He then asked the Speaker to see that the parties worked to form such a government.

Courtesy ANI

Colombo [Sri Lanka], July 14 (ANI): Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa who fled to Maldives on Wednesday followed by an uprising triggered due to the economic collapse of the island nation, is now waiting to travel further to Singapore.
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who is now an acting president, has declared a state of emergency in the country and a curfew in the Western province had been imposed.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has not departed for Singapore on the scheduled Singapore Airlines flight from Male to Singapore, the Daily Mirror reported.
Rajapaksa along with his wife Ioma Rajapaksa and two security officers were expected to leave for Singapore on board SQ437 from Male to Singapore tonight but did not board the aircraft due to security issues, Daily Mirror added citing sources.
Moreover, securing a private aircraft for the embattled President is currently in talks, Maldivian Media reported.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his wife along with two bodyguards from Katunayake International Airport travelled to the Maldives after full approval of the country’s Defense Ministry on Wednesday. An Air Force flight was given early in the morning on 13th July 2022.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Wednesday was sworn in as the President for a temporary period till a new President is elected by Parliament on July 20 and nominations for the presidency will be called for on July 19.
Sri Lanka is facing the worst economic crisis since its independence which has led to massive protests demanding the ouster of Rajapaksa as the President. Sri Lanka’s speaker of parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena has said political party leaders have decided to elect a new president on July 20 through a vote in parliament.
The development comes after thousands of people stormed into the President’s House in Fort on Saturday. The dramatic visuals also came from PM’s official residence where they were seen playing carrom board, sleeping on the sofa, enjoying in park premises and preparing food for dinner.
In the wake of record food price inflation, skyrocketing fuel costs and widespread commodity shortages, some 61 per cent of households in Sri Lanka are regularly using coping strategies to cut down on costs, such as reducing the amount they eat and consuming increasingly less nutritious meals. (ANI)

Courtesy GZERO

Demonstrators celebrate after entering the Sri Lankan PM’s office in Colombo to demand his resignation as interim president.

 REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte

Things have gone from bad, to worse, to outright crazy in Sri Lanka since the beginning of the year.

We warned you early on that the country would default on its huge sovereign debt, which it did in May. Since then, the economic crisis has quickly morphed into full-blown political turmoil and a social catastrophe the likes of which the region has not seen for a long time.

And there’s no easy fix.

The backstory. Thanks to the double whammy of COVID killing tourism and dismal economic policies — like banning chemical fertilizers to grow more organic food — the island nation depleted its foreign currency reserves weeks ago. Sri Lanka is now virtually out of fuel because the state can’t pay for imports.

Sky-high inflation has pushed food prices through the roof and left one-quarter of Sri Lankans hungry. Life in Colombo has become a dystopian nightmare of empty schools by day and dark streets by night to save power.

Long-simmering public fury at deeply unpopular President Gotabaya Rajapaksa boiled over last weekend, when protesters occupied the presidential palace to demand his resignation. The president, who belongs to a dynasty that has dominated Sri Lankan politics for two decades, reluctantly agreed but has not been seen or heard from since.

The latest. Rajapaksa fled the country on Wednesday, and from the Maldives appointed his also-reviled PM Ranil Wickremesinghe as caretaker president. Wickremesinghe — who’d previously promised to quit himself — then declared a nationwide state of emergency, which protesters defied by storming his office. The interim leader responded by ordering the army to do “whatever’s necessary” to maintain order.

We’re still waiting for Rajapaksa’s official resignation letter, and no one seems to know who’s really in charge.

So, what might happen next? Don’t count on a swift resolution, says Akhil Bery, director of South Asia Initiatives at the Asia Society Policy Institute.

Even if Rajapaksa and Wickremesinghe keep their promises to step down and MPs appoint successors, Bery believes the new government will lack a popular mandate. This would make it too weak to pass the tough economic reforms the IMF requires to bail out Sri Lanka. What’s more, the ruling party controls parliament — having won a two-thirds majority in the 2020 election — and its support can turn on a dime.

Finally, opposition leader and presidential hopeful Sajith Premadasa is also quite unpopular, and he lost big in the 2019 presidential election against Rajapaksa.

What about a coup? Bery says a military takeover — which would be Sri Lanka’s first — is unlikely because the army so far hasn’t cracked down hard on protesters breaking curfew and other emergency decrees. And the institutions, especially the judiciary, remain strong.

The only way out seems to be to hold a general election. But the cash-strapped government can hardly afford the cost, and the people are clearly in no mood to wait four months to vote.

The scarier and more likely scenario is continued unrest. What would that look like?

“Anarchy,” predicts Bery, drawing a comparison to crisis-ridden Lebanon. “Sri Lanka has gone from having one of the highest development indicators in South Asia and being on the cusp of becoming an upper-middle-income country to […] going backward. You could be staring at a lost generation here.”

Meanwhile, the anger will keep bubbling. “There’s as much frustration with the political situation and the capture of politics by the elite as there is with the economic crisis,” Bery says, adding that Sri Lankans are fed up with the leaders who led them down this path.

“The no. 1 big political risk in South Asia is food inflation. People don’t care about much, but if you can’t put food on the table, that’s when they take to the streets.”

Suhasini Haidar Courtesy The Hindu

Indian High Commission ‘categorically denies’ reports that India facilitated the Rajapaksas’ recent travel

Distancing itself from the Rajapaksa family that has been pushed out of power by angry protestors in Sri Lanka, the government made it clear that it has not offered outgoing President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, his brother and former Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa, and others who may wish to flee Sri Lanka, any support. New Delhi is watching the situation in Colombo closely, even as efforts get underway for the Sri Lanka Parliament to elect the next President next week.

The Indian High Commission said it categorically denies baseless and speculative media reports that India facilitated the recent reported travel” of Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Mr. Basil Rajapaksa.

“It is reiterated that India will continue to support the people of Sri Lanka as they seek to realize their aspirations for prosperity and progress through democratic means and values , established democratic institutions and constitutional framework,” the High Commission added.

On Sunday, the High Commission had also strongly denied reports suggesting India would send troops in to Sri Lanka, reiterating the statement put out by the Ministry of External Affairs that India would stand with” the people of Sri Lanka, mirroring a position the government has taken, carefully moving away from past statements that mentioned discussions with former President Gotabaya and former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, ever since the protests in Colombo escalated.

The comments have followed several unconfirmed reports in Colombo that members of the Rajapaksa family, with the exception of former PM Mahinda Rajapaksa who has decided for the moment to remain in Sri Lanka, were in touch with senior Indian officials, including National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar for safe passage”, as they made their way to destinations in the U.A.E., U.S. and Singapore. However, officials in Delhi have denied any role in helping the ousted Sri Lankan leadership, focusing instead on providing food, fuel, medicines, and other essentials to the country, as it grapples with the economic crisis.

The Rajapaksas stand totally discredited in the eyes of the Sri Lankan people…To be on the wrong side of history by facilitating their escape from Sri Lanka could not be on option and I believe India has done well in respecting the voice of Sri Lankan democratic opinion in this regard,” former Foreign Secretary and Ambassador to Sri Lanka Nirupama Rao said.

Senior officials also pointed out that any hint of support to the outgoing leadership could also complicate” New Delhi’s position with a new government in Colombo. At present, Acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who has the support of the Rajapaksas’ Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) party in Parliament, will go up against Sajith Premadasa and possibly other contenders from the opposition. With many members of the SLPP turning Independent in the last few months, New Delhi would rather not be seen as taking sides and await the outcome of the election due on July 20.

The Modi government’s disavowal of the Rajapaksas is yet another twist in what has been a see-saw relationship since 2014. President Mahinda Rajapaksa and PM Modi hit it off at the start when the Sri Lankan President attended Mr. Modi’s swearing-in ceremony. At the SAARC summit in Kathmandu in November 2014, Mr. Modi even wished President Mahinda Rajapaksa success in the upcoming elections, which raised many eyebrows.

However, some months later, the relationship soured, as Mr. Rajapaksa was defeated by a united opposition, something he blamed Indian intelligence officials for engineering”. In 2019, as Mr. Modi’s second tenure began, the Rajapaksas returned to power, with massive mandates that elected President Gotabaya first, and Mahinda Rajapaksa as Prime Minister next, and New Delhi and Colombo decided to forge a new relationship, getting off on a fresh footing. Soon after he was sworn-in, President Gotabaya visited Delhi, telling The Hindu that he would avoid the misunderstandings of the past”, especially over China’s presence, by keeping the lines of communication open. That determination helped when Mr. Gotabaya suddenly cancelled a joint Memorandum of Understanding with India and Japan to develop the East Coast Terminal in favour of a Chinese company in February 2021. New Delhi was reportedly assuaged after the West Coast Terminal was awarded to Adani Ports, after a direct request from the Modi government to the Sri Lankan President’s office, according to officials.

As Sri Lanka’s economic crisis spiralled out of control last November, the Modi government moved quickly to fulfil requests made by the Rajapaksas — opening credit lines for food and fuel, donating medicines, allowing debt repayment delays and enabling currency swaps to the tune of $3.8 billion. However, as the chants of Gota Go Gama” (Go home Gotabaya) grew louder at Colombo’s Galle Face, New Delhi decided its first duty as a neighbour was to the people, and made it clear its assistance was meant for them, not as a way of helping the leadership tide over the crisis.

India’s focus and concern has rightly been the plight of the people of Sri Lanka at this juncture. They are in want, they suffer because of the dire economic situation in the country. They are the constituency in need of help,” Ms. Rao told The Hindu.

Courtesy Adaderana

An island-wide curfew has been imposed until 5.00 a.m. tomorrow (July 14) by Acting President and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

The Prime Minister’s Office said an islandwide curfew has been imposed effective from 12 noon today (13) until 5.00 a.m. tomorrow.

The curfew order has been issued by virtue of the powers vested in the Prime Minister under section 16 of the Public Security Ordinance (Chapter 40) and directs that no person shall be on any public road, railway, public park, public recreation ground or other public ground or the seashore in such areas during this period. 

Earlier today, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, as the Acting President, had ordered to impose a curfew in the Western Province and a state of emergency island-wide. 

He also ordered the security forces to arrest those engaging in unruly behaviour and to take into custody the vehicles they travel in, the PM’s Office had said in a statement.

The move came as thousands of angry protesters gathered outside the PM’s office, and several other locations in Colombo this morning.

Protesters later stormed the prime minister’s office, demanding the country’s leaders step down after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa left for Maldives and named Wickremesinghe as Acting President. 

Courtesy Adaderana

Police fired tear gas and used water cannons to disperse protestors in front of the Speaker’s official residence near the Parliament.

A large group of people were engaged in a protest near the Speaker’s house while police had used tear gas to disperse them as they attempted to breach the police barricades, Ada Derana reporter said.

Meanwhile police had previously fired tear gas to disperse a group of protesters at Polduwa Junction in Battaramulla, near the entry road to the Parliament.

Courtesy Adaderana

Acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe has requested the Speaker of Parliament to nominate a person agreeable to the government as well as the opposition to be appointed as Prime Minister under an all-party government, the PM’s Office said.

In the discussion held with the Cabinet Ministers at the Prime Minister’s Office on the 11th of July, all the ministers who participated were of the opinion that as soon as there is an agreement to form an all-party government, they are ready to hand over the responsibilities to that government, the release said.

Accordingly, Acting President and Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe has informed Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena to nominate a Prime Minister who is accepted by both the ruling party and the opposition to form an all-party government.

By PTI 

‘We can’t allow the destruction of state property

Sri Lanka’s new Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe | AP

Acting President of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe on Wednesday said there was a fascist threat to democracy in the country and vowed to restore normalcy as well as stop the destruction of state property, hours after anti-government protesters stormed his office.

  In his first televised address since being appointed to the post after embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled to the Maldives, Wickremesinghe said he had ordered military commanders and the police chief to do what is necessary to restore order.

We must end this fascist threat to democracy. We can’t allow the destruction of state property. The President’s office, the President’s Secretariat and the Prime Minister’s official residence must be returned to proper custody, he said.

Those who are in my office want to stop me from discharging my responsibilities as acting president. We can’t let them tear up our Constitution. We can’t allow fascists to take over. Some mainstream politicians too seem to be supporting these extremists. That is why I declared a nation-wide emergency and a curfew, Wickremesinghe said.

Wickremesinghe said he has ordered military commanders and the police chief to do what is necessary to restore order.

He said as acting President he is declaring a state of emergency and a curfew in the Western province after his office was stormed by protesters.

He said according to intelligence inputs, protesters were to capture his office and Parliament which prompted the action to impose emergency.

Protesters have been demanding resignation of both Rajapaksa and Wickremesinghe to restore normalcy in the country. 

උපුටා ගැන්ම  හිරු පුවත්

සර්වපාක්ෂික ආණ්ඩුවක් පිහිටුවා රට තුළ සාමකාමී පරිසරයක් ඇති කිරීමට වැඩ බලන ජනාධිපතිවරයා ලෙස තමාත් කතානායකවරයාත් මේ මොහොතේ කටයුතු කරමින් සිටින අතර එය කඩාකප්පල් කිරීමට කැරලිකරුවන් සහ ඇතැම් පුද්ගලයන් උත්සාහයක නිරත වන බව වැඩ බලන ජනාධිපති රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහ පවසනවා.

මේ වනවිට රට තුල පවතින තත්ත්වය සම්බන්ධයෙන් විශේෂ ප්‍රකාශයක් කරමින් ඔහු සඳහන් කළේ පවතින වාතාවරණය සාමාන්‍ය තත්ත්වයට පත් කරන ලෙස තමන් ආරක්ෂක අංශවලට උපදෙස් ලබාදී ඇති බවයි.

එහි දී ඔහු මෙලෙස අදහස් පළකලා. 

ජනාධිපතිතුමා ඊයේ රාත්‍රියේ මාලදිවයින බලා පිටත් වුණා. ඔහු ඒ බව මටත් පැවසුවා. කථානායකතුමාටත් දැනුම් දී තිබුණා.

ඒ වගේ ම ඔහු ජනාධිපති ධුරයෙන් ඉවත් වන බව ද දැනුම් දී තිබුණා. සර්වපාක්ෂික ආණ්ඩුවක් පිහිටුවීමෙන් පසු අපිට ඡන්දයෙන් ජනාධිපති කෙනෙක් තෝරා ගන්න පුළුවන්.  අද දවසේ අරගලකරුවන් බොහෝ සැලසුම් සකස් කර තිබුණා. ඒවා බුද්ධි අංශ මඟින් අපිට දැනගන්නට ලැබුණා.

අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය කාර්‍යාලයය වටළන්න, යුද හමුධාපතිතුමාගේ ගෙදර, නාවික හමුදාපතිතුමාගේ ගෙදර, පාර්ලිමේන්තුව ඔවුන් වටළන්න සූදානමින් ඉඳලා තිබෙනවා. අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය කාර්‍යාලය ඔවුන්ට කරන්න දෙයක් නෑ, පාර්ලිමේන්තුව වටලන එක කතානායකතුමා ගත්ත තීරණයක් නිසා නවත්තගන්න අපිට පුළුවන් වුණා. ඔවුන් හැදුවේ මේ ස්ථාන අල්ලාගෙන රටේ බලය තහවුරු කරගන්න. ඔවුන්ට අවශ්‍ය කෙනෙක් පත් කරගන්න.

සමහරු කියනවා ව්‍යවස්ථාව වැඩක් නෑ කියලා. ව්‍යවස්ථාවෙන් පිට වැඩ කරන්න හදනවා. එහෙම වෙන්න දෙන්න බෑ. ව්‍යවස්ථාව අපි ආරක්ෂා කරන්න ඕනේ. රටේ දේපොළ ආරක්ෂා කරන්න ඕනේ. ඒ නිසා ආරක්ෂක අංශවල උපදෙස් අනුව මම තීරණය කළා ඇඳිරි නීතියත් හදිසි නීතියත් ක්‍රියාතමක කරන්න. මේ ඔබේ දරුවන්ගේ රටේ ජනතාවගේ අනාගතය. ත්‍රිවිධ හමුදාවට පොලිසියට හැමෝම සහාය දෙන්න ඕනේ.

හැමෝ ම නීතියට ගරු කරන්න ඕනේ. රට ආරක්ෂා කරගන්න ඕනේ. අපි කොහොම හරි මේ පැසිස්ට්වාදී තර්ජනය නතර කරන්න ඕනේ. යනුවෙන් අග්‍රාමාත්‍යවරයා ප්‍රකාශ කළා.

මේ අතර අද දිනයේ තම ඉල්ලා අස්වීමේ ලිපිය කතානායකවරයා වෙත යොමුකිරීමට තමන් කටයුතු කරන බව ජනාධිපති ගෝඨාභය රාජපක්ෂ දැනුම් දුන් බව, කතානායක මහින්ද යාපා අබේවර්ධන පවසනවා. <br /><br />මේ අතර, පවතින තත්ත්වය හමුවේ ස්වාධීන රූපවාහිනි සේවය ද සිය විකාශන කටයුතු අත්හිටුවා ඇති අතර, මීට පෙර විකාශන කටයුතු අත්හිටුවනු ලැබූ ජාතික රූපවාහිනියේ විකාශන කටයුතු යළි ආරම්භ කර තිබෙනවා.

පවතින තත්ත්වය හමුවේ පිට පළාත්වල සිට කොළඹ දක්වා පැමිණෙන සියලු දුම්රිය ධාවනය නතර කළ බව දුම්රිය සාමාන්‍යාධිකාරි ධම්මික ජයසුන්දර සඳහන් කළා.

රට තුල පවතින තත්ත්වය අනුව බස්නාහිර පළාත තුල ඇඳිරි නීතිය ක්‍රියාත්මක කිරීමත් සමග මෙලෙස කොළඹට පැමිණෙන දුම්රිය ධාවනය අත්හිටුවීමටයි දුම්රිය දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව කටයුතු කර ඇත්තේ.

කෙසේ වෙතත්, මේ වනවිට කොළඹට පැමිණ ඇති සියලු දුම්රිය යළි ගමනාන්තය බලා පස්වරුවේ ධාවනය කෙරෙනවා

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as the Acting President in accordance with the Article 37.1 of the Constitution, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardhane said today.

He said in a special statement that the President informed him that the Prime Minister was appointed as the Acting President as he was away from the country.

Courtesy The Hindu

Even as Gotabaya Rajapaksa is officially yet to resign, PM Ranil Wickremesinghe is expected to declare an island-wide Emergency ‘after he becomes acting President’

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will declare an island-wide Emergency when he becomes acting President, his office said on July 13 although President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is yet to officially resign. A curfew has also been imposed in the Western Province.

Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition Sajith Premadasa said in a tweet that PM becomes acting President only if the President appoints him as such, or if the office of President is vacant, or if the CJ in consultation with the Speaker forms the view that the President is unable to act.”

In the absence of any of these, the PM cannot exercise the powers of President, and cannot declare curfew or a state of emergency,” Mr. Premadasa added.

The move came as thousands of angry protesters gathered outside the PM’s office, official and private residences, and several other locations in capital Colombo on July 13 morning.

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The development came hours after Mr. Gotabaya fled the country, amid a worsening economic crisis that culminated in a dramatic takeover of the President’s office and home last weekend, and torching of the PM’s private residence.

Asked how Mr. Wickremesinghe could invoke powers of an acting President” when Mr. Gotabaya is still in office, PM’s spokesman Dinouk Colombage told The Hindu: The legal explanation will follow. We want to get the situation under control first.”

Courtesy Guardian

Protests break out across Colombo demanding Maldives-bound Gotabaya Rajapaksa step down immediately

Hannah Ellis-Petersen in ColomboWed 13 Jul 2022 07.43 BST

The Sri Lankan president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, has fled to the Maldives on a military jet hours before he was due to resign on Wednesday, following days of extraordinary scenes including his presidential palace and office being taken over by anti-government protesters.

Following his departure, the prime minister’s office said a state of emergency had been declared as protesters continued to try to storm government offices.

The airforce confirmed that Rajapaksa, his wife and two security guards boarded a military aircraft in the early hours of Wednesday morning, after he invoked executive powers to enable his escape.

Under the provisions of the constitution and on a request by the government, the Sri Lanka air force provided a plane early today to fly the president, his wife and two security officials to the Maldives,” a statement said.

On their arrival in the Maldives capital of Malé at 3am, they were greeted at the airport by the president, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, and his wife. At the time of his departure on Wednesday morning, the president still had not submitted a letter of resignation.

Protesters, activists and lawyers have called for the president to be prosecuted, along with various Rajapaksa family members, over alleged corruption and human rights abuses.

However, while he is still president, Rajapaksa enjoys immunity from arrest. It is believed that Rajapaksa will not officially resign until he reaches his final destination of the United Arab Emirates, which has long been a haven for disgraced leaders.

As news of his departure to the Maldives broke on Wednesday morning, protests broke out across the city of Colombo as people demanded he step down immediately. There was a heavy security presence outside the office of the prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, and teargas and water cannon were deployed by police as the crowds gathered to demand the prime minister also step down.

Rajapaksa’s escape to the Maldives followed a dramatic 24 hours in which he unsuccessfully tried various means of leaving the country. He was blocked from boarding a commercial flight to Dubai on Monday night after airport staff refused to stamp his passport in the VIP area of the airport. India also refused to give permission for a military airport transporting him to land on its soil.

The president’s younger brother Basil Rajapaksa, who served as finance minister, was also prevented from boarding a flight to Dubai en route to the US where he is a dual citizen. Basil was also reported to have left the country on Tuesday night.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who was elected in 2019, has been resisting calls for his resignation for months, as Sri Lanka has sunk deeper and deeper into a financial crisis for which he is widely blamed. Rajapaksa and five family members who held senior government posts stand accused of widespread corruption and economic mismanagement which left the country without any foreign currency to import food, fuel and medicines, and pushed inflation to record levels. According to the UN, the island of 22 million people is facing a humanitarian crisis.

Rajapaksa was forced at the weekend to announce his intention to step down from power this week, after hundreds of thousands of protesters filled the city of Colombo and stormed into the presidential palace and offices, as well as the official residence of the prime minister. They have occupied the buildings ever since, refusing to leave until both Rajapaksa and Wickremesinghe step down.

According to the constitution, if Rajapaksa steps down on Wednesday, then Wickremesinghe will automatically be put in his place. This would be highly unpopular among anti-government protesters, who believe that Wickremesinghe – who took over as a caretaker prime minister two months ago – was responsible for propping up the Rajapaksa regime. Wickremesinghe has agreed to step down when an all-party unity government is in place.

Opposition parties said the unity government had been agreed in principle, though it was not clear who the new prime minister would be. If Rajapaksa’s resignation goes head as planned, parliament will reconvene on 15 July and MPs will vote on 20 July to decide the new president.

Shenali D Waduge

13^th July 2022 will be remembered as the day an elected President resigned becoming the only President since 1978 to do so. He was the 7^thPresident of Sri Lanka but one who was unlucky enough to inherit a legacy for which only he has been held accountable. Though 6.8m voters voted him to power on 19 Nov 2019, less than 500,000 protesters secured his downfall. Is this democracy & rule of law? It is a warning to all others who may also meet the same fate from a well-planned psy ops. This came in the form of a hora hora” propaganda to which the Rajapakses chose not to respond & absolve themselves from any fake stories or false flags being hurled at them. Most of the supporters urged them to take legal action and absolve themselves, which they chose too late to do. Now an unelected UNP leader, entering Parliament from National List to become the PM has now become the President of Sri Lanka and all thanks to a protest undermining democratic path to representation.

The term of President Jayawardena though heralded the open economy, Sri Lanka faced turbulent times with President Jayawardena unleashing all forms of corrupt practices.

He was the tuition master of corruption in Sri Lanka though he himself did not indulge in it.

The term of President Premadasa saw many projects that raised villages and commenced factories and generated income. He kept the public sector on their toes and was one of Sri Lanka’s best administrators. The public offices were the cleanest and efficient under his rule.

Then came President Chandrika in whom people placed a lot of trust, eventually disappointed all, though she too came with resounding victory and remained 2 terms in office.

In 2005 Mahinda Rajapakse became PM and did what all previous presidents was scared to do. In so taking a forthright decision to end terrorism, Mahinda Rajapakse received the wrath of all the entities that had been riding the tiger to advance their agendas. These entities were powerful and had tentacles in almost every sphere of society. The failure of the Rajapakses was in their ability to strategize how to handle the propaganda campaign against them. The entire media channels became against them and not many were bothered to look into the truth and facts of the allegations spread with ‘authority”. It was the neglect of dealing with these false propaganda coupled with an arrogant attitude towards handling the political system that eventually saw their fate. In refusing to read the pulse of the people, in taking the enemy to their fold distancing nationalists who voluntarily championed for them resulted in having no friends to back them. As for the rest of the Rajapakse’s them best take lessons from the fate that befell the 3 main architects that defeated terror – how far who gave the nation away or succumbed to international pressures or if the entire tarnishing campaign was false – we will come to know in months to come. The victors will boast of their achievements & this will embarrass many thereafter.

What is quite clear is that while the foreign entities may have also considered the Rajapakses a threat in view of the nationalist backing, the locals that joined efforts against them did so for personal vendettas, personal interests & nothing to do with national interests. Majority were harboring hate as a result of Rajapakse’s not giving them what they wanted while others fell for propaganda. This was why Rajapakses were asked to clear their name as they owed it to those that supported them.

The nationalists were supporting national interests and not individuals and supported individuals who only stood for national interests.

Leaders that do not represent the nation nor national interests end up destroying the nation together with its people.

Be that as it may, it is now pointless analyzing where they went wrong or why. A well-organized protest whose real architects will soon come to be known may embarrass most of those that have taken part, but it engineered a complete change to the law & order system of Sri Lanka. It is now too late to worry how far jungle law will affect people when justice is not decided by the courts and punishment means having homes and belongings destroyed, looted and gutted. Even this tragedy is being justified as accepted if the collateral damage is to chase away the Rajapakse. The logic of this, even foreigners believe is deemed to equate to ending corruption in Sri Lanka. In other words, everyone has been projected the notion that no one and no politician is corrupt except the Rajapakses.

Presuming we accept this perception, it means Sri Lanka has arrived at a golden phase sans the Rajapakses. While Parliament is fighting for power, illegal occupiers are fighting over who gets AC rooms, while aragala without electoral mandate demands it be included into decision making & the boss of the legal fraternity thinks he can become President. This is the golden era we must now become used to. Days of queues will be over. Days of corruption are no more.

Yet, no one has answers to dealing with the economy. Where are we to get money to buy all these? Where do we get the money to repay loans taken. Let it be noted that from 2019-2022 Jan no loans were taken by President Gotabaya. His administration was only repaying loans taken by the previous government. All other governments took loans to not only repay loans but to run the government. President Gotabaya upon assuming office was faced with a global crisis – covid which impacted tourism foreign remittances and loss of business (import-export) trade. It will be too late when people realize he is not responsible for the debt situation of the country. He is responsible for the fertilizer issue for which he apologized. He is also responsible for some bad decisions but these come nowhere near the treacherous decisions taken by predecessors. However, as President he must take the blame which he did.

Sri Lanka’s problem centres around the lack of foreign currency to make purchases. Political changes or amendments to constitution or appointment of new heads is not going to bring dollars. Not one of those making demands and speeches have given the roadmap to make revenue or rejuvenate the economy.

Those who are celebrating the victory are silent when asked where are they to find dollars to buy essentials or even non-essentials.

When Sri Lanka made $7b from foreign remittances – can this amount suffice especially when those overseas are also facing the same global recession, inflation and high living cost.

When Sri Lanka made $5b from tourism – will tourists arrive when they are scared of the manner barricades were dismantled, state buildings were forcibly taken, valuable belongings and antiques stolen or destroyed and now flights are getting cancelled and foreign governments for fear of their natives are issuing travel advisories. The already in debt local tourism industry will see more suffering with job losses and inability to maintain their properties. What are the answers the protestors and their organizers and supporters have for their revival?

The last measure is the sale of public assets – with $52b debt, once assets are sold or privatized will what we make from these suffice to settle the debt? Presuming it does, when we have forsaken all the avenues that the state can make revenues – how does the State function, how can a government run a country with no revenue or no means to tax? Whatever economic so called experts parrot, forsaking state assets is not the answer or the solution. But it becomes the lazy option without thinking of ways to resurrect the economy. If such happens, the protests will be more aggressive than presently – as life will become far worse than is now.

Be that as it may, we must move on & as Buddha said – nothing is permanent. We have gone through all types of phases and this one is no different.

The challenge comes in meeting the real challenge and not creating new challenges.

Shenali D Waduge

Courtesy BBC

Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has arrived in the Maldives, after fleeing the country amid protests over the island’s economic crisis.

The 73-year-old arrived in the capital city, Male, at around 03:00 local time (22:00 GMT), the BBC understands.

Mr Rajapaksa left aboard a military jet, ending a familial dynasty that has ruled the country for decades.

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

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

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s youngest brother was prevented from leaving the country 24 hours earlier but is now said to be heading to the US.

The president earlier pledged to resign on Wednesday amid mass protests.

• Rajapaksa told: ‘Quit now or face massive protest’

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 authoritarian 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.

Courtesy Adaderana

The Immigration & Emigration Officers’ Association (SLIEOA) says its members have no lawful authority to prevent President Gotabaya Rajapaksa from leaving the country as he is still officially in office.

In a statement, the association also said there is no truth to the media reports and social media posts in circulation, which claim that the immigration & emigration officers refused to allow President Rajapaksa to fly out of the country after he arrived at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake today.

After the anti-government protesters in large numbers gathered to Colombo and occupied the President’s House, Presidential Secretariat and the Temple Trees on Saturday (July 09), there have been reports of top-level officials including President Gotabaya Rajapaksa attempting to fly out of the country.

Early this morning, former Minister Basil Rajapaksa had tried to leave the country from the BIA, however, he was forced to turn back after the immigration officers at the BIA declined to serve him at the Silk Route departure lounge for VIPs.

The Immigration & Emigration Officers’ Association later said its members have withdrawn from providing services citing security concerns and tremendous pressure to not allow top-level figures to fly out of the country.

Subsequently, SriLankan Nidahas Sewaka Sangamaya (SLNSS) also walked away from operations at the CIP operations at Silk Route lounge.

The president of the union Janaka Vijayapathiratne said SriLankan employees will have to face public outrage if services are provided to high-ranking officials, who are responsible for the ongoing crisis, attempting to flee.