COLOMBO/SINGAPORE—Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa submitted a letter of resignation on July 14, a spokesperson for the parliamentary speaker said, hours after fleeing to Singapore following mass protests over an economic meltdown. The announcement triggered jubilation in the commercial capital Colombo, where protesters massed outside the presidential secretariat, defying a city-wide curfew. Crowds set off…
Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Refuses to Go, Country’s Crisis Deepens
Fury exploded onto the streets of Sri Lanka’s capital on July 13 following the failure of the country’s leadership to honour an agreement for the president and prime minister to relinquish their positions. The official resignations of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe occurred, but then were backtracked on. Rajapaksa, his wife, and…
Sri Lanka and the Start of a Starvation Pandemic
Commentary Poor governmental decisions in many countries are leading to mass starvation–and public retaliation against their governments. Sri Lanka’s current dire problems—in which popular street action has thrown out, first, a sitting prime minister, then his replacement, and then the sitting president—seem likely to be a precursor to similar actions elsewhere in the world. And…
Sri Lanka President Tells Parliament Speaker He Will Resign on Wednesday
COLOMBO—Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled to the Maldives on Wednesday, telephoned the speaker of parliament saying that his resignation letter will be sent later in the day. “The president got in touch with me over the phone and said that he will ensure that his resignation letter will be received by me today,”…
Sri Lanka’s President Flees to Maldives
Sri Lanka’s embattled president reportedly fled the island nation on a military jet on Wednesday amid mass protests calling for his resignation, ending his family dynasty that dominated national politics for decades. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, along with his wife and two bodyguards, fled to Male—the capital city of the Maldives—after thousands of anti-government protesters stormed…
Economic Failures Topple Sri Lanka’s Government After Months of Protests
Civilian outrage in Sri Lanka has been simmering since 2021 over the effects of commodity shortages, inflation, and economic policy failures that erupted into widespread protests beginning in March. Thousands of demonstrators in the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo stormed the president’s official residence and burned the prime minister’s home on July 9, after which…
Police Use Violence Against Protesters at Bank in Zhengzhou, China; Japan’s Upper House Election | NTD Daybreak
A peaceful protest over frozen bank deposits turns violent in China. Plainclothes police violently dispersed thousands of protesters gathered at the People’s Bank of China in Zhengzhou. Secretary of state Antony Blinken visits Japan. He expressed condolences for former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Results from Japan’s elections on Sunday. Find out what it means for the future…
India Dismisses Reports of Sending Troops to Sri Lanka Amid Escalating Protests
India “categorically” dismissed reports that it was sending troops to Sri Lanka amid worsening turmoil that has seen protesters break into both the president’s and prime minister’s residences to demand their resignations. The Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka issued a statement on Monday denying “speculative reports” circulating on social media that New Delhi was…
Sri Lanka Opposition Meets to Install New Government Amid Turmoil
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka—Sri Lanka’s opposition political parties were meeting Sunday to agree on a new government a day after the country’s president and prime minister offered to resign in the most dramatic day of monthslong political turmoil, with protesters storming both leaders’ homes and setting fire to one of the buildings in a rage over…
Sri Lanka Protesters Plan to Occupy President and Prime Minister’s Residences Until They Quit
COLOMBO—Leaders of the protest movement in Sri Lanka who have forced the president and prime minister out of their official residences said on Sunday they will occupy the buildings until the two quit office. “The president has to resign, the prime minister has to resign and the government has to go,” said playwright Ruwanthie de…
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