Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe. (AP/File)Sri Lanka crisis live news: Sri Lanka’s acting president Ranil Wickremesinghe has declared a state of emergency in the country, according to a government notice released late Sunday night, Reuters reported, as the current administration works towards handling the social unrest and tackling the economic crisis. “It is expedient, so to do, in the interests of public security, the protection of public order and the maintenance of supplies and services essential to the life of the community,” the notification stated.
The fuel shortage in Sri Lanka has hit the elite as well as common people. On the streets of Colombo, fewer private cars are plying, serpentine queues outside petrol stations are a common sight and most residents have been walking long distances, keeping the little fuel they have for an “emergency”.
As Sri Lanka continues to reel under a political and economic crisis, the Indian government has decided to hold an all-party meeting Tuesday to discuss the situation in the neighbouring country. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi Sunday said that Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will, during the all-party meeting, brief leaders of various political parties on the Sri Lankan crisis. Meanwhile, at a meeting of various parties convened ahead of the monsoon session of Parliament, Tamil Nadu-based Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) demanded that India intervene in the crisis plaguing Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka's acting president Ranil Wickremesinghe has declared a state of emergency in the country, according to a government notice. (Reuters)
Sri Lanka's interim President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Sunday told the West that the sanctions on Russia for its aggression in Ukraine will not bring Moscow to its knees, but instead badly hurt the rest of the third world in terms of food shortages and spiralling prices.
The remarks of the interim leader of the crisis-hit island nation came days after the World Food Programme said that skyrocketing food and fuel prices, shortage of essentials and loss of income were pushing adequate food out of reach for over six million Sri Lankans.
Speaking at an international panel discussion on Preventing Hunger and Famine, Wickremesinghe urged all sides to agree to a ceasefire on the war in Ukraine and end further sufferings of the people across the globe.
"Our issue in Sri Lanka is partly self-made and partly due to the global crisis," he said. (PTI)
Muted protests were organized by a handful of Singaporeans as ousted Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa arrived here last Thursday, leaving behind a economically-shattered country.
Shortly after he arrived in Singapore on Thursday, the police reminded any would-be demonstrators about the consequences of breaking the law.
"Police ask that the public, Singaporeans, residents, work pass holders and social visitors alike, abide by our local laws.
"Action will be taken against anyone participating in a public assembly that is illegal," The Straits Times reported on Sunday, citing the police.
In a Change.org petition created on Thursday, the day Rajapaksa landed in Singapore, blockchain businessman Raymond Ng wrote that he had filed a police report in Singapore against Rajapaksa for money laundering, compelled by his "loyalty to the Republic of Singapore".
As of Saturday, more than 2,000 people have signed the petition, although it is not known how many of these were unique or from Singapore. (PTI)
Sri Lanka's state-run Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) on Sunday reduced the diesel and petrol retail prices, the first decrease after five hikes since February as the severe foreign exchange shortage hampered the import of fuel and other essentials in the country reeling under worst economic crisis in decades.
The new prices will be effective from 10.00 pm on Sunday.
The diesel and petrol retail prices have been reduced by Rupees 20 each. Both had been raised by Rs 50 and 60 at the end of May.
The Indian Oil Company's local operation, the Lankan Indian Oil Company (LIOC), also said that they would effect the price reduction.
The state fuel entity is still unable to make supplies available. Since the end of June, their supplies had been limited to essential services while the LIOC served the individual customers. --PTI
The government has called an all-party meeting Tuesday on the Sri Lankan crisis which will be briefed by Union ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and S Jaishankar, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said.
During a meeting of parties convened on Sunday ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, Tamil Nadu-based DMK and AIADMK demanded India intervene in the neighbouring country which is facing a debilitating economic crisis. --PTI
Indian government will be holding an all-party meeting on Sri Lanka situation on Tuesday. The meeting will be chaired by Union ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and S Jaishankar, PTI reported.
Families, future and finances---Srilankan students in India are on hooks getting bothered about the three as their kin back home struggle with the developments in wake of the Island nation facing its worst economic crisis in seven decades.
Amritha Vidyapathy, who hails from Colombo and is a student in Lucknow, says she has been urging his family to move to India with her considering the unfolding situation since months.
"I have been urging them to come with me here but my family has their whole life there which is now in shambles considering the businesses which were already affected by the pandemic are in worse state now. I don't know what future holds for me and my family," she said.
Another student Ama Nethmi, is wondering about how long her family will be able to send her money to help her survive in India. (PTI)
Aiming to provide fuel to the public in an orderly manner amidst its worst energy crisis, the Sri Lankan government has introduced fuel passes that will guarantee a weekly quota to every vehicle owner.
Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis since independence in 1948. The country is unable to pay for its essential imports, fuel, food and medicine due to an acute forex crisis.
The public have been languishing in serpentine queues for fuel, cooking gas and suffering with multiple hours of power outages.
“Today we have introduced the national fuel pass. This will guarantee a weekly quota for each vehicle,” Power and Energy minister Kanchana Wijesekara said after the initiative was launched on Saturday.
National Fuel Pass was developed with the assistance of leading Tech companies in Sri Lanka and the Institute of Communication and Information Technology (ICTA) without any cost to Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) or the government, the Colombo Page reported.
He said the public are advised to register with the fuel pass website “fuelpass.gov.lk” with their personal identification. (PTI)
Colombo’s Galle Face, the epicentre of protests in economic and political crisis hit Sri Lanka, was also the venue of the Satyagraha by the Tamil people over 60 years ago to seek equal importance, which resulted in them being violently attacked by elements toeing majoritarianism.
The Tamils’ protests, following the ‘Sinhala Only Bill’ by the Bandaranaike regime on June 5, 1956 saw participants at the Galle Face becoming target of violent attack by goons sympathetic to the then ruling establishment and those who subscribed to politics of hegemony and ethnicity, said S C Chandrahasan.
Founder of Organisation for Eelam Refugees Rehabilitation (OfERR), Chandrahasan, is the son of SJV Chelvanayakam (1898-1977), the iconic leader of Tamils of Sri Lanka who fought all his life for the rights of the ethnic minority through Gandhian means. Chelvanayakam is revered as ‘Thanthai Chelva’ (Father Chelva) by Lankan Tamils. (Read More)
Sri Lankan protesters have vowed to continue their struggle for a complete change of the system by abolishing the presidency, as the popular uprising that ousted Gotabaya Rajapaksa as president marked the 100th day on Sunday.
The anti-government protest began on April 9 near the presidential office and has been continuing without a break.
“We will continue our fight till we achieve our goal for a complete change of the system," Father Jeewantha Peiris, a leading activist of the movement, said.
“This is a freedom struggle. We managed to send home an authoritarian President through people's power," Peiris said.
Rajapaksa, 73, who fled to the Maldives on Wednesday and then landed in Singapore on Thursday, formally resigned on Friday, capping off a chaotic 72 hours in the crisis-hit nation that saw protesters storm many iconic buildings, including the President and the Prime Minister's residences here.
Acting president Wickremesinghe appears to be their next target for the protesters and the campaign to oust him has already begun. (PTI)
The Asia Cup is "likely" to be moved out of Sri Lanka in the wake of political unrest in the island nation, SLC secretary Mohan de Silva said on Sunday, adding that the tournament could be played in the UAE.
Sri Lanka, which has been battling an economic crisis, has witnessed widespread protests against the government for weeks.
However, the situation worsened with president Gotabaya Rajapaksa fleeing the country on a military jet.
"The Asia Cup is very likely that it will be held in the UAE," Sri Lanka Cricket secretary de Silva told PTI when asked about a possible change in the venue of the T20 tournament.
The dates for the six-team tournament are expected to remain the same as scheduled earlier from August 26 to September 11. (PTI)
Leader of Opposition in Sri Lanka and MP Sajith Premadasa on Sunday said, "We admire the gracious efforts of Government of India for the tremendous support they have given us, in terms of meeting the basic needs of our people. We continue to seek India's help and support in this regard."
Colombo's Galle Face, the epicentre of protests in economic and political crisis hit Sri Lanka, was also the venue of the Satyagraha by the Tamil people over 60 years ago to seek equal importance, which resulted in them being violently attacked by elements toeing majoritarianism.
The Tamils' protests, following the 'Sinhala Only Bill' by the Bandaranaike regime on June 5, 1956 saw participants at the Galle Face becoming target of violent attack by goons sympathetic to the then ruling establishment and those who subscribed to politics of hegemony and ethnicity, said S C Chandrahasan.
Founder of Organisation for Eelam Refugees Rehabilitation (OfERR), Chandrahasan, is the son of SJV Chelvanayakam (1898-1977), the iconic leader of Tamils of Sri Lanka who fought all his life for the rights of the ethnic minority through Gandhian means. Chelvanayakam is revered as 'Thanthai Chelva' (Father Chelva) by Lankan Tamils. (PTI)
Days after leaving Afghanistan after the Taliban walked into Kabul on August 15 last year, President Ashraf Ghani surfaced in the United Arab Emirates. Eleven months later, almost to the day, Gotabaya Rajapaksa of Sri Lanka became the second South Asian leader to flee his country. He chose to fly east to Singapore, after a 36-hour halt in the Maldives.
Singapore is not the first country that comes to mind as a safe haven for political leaders seeking exile. Unlike the UAE, which welcomed Ghani on “humanitarian grounds”, the government of the city-state put out a terse statement as Rajapaksa landed, as if to convey its discomfort. “Singapore generally does not grant requests for asylum,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, nor had Rajapaksa asked for it. He had been allowed on a private visit.
When leaders go into exile, why do they choose to go where they go? The question has been interesting enough for academic study. Abel Escrib`a-Folch and Daniel Krcmaric (Journal of Politics, Vol 79, Number 2, 2017) studied the destinations of 98 fleeing “autocrats” between 1945 and 2008. They found that they were more likely to go to countries that were strategic allies, former colonisers, important trade partners, or neighbours. The last was particularly so for those ousted suddenly, as in a coup, as advance planning is not possible in such cases. Most are less likely to seek out democracies. And the numbers have been falling because more nations now worry about their credibility in giving safe haven to unsavoury characters. (Read More)
The ministries of External Affairs and Finance will brief the floor leaders of various political parties in Parliament on the Sri Lanka situation on Tuesday, officials said.
Citing an office memorandum, the officials said the briefing by the two ministries has been scheduled for the evening of July 19, the second day of the monsoon session of Parliament.
The briefing on the present situation in Sri Lanka will be attended by the floor leaders of various political parties, the officials added.
The monsoon session will begin on July 28 and is scheduled to continue till August 12.
Earlier in the day, India assured Sri Lanka that it will continue to support democracy, stability and economic recovery in the country, which is at a crucial juncture, amid the unprecedented political crisis and economic turmoil.
The assurance was given to Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena by India's High Commissioner Gopal Baglay when he called on the Sri Lankan leader. (PTI)