Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa quit on Monday after a day of violence that saw three people including an MP killed and over 150 wounded as government supporters armed with sticks and clubs attacked protestors. Lawmaker Amarakeerthi Athukorala from the ruling party shot two people — killing a 27-year-old man — and then himself […]
Sri Lanka crisis
Crisis-hit Sri Lanka declares emergency after crippling strike
Sri Lanka’s president Friday declared a state of emergency for the second time in five weeks, giving security forces sweeping powers amid a nationwide strike by angry demonstrators who blame him for an unprecedented economic crisis. A spokesman for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said he invoked the tough laws to “ensure public order” after shops closed […]
Sri Lanka asks citizens abroad to send home cash for food and fuel
Sri Lanka urged its citizens overseas to send home money to help pay for desperately needed food and fuel Wednesday after announcing a default on its $51 billion foreign debt. The island nation is in the grip of its worst economic crisis since independence in 1948, with severe shortages of essential goods and regular blackouts […]
President suspends parliament as Sri Lanka crisis worsens
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena suspended parliament Saturday to forestall a challenge against his surprise ouster of the prime minister, deepening a sudden swell of political turmoil in the island nation. Police cancelled all leave as tensions heightened in Colombo a day after the president dismissed Ranil Wickremesinghe and replaced him with controversial former strongman […]