Sri Lanka

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Tensions remained on a knife-edge in Sri Lanka after a promised resignation from the president had still not appeared by Thursday morning, leaving the country in political limbo.

A curfew was imposed in the commercial capital of Colombo from Thursday midday amid silence from President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. He escaped to the Maldives early on Wednesday morning but 24 hours later had still not submitted his resignation letter.

According to Maldives officials, President Rajapaksa, 73, boarded a Saudi Airlines flight to Singapore early Thursday afternoon, with his final destination reported to be Saudi Arabia.

The parliamentary speaker said he had spoken to Rajapaksa, who had said he was “under a lot of pressure and that steps will be taken to send the resignation letter as soon as possible”.

Sri Lanka is in a state of emergency after protesters breached the prime minister’s offices and took over the state television broadcaster on Wednesday amid mounting anger over Rajapaksa’s failure to resign.

On Thursday morning, protesters said they had peacefully handed back the government buildings they had occupied, including the president’s palace and administrative offices, and the prime minister’s offices and official residence, in order to maintain peace.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jul/14/sri-lanka-on-a-knife-edge-as-promised-rajapaksa-resignation-fails-to-arrive

Rajapaksa, who has been president since November 2019, is held responsible for driving Sri Lanka into its worst economic crisis since independence in 1948, which has led to severe shortages of fuel, food and medicines. Along with several members of his politically powerful family who held political posts, the Rajapaksas are accused of economic mismanagement and widespread corruption.

Protesters, along with trade unions and civil society groups, issued a warning this week that their actions would escalate if Rajapaksa did not step down on 13 July, the date he had repeatedly conveyed through parliamentarians and the prime minister would be his departure.

Rajapaksa has not directly addressed the people of Sri Lanka since he was evacuated from his home on Saturday morning, ahead of protests that saw the presidential palace and offices occupied.

Officially Rajapaksa remains president but appointed the prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, to be “acting president” with full executive powers, a move that was rejected by protesters who have been calling for both to resign.


Protesters filled the streets of Colombo on Wednesday and, after coming up against police and military enforcement and thick teargas, had taken over the offices of Wickremesinghe, demanding he resign as prime minister and interim president.

 

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"Make Sri Lanka Great Again"

 

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Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has told the military to do "whatever is necessary to restore order" after protesters stormed his office on Wednesday.

Mr Wickremesinghe has been appointed acting president by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who has fled the country.

But the decision to leave him in charge triggered further protests demanding that the prime minister must also go.

Sri Lanka has been suffering from its worst economic crisis in decades.

Many blame the Rajapaksa administration for the crisis and see Mr Wickremesinghe, who became prime minister in May, as part of the problem.

On Wednesday, for the second time in less than a week, protesters broke into a highly secure state building. This time it was the prime minister's office.

Echoing earlier scenes over the weekend of the occupied president's official residence, people in the prime minister's office lounged on plush sofas snapping photos, while others stood on chairs and desks waving the Sri Lankan flag.

Sri Lanka PM tells military to do whatever necessary to restore order

Thousands of protesters stormed the office of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

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How the storming of Sri Lanka PM's office unfolded

Protesters were met with tear gas and water cannon by authorities.

www.bbc.co.uk

Inside the office stormed by protesters in Sri Lanka

The BBC's Rajini Vaidyanathan is with the protesters who flooded into the PM's office in Colombo.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

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Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has officially resigned, the parliamentary speaker confirmed, after a dramatic week which saw the beleaguered leader flee the country after his presidential palace and offices were stormed by protesters.

The formal announcement of Rajapaksa’s resignation was made in a televised address by the speaker, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, on Friday morning.

Rajapaksa is currently in Singapore, where he fled to on Wednesday, via the Maldives. His resignation letter was sent late on Thursday night, first via email and then the original dispatched on a diplomatic flight, but the formal announcement was delayed until Friday while the speakers’ office verified the letter.

Rajapaksa’s decision to flee without resigning had left Sri Lanka in a state of political limbo for more than 36 hours, and tensions had run high in the country, which remained in a state of emergency.

Abeywardena confirmed that, according to the constitution, the prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, would be sworn in as an interim president on Friday and will hold the role until a new vote is held by MPs in parliament next week. The process of voting in and confirming a new president is likely to take seven days, said the speaker.

Sri Lanka’s president Gotabaya Rajapaksa officially resigns

Ranil Wickremesinghe to be interim president until MPs vote for a new leader next week following months of mounting protests over economic crisis

www.theguardian.com

tämä oli nopea konflikti

 

[ak.tied]

tämä oli nopea konflikti

Ilmeisesti armeija ja poliisi sai tarpeekseen Rajapaksasta ja peli oli sillä selvä.

Varmaan otti paljon painetta pois presidentin ero. Talous on kuitenkin totaalisen romuna, eikä tilanne muilta osin ole helpottanut. Parissa vuodessa on paskottu kaikki talouden peruspilarit paikallisen "vihreän siirtymän" nimissä. Pahat tekstit netissä kertovat, että Sri Lanka olisi ollut WEF:n mallimaa ja lopputulos ei ole kovin mairitteleva.

Levottomuuksia on varmasti vielä tiedossa, koska talous ja ruokahuolto on niin huonossa jamassa. Valuutta ja luottokelpoisuus romutettu, mikä tekee tuonnista vaikeaa. Humanitäärinen kriisi uhkaa jos valtio ei kykene ruokkimaan ja lääkitsemään kansalaisiaan. Vielä pari vuotta sitten Sri Lanka oli ruoan suhteen omavarainen, mutta 2021 valtion pakolla asettama luomuviljelypakko (ml. torjunta-aineiden ja lannoitteiden tuontikielto) tuhosi parissa kaudessa niin ruoantuotannon kuin esimerkiksi teen tuotannon, joka oli merkittävimpiä vientituotteita.

 

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https://twitter.com/x/status/1547521871914172416

 

[StepanRudanskij]

Ilmeisesti armeija ja poliisi sai tarpeekseen Rajapaksasta ja peli oli sillä selvä.

Varmaan otti paljon painetta pois presidentin ero. Talous on kuitenkin totaalisen romuna, eikä tilanne muilta osin ole helpottanut. Parissa vuodessa on paskottu kaikki talouden peruspilarit paikallisen "vihreän siirtymän" nimissä. Pahat tekstit netissä kertovat, että Sri Lanka olisi ollut WEF:n mallimaa ja lopputulos ei ole kovin mairitteleva.

Levottomuuksia on varmasti vielä tiedossa, koska talous ja ruokahuolto on niin huonossa jamassa. Valuutta ja luottokelpoisuus romutettu, mikä tekee tuonnista vaikeaa. Humanitäärinen kriisi uhkaa jos valtio ei kykene ruokkimaan ja lääkitsemään kansalaisiaan. Vielä pari vuotta sitten Sri Lanka oli ruoan suhteen omavarainen, mutta 2021 valtion pakolla asettama luomuviljelypakko (ml. torjunta-aineiden ja lannoitteiden tuontikielto) tuhosi parissa kaudessa niin ruoantuotannon kuin esimerkiksi teen tuotannon, joka oli merkittävimpiä vientituotteita.

Pitkään jatkunut sisällissota saatiin päätökseen 13 vuotta sitten, toinen osapuoli hävisi lopulta. Eiköhän se saada taas vauhtiin. Paljon porukkaa ilman tekemistä ja toimeentuloa, asekuntoisia revanssin haluisia löytyy varmasti talouskaaoksen ja puutteen keskellä. Saattaa Kiinakin katsella tilannetta arvioiden omia vaikuttamismahdollisuuksiaan.

 

[Jukkis]

Pitkään jatkunut sisällissota saatiin päätökseen 13 vuotta sitten, toinen osapuoli hävisi lopulta. Eiköhän se saada taas vauhtiin. Paljon porukkaa ilman tekemistä ja toimeentuloa, asekuntoisia revanssin haluisia löytyy varmasti talouskaaoksen ja puutteen keskellä. Saattaa Kiinakin katsella tilannetta arvioiden omia vaikuttamismahdollisuuksiaan.

Kiina turvaa taatusti saarella olevan satamansa. Virallisestihan tuo on kiinalaisen yrityksen 99-vuotisella vuokrasopimuksella hoitama kaupallinen satama. Se kuitenkin rakennettiin kiinan antamalla lainalla ja on osa heidän "strategista helminauhaa." (Sana on kuvaava vaikka kiina pitääkin sitä loukkaavana...) Eiköhän sinne joukkoja siis ilmaannu hyvin nopeasti jos levottomuudet alkavat pahentua.

 

[arix]

Kiina turvaa taatusti saarella olevan satamansa. Virallisestihan tuo on kiinalaisen yrityksen 99-vuotisella vuokrasopimuksella hoitama kaupallinen satama. Se kuitenkin rakennettiin kiinan antamalla lainalla ja on osa heidän "strategista helminauhaa." (Sana on kuvaava vaikka kiina pitääkin sitä loukkaavana...) Eiköhän sinne joukkoja siis ilmaannu hyvin nopeasti jos levottomuudet alkavat pahentua.

Sri lanka defaulttasi tuon rakentamislainan ja nyt satama on sitten Kiinan hallinnassa.
In December 2017, unable to repay a huge Chinese loan, Sri Lanka allowed China Merchants Port Holdings to take over the southern Hambantota port, which straddles the world’s busiest east-west shipping route.

Kiinalla taisi olla tuo johtava suku hyvin taskussa eli saas nähdä mitä tapahtuu:

The cabinet on Monday awarded China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) a contract to build a 17-kilometre (10.5-mile), four-lane highway in the capital Colombo.
The decision came a week after the government conferred tax-free status to the Chinese-built “Colombo Port City” — the largest single foreign investment in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka last year scrapped a $1.5-billion, Japanese-funded light rail project, saying it was not a “cost-effective solution” for congested Colombo.

China Harbour bags Sri Lanka’s foreign highway contract - Bilyonaryo Business News

A state-backed Chinese firm has become the first foreign owner of a Sri Lankan highway, a boost for Beijing as it battles other regional powers for influence in the island nation.

bilyonaryo.com

 

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Sri Lanka’s acting president, Ranil Wickremesinghe, has declared a state of emergency as his administration seeks to quell social unrest and tackle an economic crisis gripping the island nation.

“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,” a government notice released late on Sunday said.

Wickremesinghe had announced a state of emergency last week, after president Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country to escape a popular uprising against his government.

It was unclear whether that order had been withdrawn or had lapsed, or whether Wickremesinghe had reissued the order in his capacity as acting president, having been sworn in on 15 July. A spokesperson for Wickremesinghe’s office did not respond to Reuters request for comment.

Sri Lanka: acting president declares state of emergency ahead of MPs’ vote

Declaration called ‘expedient’ as Ranil Wickremesinghe tries to curb unrest over ongoing political and economic crises

www.theguardian.com

Sri Lanka’s parliament met on Saturday to begin the process of electing a new president, and a shipment of fuel arrived to provide some relief to the crisis-hit nation.

Wickremesinghe, an ally of Rajapaksa, was nominated by the ruling party as its candidate to be the next president but protesters also want him gone, leading to the prospect of further unrest should he be elected.

Wickremesinghe was appointed interim president on Friday after informally occupying the role since Wednesday, and the announcement was greeted with anger and frustration on the streets of Colombo.

Wickremesinghe, who has now been prime minister six times, stands accused of protecting and propping up the Rajapaksa family dynasty for years, shielding them from corruption charges and enabling their return to power.

His decision to agree to become a caretaker prime minister two months ago was seen by many as the reason Rajapaksa stayed in power for weeks longer than he would have otherwise.

Ehkä tämä homma olekaan niin taputeltu kuin luulin. Tämä uusi, vanha PM ei ole se oikea ratkaisu.

However, Wickremesinghe will be up against several candidates in the presidential secret ballot next week, including the leader of the opposition, Sajith Premadasa – who has vowed to make sure “an elective dictatorship never, ever occurs” and go after the leaders who “looted the country” – and another SLPP politician, Dullas Alahapperuma, which could split the vote of the ruling party.

Former army chief Sarath Fonseka has also signalled his intention to run.

 

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Sri Lanka’s prime minister, Ranil Wickeremesinghe, has been elected as president to replace ousted Gotabaya Rajapaksa, a result that is likely to provoke turmoil among protesters who have been calling for weeks for him to resign.

Wickremesinghe, who has been prime minister six times but never president, won an overwhelming victory in parliament on Wednesday morning, where MPs voted for the new president in an unprecedented secret ballot. The vote came after protesters forced former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa from office amid anger over a spiralling economic crisis.

Wickremesinghe faces a tough road ahead as Sri Lanka continues to be crippled by the worst economic crisis since independence, with shortages of food and fuel, and also grapples with a mass crisis of trust in parliament. In his first speech following his victory, Wickremesinghe called on all political parties to work together for the good of the country.

Wickremesinghe’s election follows a dramatic week in Sri Lanka, during which Rajapaksa was toppled after his offices and his palace were stormed by thousands of protesters, who jumped in his pool and worked out in his gym. Amid the anger, Rajapaksa was forced to flee to Singapore via the Maldives and his resignation was formally announced last Friday.

This was the first time in Sri Lanka’s history that a sitting president has been toppled mid-term by a mass protest movement.

Sri Lanka president vote: Ranil Wickremesinghe wins amid protests

MPs pick ex-PM seen as close to ousted president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, a move likely to frustrate protesters

www.theguardian.com

There has been fierce resistance and protests on the streets against a Wickremesinghe presidency. Many fear he will protect the powerful Rajapaksas from being held accountable and would not instigate the systemic change being demanded by the protest movement. In recent days, Wickremesinghe, who declared a state of emergency this week, had made statements calling protesters “fascists” and indicating he would crack down on the demonstrations if he became president.

 

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Sri Lanka was braced for more unrest after newly appointed president, Ranil Wickremesinghe, vowed to crack down on the protests that toppled his predecessor, condemning them as “against the law”.

Speaking after being MPs picked him as successor to Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Wickremesinghe made it clear he would not tolerate those he perceived to be stirring up violence.

“If you try to topple the government, occupy the president’s office and the prime minister’s office, that is not democracy; it is against the law,” he said.

“We will deal with them firmly according to the law. We will not allow a minority of protesters to suppress the aspirations of the silent majority clamouring for a change in the political system.”

Sri Lanka braced for more unrest as new president vows crackdown on ‘fascist’ protests

Popular opposition to Ranil Wickremesinghe’s election by MPs could spill over into violence as he picks an old schoolmate as PM

www.theguardian.com

Less than an hour after he was declared president on Wednesday, a court order was issued prohibiting anyone from congregating within a 50-metre radius of a statue that stands at Galle Face in Colombo, where protesters spurred by the country’s economic collapse have been camped out for months.

However, people defied the order and dozens gathered on the steps of the president’s offices, which are still occupied by the protest movement, to shout rallying cries of “deal Ranil” – a reference to Wickremesinghe’s reputation as a scheming politician – as well as “Ranil bank robber”, referring to a bank bond scam he was implicated in. Hundreds of police and military stood on the periphery but did not interfere in the rally.

Speaking at the Aspen security forum in Colorado, America’s spy chief Bill Burns said: “The Chinese have a lot of weight to throw around and they can make a very appealing case for their investments.”

But he said nations should look at “a place like Sri Lanka today – heavily indebted to China – which has made some really dumb bets about their economic future and are suffering pretty catastrophic, both economic and political, consequences as a result.

“That, I think, ought to be an object lesson to a lot of other players – not just in the Middle East or South Asia, but around the world – about having your eyes wide open about those kinds of dealings.”

China has invested heavily in Sri Lanka – strategically located in the Indian Ocean and off India, often seen as a rival of Beijing – and worked closely with former president Rajapaksa.

However, analysts have disputed the China debt-trap narrative in Sri Lanka. China only accounts for 10% of Sri Lanka’s debts, most of which were concessionary loans and the repayments only accounted for less than 5% of the country’s annual foreign debt servicing.

A much greater drain on the country’s foreign exchange reserves were international sovereign bonds, much of which are from the US, which were borrowed by the country at high interest rates. It was these bond repayments – which were due to total over $1.5bn in 2022 – that drained Sri Lanka’s reserves and ultimately forced them to default in May, as the country was virtually bankrupt.

 

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Sri Lankan security forces have carried out a violent early morning raid on the main anti-government protest camp in Colombo, beating protesters, destroying tents and arresting nine people.

Friday’s raid saw thousands of police and troops armed with riot gear descend on the camp, known as Gota Go Gama, where hundreds of people have been living for over three months. More than 50 people were injured and three people were sent to hospital in the attack, according to St John Ambulance volunteers at the scene.

According to those present for the raid, armed military officers in black uniforms began violently clearing tents close to the Presidential Secretariat building, the offices of the president which have been occupied by protesters since an anti-government protest last week.

Nine people were arrested, a police spokesperson said, adding that the protesters had “no legal right to hold the area”.

The protest groups had announced they would be peacefully handing back the building back to the government on Friday afternoon, but the government took it back by force.

Sri Lanka security forces raid protest camp as Ranil Wickremesinghe flexes muscles

Arrests as hundreds of demonstrators evicted from camp blocking presidential office, hours before they were due to vacate area

www.theguardian.com

Among those hurt in Friday’s pre-dawn raid was Chanu Nimesha, 47, whose body was covered in bruises and welts from where she was hit and kicked by military officers. She described being asleep in her tent when she heard an announcement over loudspeakers and then screams as people began to be beaten by security forces ripping up their tents.

“I was hiding behind another tent but they saw me and they started brutally beating me,” said Nimesha. “The officers were saying ‘take the bitch out’, ‘kick her’ and ‘take her in’. I thought I was going to die.”

Nimesha said she fought back. “I was kicking and biting them to resist and then I ran away before they could arrest me,” she said. “I was just in my nightdress but I managed to run away to some tents they weren’t attacking. But then the officers came here and they beat me again here, they trying to arrest me. They kept saying ‘we need to take the bitch in’ but I was resisting.”

Despite her injuries, Nimesha said she was too worried about going to hospital in case she was reported to police and arrested.

Sahan Weerawadana, 26, was also badly beaten by military as he tried to enter the camp on Thursday night. He said officers had seized his friend’s phone and begun deleting video footage she was taking of the scene, and then began assaulting him. His body was covered in bruises and his face and lip were swollen from the attack.

Several journalists, including one from the BBC, were beaten by officers. The Bar Association of Sri Lanka, the main lawyers’ body in the country, confirmed that least two lawyers were assaulted when they went to the protest site to offer their counsel, and one lawyer was taken into custody. Its statement on Friday called for a halt to the “unjustified and disproportionate actions” of armed forces against civilians.

Akila Aluwatte, one of the lawyers who came down to the scene, said the incident had been a “violation of human rights. Protesters had announced they would peacefully vacate the building but instead the authorities have forcefully taken it and brutally beaten people up.”

Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at Human Rights Watch, condemned the raid as a “vengeful abuse of emergency powers under the executive presidency to punish those that had criticised the failures of the Rajapaksa administration- perhaps an act of loyalty to the party that backed his appointment”.

 

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This January, even before Sanjana Mudalige’s salary as a sales worker in a shopping mall in Colombo, Sri Lanka, was slashed in half, she had pawned her gold jewellery to try to make ends meet. Ultimately, she quit her job, because the travel costs alone exceeded the pay. Since then, she has shifted from using gas for cooking to chopping firewood, and eats just a quarter of what she did before. Her story, reported in the Washington Post, is one of many in Sri Lanka, where people are watching their children go hungry and their elderly relations suffer for lack of medicines.

The human costs of the crisis only really captured international attention when the massive popular upsurge earlier this month, known as Aragalaya (Sinhalese for “struggle”), led to the peaceful overthrow of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. His family had ruled Sri Lanka with an iron fist, albeit with electoral legitimacy, for more than 15 years, and is now being blamed by both national and international media for the desperate economic mess the country is in.

But blaming the Rajapaksas alone is too simple. Certainly, the aggressive majoritarianism that they unleashed, along with the alleged corruption and major economic policy disasters of recent years (such as drastic tax cuts and bans on fertiliser imports), were crucial elements of the economic debacle. But this is only part of the story. The deeper and underlying causes of the crisis in Sri Lanka are barely mentioned by most mainstream commentators, perhaps because perhaps because they reveal uncomfortable truths about the way the global economy works.

There is a global debt crisis coming – and it won’t stop at Sri Lanka | Jayati Ghosh

Foreign capital flees poorer countries at the first sign of instability. The pandemic and Ukraine war ensure there is plenty of that around, says economist Jayati Ghosh

www.theguardian.com

The half-hearted attempts at debt relief, such as the moratorium on debt servicing in the first part of the pandemic, only postponed the problem. There has been no meaningful debt restructuring at all. The IMF bewails the situation and does almost nothing, and both it and World Bank add to the problem through their own rigid insistence on repayments and the appalling system of surcharges imposed by the IMF. The G7 and “international community” have been missing in action, which is deeply irresponsible given the scale of the problem and their role in creating it.

The sad truth is that “investor sentiment” moves against poorer economies regardless of the real economic conditions in specific countries. Private credit rating agencies amplify the problem. This means that contagion is all too likely, and it will affect not just economies that are already experiencing difficulties, but a much wider range of LMICs that will face real difficulties in servicing their debts. Lebanon, Suriname and Zambia are already in formal default; Belarus is on the brink; and Egypt, Ghana and Tunisia are in severe debt distress.

Many countries with lower per-capita income and significant absolute poverty are facing stagflation. Billions of people are increasingly unable to afford a basic nutritious diet, and cannot meet basic health expenses. Material insecurity and social tensions are inevitable.

The situation can still be resolved, but it requires urgent action, especially on the part of the IFIs and G7. Speedy and systematic debt resolution actions to bring in private creditors and other creditors, such as China, are needed, as is IFIs doing their own bit to provide debt relief and ending punitive measures such as surcharges. In addition, policies to limit speculation in commodity markets and profiteering by big food and fuel companies must be put in place. Finally, the recycling of special drawing rights (SDRs) – essentially “IMF coupons” – by countries that will not use them to countries that desperately need them is vital, as is another release of SDRs equating to about $650bn to provide immediate relief.

Without these minimal measures, the post-Covid, post-Ukraine global economy is likely to be engulfed in a dystopia of debt defaults, increasing poverty and sociopolitical instability.

 

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Two activists who helped lead mass demonstrations that toppled Sri Lanka’s president have been arrested, police said, as parliament extended tough emergency laws imposed to restore order.

Then acting-president Ranil Wickremesinghe had declared a state of emergency on 17 July. It allows for the military to be given powers to detain people, limit public gatherings and search private property. The emergency ordinance would have lapsed on Wednesday if it had not been ratified by parliament.

The extension means it will continue for a month before it must be approved again, one lawmaker said.

Police said in separate statements on Wednesday that they had arrested activists Kusal Sandaruwan and Weranga Pushpika on unlawful assembly charges.

Sri Lanka extends state of emergency as police round up protest leaders

Parliament ratifies powers that allow the military to detain people, limit public gatherings and search private property

www.theguardian.com

 

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A Chinese navy vessel has arrived at a southern Sri Lankan port that Beijing leases from the government, prompting renewed security fears from India.

On Tuesday morning, the Yuan Wang 5 sailed into the Hambantota port, which was built by Beijing, and was welcomed by senior Sri Lankan and Chinese officials in a traditional ceremony that involved red carpet and a massive banner that read: “Hello Sri Lanka, Long Live Sri Lanka-China Friendship.”

Although the ship will only stay for a few days, the development has already sounded the alarm in India, which has viewed China’s rising influence in the Indian Ocean with suspicion. Analysts say the Yuan Wang’s moves will also be closely monitored by the US and western allies as they have long criticised Beijing’s dealings with Sri Lanka.

Officially, Sri Lanka has referred to the Yuan Wang 5 as a “scientific research ship”. “But the suspicion here in India is that despite Chinese commentators’ insistence it is civilian, it may actually have military functions,” said Prof Srikanth Kondapalli, dean of the school of international studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Chinese navy vessel arrives at Sri Lanka port to security concerns from India

Yuan Wang 5 is officially described as a ‘scientific research ship’ but India suspects it has military functions

www.theguardian.com

The Indian foreign ministry spokesperson, Arindam Bagchi, said last week that India was aware of the planned visit by the vessel and that it carefully monitors any development that affects its security and economic interests and would take all measures to safeguard them.

Delhi also “rejected insinuations” that Sri Lanka was pressured to delay the Chinese vessel. Colombo said it had “engaged in extensive consultations at a high level through diplomatic channels with all parties concerned” before granting the Chinese vessel the final clearance.

 

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Sagara Kariyawasam, general secretary of the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, said on Thursday his party had approached Wickremesinghe for help to enable Rajapaksa’s return.

“We requested the president to facilitate and provide the necessary security and facilities for former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa to return to the country,” Kariyawasam said. “The date of his return is not finalised.“

Local broadcaster Newsfirst, citing a former ambassador, said on Wednesday that Rajapaksa would return home next week.

In an interview with Reuters earlier on Thursday, Wickremesinghe said he was “not aware” of any such plans for the former president’s return.

Sri Lanka ruling party seeks assurances to let Gotabaya Rajapaksa back into country

New president has been approached to provide security for predecessor who fled country amid economic crisis

www.theguardian.com

 

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India has accused China of “militarisation of the Taiwan Strait”, in an escalating war of words triggered by a Chinese military ship docking in a controversial Sri Lankan port.

The accusation, referenced in a statement by the Indian high commission in Sri Lanka on Sunday, is reportedly the first time the Indian government has used the descriptor, and is a rare intervention on the cross-straits issues as India contends with tensions on its own border with China.

Earlier this month a Chinese military research vessel docked at Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port for a week. Analysts say the Yuan Wang 5 is among a group of Chinese ships operated by the People’s Liberation Army that monitor satellite, rocket and intercontinental ballistic missile launches.

The docking of the Yuan Wang 5 was delayed for several days after India objected, amid fears that Beijing intends to use the port as a military base. China’s foreign affairs ministry had said the vessel was conducting maritime research, in line with international law and practice, and would not affect “the security and economic interests of any country”.

The Yuan Wang 5 left a week ago, but over the weekend China’s embassy in Sri Lanka accused India of using security concerns to conduct “de facto thorough interference in Sri Lanka’s sovereignty and independence”.

India accuses China of ‘militarisation of the Taiwan Strait’ as row over navy vessel grows

Accusation is reportedly the first time the Indian government has used the descriptor and comes as tensions rise over Sri Lanka port visit

www.theguardian.com

 

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