Dinesh Gunawardena was sworn in as the Prime Minister earlier in the day…reports Asian Lite News
Eighteen ministers, including Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena were sworn into Sri Lanka’s new cabinet before President Ranil Wickremesinghe in state capital Colombo on Friday.
The President’s Office said that among those who took oaths as Cabinet Ministers were Ali Sabry as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Harin Fernando as the Minister of Tourism and Lands, Nalin Fernando as the Minister of Trade, Commerce and Food Security, Kanchana Wijesekera as the Minister of Power and Energy.
Dinesh Gunawardena was sworn in as the Prime Minister earlier in the day, and he also held the position of the minister of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government.
The new Cabinet of Ministers was sworn in after Ranil Wickremesinghe won an election in parliament on July 20 to become the new President of Sri Lanka following the resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Xinhua news agency reported.
India’s help in time of dire need has not been able to eliminate the anti-India perception in the minds of some sections of Sri Lankans…reports Asian Lite News
Even after the Sri Lankan Parliament elected Ranil Wickremesinghe as the eighth President of the island nation, street protests have continued, this time against Wickremesinghe himself.
Days before his election, rampaging mobs had burnt down his house in a tony area of the capital, Colombo, indicating that popular perception sees him no different from Gotabaya Rajapakse who has fled the country.
Well, Wickramasinghe is certainly not a very popular leader. In the last nation-wide poll, he was the lone winner of his party, United National Party (UNP).
It is debatable whether there is a better alternative to Wickramasinghe at the present juncture, but the fact is the Parliament members in their wisdom and in their capacity as elected representatives of the people have chosen him to lead the nation out of its crisis.
Their verdict needs to be respected and the 73-year-old veteran be allowed a fair chance whatever be the flip-side of his long political innings, and his known likes and dislikes for China.
Things cannot look good in a country that has piled up a loan of $50 billion and is simply in no position to pay even the interest because of its empty coffers.
With the world already in a serious mess because of the Ukraine war, it is hard to see how Sri Lanka can expect a handsome economic package from the international community and financial institutions to bail it out in double quick time. Time is of essence in view of the continued protests by the hapless people of Sri Lanka.
Interestingly, the Chinese are neither seen nor heard as Laffaire Rajapaksa engulfed Sri Lanka. This is surprising given the level of Bamboo capitalist’s involvement in the country under the Rajapaksas. It has now reacted warily to Wickremesinghe’s anointment as the Man Friday but there is no indication whether China will step in to help the debt-ridden island nation.
Expectation of a big Chinese package for Sri Lanka, surpassing India’s help, appear misplaced. At least, as of now.
The Indian government’s aid to Sri Lanka in the last month or two has been over $3.5 billion, which includes shipments of food, fuel and medicine. This is in addition to the helping hand extended by Tamil Nadu, which is across the Palk Straits.
However, India’s help in time of dire need has not been able to eliminate the anti-India perception in the minds of some sections of Sri Lankans. During the ongoing protests, slogans like “Don’t Sell the Country to India and the US”, “India: Sri Lanka is not Another State (of India)” and “India Don’t Exploit Sri Lanka Situation” were heard.
Nonetheless, the anti-India activists and politicians have been quick to acknowledge in recent media interviews that India has been a friend in need. The Indian help has enabled the fuel depots to remain in business.
There is a growing view that in attempting to tide over its economic crisis, Sri Lanka’s new government has ‘much to learn from India’s reforms’. Writing in an Indian English daily, noted Lankan economist Ganeshan Wignaraja (a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the National University of Singapore), said Sri Lanka is awaiting its own P.V. Narashima Rao — a reference to the way Rao steered India in 1991 with his reform programme. That is besides the point.
The interesting reality is that the Colombo protests have brought together all communities to save their country from collapse. The antagonism between the majority population (Buddhist-Sinhala) and the minority population consisting of Tamils (Hindus and Christians), Muslims and Christians, has retreated from the frontlines.
The LTTE insurgency, demanding a separate homeland for Tamils living in north and north-east Sri Lanka, had fuelled anti-Tamil sentiments. A terror attack by Islamic militants about four years back resulted in spreading an anti-Muslim wave even as it started the act of demolition of Sri Lanka’s thriving tourism industry, a mainstay of its economy.
There can be no denying that within India, particularly in Tamil Nadu, there is some anti-Lanka sentiment. Resentment lingers at the massacre of Tamils during and after the LTTE insurgency for which there has been no accountability.
On its part, New Delhi has been unhappy to see Sri Lanka renege on the accord that had promised devolution of power to the provinces, the Tamil majority province including. These are the issues that should remain on the backburner with Sri Lanka occupied with the more urgent problem of meeting daily needs for possibly a few years.
There is no quick fix for all that Sri Lanka has suffered with or without China on board. For the past several years, successive governments in Sri Lanka had sucked up to China with a mindless urge to get ‘generous’ aid. And the Chinese seemed to care little about the repayment capabilities of Sri Lanka. It was sufficient for China to pull Sri Lanka into its orbit, decoupling from neighbouring India.
Is the scene going to reverse now? Well, it is ‘Paakalam’ as the Tamilians say. No immediate answer.
A senior official from the President’s Office said that the rest of Cabinet of Ministers will be sworn in later on Friday…reports Asian Lite News
Dinesh Gunawardena was sworn in as the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka by President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Friday.
Gunawardena, parliamentarian of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) party, took his oath in the capital Colombo in the presence of other senior legislators, Xinhua news agency reported.
Wickremesinghe was elected as the new President of the South Asian country in a parliamentary vote on Wednesday, and was sworn in as Sri Lankan President on Thursday.
A senior official from the President’s Office told Xinhua that the rest of Cabinet of Ministers will be sworn in later on Friday.
Journalists and lawyers were not allowed to enter the area and at least two journalists who were covering the clearing off were attacked by the military….reports SUSITHA FERNANDO
Awaiting the swearing-in of the new Cabinet under newly elected President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Sri Lankan military with violent force chased away all the protesters occupying the entrance to the Presidential Secretariat and the main protest site Gotagogama early hours of Friday.
Military and riot police, who entered the protest site armed with clubs and wires, attacked the protesters taking control of the protest site while arresting at least eight, including protest leaders and a lawyer.
Journalists and lawyers were not allowed to enter the area and at least two journalists who were covering the clearing off were attacked by the military.
Strongly condemning the attack and forcible removal of the protesters, the US Ambassador in Colombo Julie Chung tweeted: “Deeply concerned about actions taken against protesters at Galle Face in the middle of the night. We urge restraint by authorities and immediate access to medical attention for those injured,” the US Ambassador tweeted.
The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL), comprising all the lawyers and judges too condemned the government’s action to attack peaceful protesters who occupied the area for more than three months and demanded the exit of former government headed by Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Mahinda Rajapaksa and now the removal of Ranil Wickremesinghe.
“The BASL strongly and unreservedly condemns the use of force and violence last night by the authorities in attacking protesters at Galle Face in the vicinity of the Presidential Secretariat.
It is apparent that hundreds of military personnel and police had blocked the access roads to Galle Face and prevented the public from entering the area. Attorneys-at-Law who tried to enter the area have been prevented from doing so by forces personnel. The BASL has been informed that at least two Attorneys-at-Law who sought to intervene in their professional capacity had been assaulted by service personnel. Video footage also shows unarmed civilians being assaulted by the security forces,” BASL President Saliya Peiris stated.
The BASL demanded for an immediate halt to the unjustified and disproportionate actions of the Armed Forces targeting civilians and urged President Ranil Wickremesinghe to ensure that he and his government respect the Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights of the people.
“The use of the Armed Forces to suppress civilian protests on the very first day in office of the new President is despicable and will have serious consequences on our country’s social, economic and political stability” the BASL head stated.
The attacks on the protesters come amidst; they had informed that on Friday afternoon they were to evacuate the entrance to the President’s Office which was taken over on April 2.
Meanwhile, President Wickremesinghe also issued a gazette extraordinary deploying the three armed forces to maintain public order island wide under the public Security Ordinance and giving them extra powers.
Wickremesinghe, who was elected from Parliament with a clear majority of 134 out of 223 votes polled by MPs took oath as the eighth President of Sri Lanka, the position vacated after Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country on July 13 amidst public protests occupying his official resident.
A new Cabinet is to be sworn in on Friday and the former Leader of House in Rajapaksa government, Dinesh Gunawardena is rumoured to be appointed the new Prime Minister.
Wickremsinghe was backed by pro-Rajapaksa lawmakers while his opponent Dullas Alahapperuma who also was a member of the Rajapaksa party, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) who was backed by the section of the SLPP, main opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) lead by Sajith Premadasa and the main Tamil party Tamil National Alliance.
Facing an unprecedented economic crisis, Indian Ocean Island nation with over 22 million people is going through a severe food, fuel, cooking gas, fertilizer and medicine shortages with no foreign reserves to import them. The closest neighbour India has provided biggest financial assistance with over $3.5 billion in addition to food and medicine aids.
Six fishermen are now in the custody of the Sri Lankan Navy and their mechanized boat also stands impounded by the Navy…reports Asian Lite News
The Sri Lankan Navy has arrested six Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu, and impounded their mechanized boat.
The arrests were made on Wednesday night. The six were arrested on charges of crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) and fishing in Sri Lankan waters.
The arrested have been identified as Balamurugan (28), Anthony (31), Thanagapandi (24), Ajit (28), Krishnan (31), and Mudugu Pichai (51). An official with the Tamil Nadu coastal police told IANS that the arrested, according to the information received, were taken to the Thalaimannar Navy camp.
A group of boats had gone fishing from Rameswaram on Wednesday night and were found fishing near Thalaimannar and Nachikadavu. A patrol boat of the Sri Lankan Navy apprehended 11 fishermen from the group in two boats and arrested them. However, when the fishermen from one boat informed the Naval officers that their boat had inadvertently crossed the IMBL and reached the Sri Lankan waters due to an engine failure, five of the arrested were released.
Six fishermen are now in the custody of the Sri Lankan Navy and their mechanized boat also stands impounded by the Navy. With the arrest of the fishermen, Rameswaram and Dhanushkodi areas have turned tense.
R. Selvakumar, leader of the Fishermen Association of Rameswaram while speaking to IANS said, “The Government of India and Government of Tamil Nadu must take up the matter immediately and bring up a permanent solution to this issue. We are suffering a lot and people are now scared to go fishing at the sea due to the arrests and jail terms in a foreign nation. Our costly boats are also impounded and later sold in open tender. Governments must intervene immediately and solve the issue.”
Wickremesinghe vowed that legal action would be initiated against those who occupied the President and PM’s offices by force…reports Asian Lite News
Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was sworn in as Sri Lanka’s eighth President before the Parliament on Thursday, vowed to crackdown on protesters who took over President’s House and Prime Minister’s Office.
Wickremesinghe, who was elected with 134 votes in the parliament on Wednesday said “forcibly occupying the President’s Office and the Prime Minister’s Office under the guise of engaging in the people’s struggle was illegal.”
He vowed that legal action would be initiated against those who occupied the President and PM’s offices by force.
Wickremesinghe informed party leaders that he intends to prorogue parliament for 24 hours for a “fresh ceremonial start”.
The protesters, who occupied the entrance to the President’s Office for more than three months and later took over President’s Office with a violent clash on July 9 and Prime Minister’s office on July 13, had launched a fresh protest against Wickremesinghe claiming they would not accept his Presidency.
The protesters see Wickremesinghe as an ally of ousted President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and charged that many MPs were bought over to vote for him.
As soon as Wickremesinghe was elected, police obtained a court order to remove the tents of the protesters occupied in the Galle Face Green.
Hours after Wickremesinghe was elected, protesters who gathered to the entrance of President’s Secretariat closer to the main protest site, announced that the unending protest would continue until Wickremesinghe is ousted.
Sri Lankan people, suffering with a massive economic crisis with no fuel, food and medicine, took to the streets on March 31 and continued street fights until former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and his cabinet resigned on May 9 and on July 9 President Gotabaya Rajapaksa announced his exit.
On May 13, then President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had appointed Wickremesinghe as the Prime Minister of the country after the then Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned as the country was trying to fight out the economic crisis.
After Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the crisis-hit country, Wickremesinghe was appointed as the acting President of the country.
Wickremesinghe has called on all legislators, including the opposition parliamentarians, to unite and work together to pull the country out of the economic crisis…reports Asian Lite News
“I am not a friend of the Rajapaksas, I am a friend of the people,” President Ranil Wickremesinghe has told Sri Lankans after he took charge as President of Sri Lanka.
Wickremesinghe was administered the oath of office by the chief justice of Sri Lanka, a day after he won a parliament vote on Wednesday.
During Wednesday’s vote, Ranil Wickremesinghe received 134 votes in the parliament vote following the resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa from the presidency last week amid severe economic turmoil in the country.
After winning the parliament vote by secret ballot, Wickremesinghe addressed the parliament, calling on all legislators including the opposition parliamentarians to unite and work together with him to lead Sri Lanka out of the current economic crisis.
“We are at a critical juncture. There is an economic crisis and the youth want a system change. People want all parliamentarians to come together,” he said.
Out of the 225 parliamentarians, 223 voted to elect a new president and there were four invalid votes. Another two candidates, parliamentarian of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna party Dullas Alahapperuma, and National People’s Power leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake, got 82 votes and three votes, respectively.
Wickremesinghe is not a new name in politics and has served as the Prime Minister of the island nation six times earlier. He was one of the top contenders for the Presidential election in which members of the House voted through a secret ballot.
Earlier, Wickremesinghe was appointed as the interim president of Sri Lanka after Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled abroad after his palace was stormed by angry protesters amid the unprecedented economic crisis.
After his official residence in the capital, Colombo was stormed by tens of thousands of angry protesters last week, Sri Lanka’s ex-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country to the Maldives before flying out to Singapore. Rajapaksa had offered his resignation after fleeing the country.
Sri Lanka’s economy is bracing for a sharp contraction due to the unavailability of basic inputs for production, an 80 per cent depreciation of the currency since March 2022, coupled with a lack of foreign reserves and the country’s failure to meet its international debt obligations.
Hundreds of Sri Lankans continue to queue up at petrol pumps across the debt-ridden country every day amid fuel shortage, and a large number of people are ditching their cars and motorcycles for bicycles for their daily commute. (ANI)
Sri Lanka has been rocked by mass protests which erupted in March in response to shortages of food, fuel, medicines, and other essential items…reports Asian Lite News
Greater support must be given to Sri Lanka as the country faces economic crisis and political turmoil, a group of UN human rights experts stated in an appeal to the international community.
“Sri Lanka’s economic collapse needs immediate global attention, not just from humanitarian agencies, but from international financial institutions, private lenders and other countries who must come to the country’s aid,” they said in a statement on Wednesday.
The nine experts expressed alarm over record high inflation, rising commodity prices, power shortages, a crippling fuel crisis and economic collapse, as the country grapples with unprecedented political turmoil.
On Wednesday, lawmakers elected six-time Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as Sri Lanka’s new President. Former leader Gotabaya Rajapaksa stepped down last week after fleeing the country as protestors stormed key government buildings in the capital, Colombo.
Sri Lanka has been rocked by mass protests which erupted in March in response to shortages of food, fuel, medicines, and other essential items.
IMF urges Lebanon to implement ‘agreed-upon’ reforms
The situation was compounded by economic reforms such as deep tax cuts and servicing debt payments, which ate into the country’s foreign exchange reserves.
The crisis has had a serious impact on human rights, the experts said. Prolonged disrupted access to food and healthcare, has severely affected people with illnesses, pregnant women and lactating mothers who are in serious need of life-assistance.
“Time and again, we have seen the grave systemic repercussions a debt crisis has had on countries, exposing deep structural gaps of the global financial system, and affecting the implementation of human rights,” said Attiya Waris, UN independent expert on foreign debt and human rights.
In April, UN experts urged the government to guarantee the fundamental rights of peaceful assembly and expression during peaceful protests, as thousands gathered in front of the President’s office demanding his resignation over corruption and mishandling of the economic crisis.
UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet condemned the violence that broke out across the country, resulting in at least seven deaths.
As foreign reserves dried up, Sri Lanka defaulted on its USD 51 billion foreign debt in May. The government took steps to restructure the debt with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which in June noted that significant progress had been made.
“Any response towards mitigating the economic crisis should have human rights at its core, including in the context of negotiation with the IMF,” said Waris.
The issue of Sri Lanka’s rising institutional debt had been flagged in a report issued following an expert visit in 2019. The report found that debt repayments were the country’s largest expenditure, and highlighted the need for complementary alternatives and pursuit of less harmful policies.
The experts said the “snowballing economic and debt crisis” was deepened by the government’s hasty and botched agricultural transition, adding that the World Food Programme (WFP) has launched an emergency response as nearly 62,000 citizens are in need of urgent assistance. (ANI)
Wickremesinghe got 134 votes from parliamentarians in a secret ballot that took place in parliament…reports Asian Lite News
Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was elected as the new president of Sri Lanka in an election held in parliament on Wednesday, called on all legislators, including the opposition parliamentarians, to unite and work together with him to pull the country out of the current economic crisis.
Addressing the Parliament after winning the election, Wickremesinghe said, “We are at a critical juncture. There is an economic crisis and the youth want a system change. People want all parliamentarians to come together.”
“I also want to swear in as president at the parliamentary complex,” Xinhua news agency reported quoted him as saying.
Wickremesinghe got 134 votes from parliamentarians in a secret ballot that took place in parliament.
Out of 225 parliamentarians, 223 voted in the ballot and there were four invalid votes.
Another two candidates — Podujana Peramuna Dullas Alahapperuma, and National People’s Power leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake — got 82 votes and three votes, respectively.
“Regardless of who won, we must ensure that the necessary economic and political changes that people want are met. Overcoming the crisis should be the first and foremost task of parliamentarians,” said Alahapperuma.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa resigned from the post of president last week following massive protests amid a severe economic crisis in the South Asian country.
Following his resignation, Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena announced that Wickremesinghe, who was the prime minister then, was appointed acting president.
Wickremesinghe, who has served as the Prime Minister of the island nation six times, was among the top for the Presidential election in which members of the House voted through a secret ballot…reports Asian Lite News
Sri Lanka’s Acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe won the Presidential election on Wednesday amid the ongoing economic turmoil in the island nation.
Ranil Wickremesinghe was elected as the new President following a vote in Sri Lankan Parliament. He received 134 votes.
SLPP parliamentarian Dullas Alahaperuma received 82 votes while National People’s Power (NPP) leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake received three votes.
Wickremesinghe, who has served as the Prime Minister of the island nation six times, was among the top for the Presidential election in which members of the House voted through a secret ballot.
Earlier, Wickremesinghe was appointed as the new president of Sri Lanka after Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled abroad after his palace was stormed by angry protesters amid the unprecedented economic crisis.
The Daily Mirror reported that Sri Lankan Speaker said MPs were not allowed to bring mobile phones into the House, during the election after some party leaders had informed their MPs to take pics of their ballot papers.
Earlier, Wickremesinghe was regarded as one of the top candidates. However, the tables turned after Sri Lanka’s main opposition leader Sajith Premadasa yesterday withdrew his candidature from the presidential race and said he was supporting rival candidate Dullas Alahapperuma for the top post.
Premadasa took to Twitter to say that his party the Samagi Jana Balawegaya and its alliance and opposition partners will support Alahapperuma, an MP of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), who is in the fray for the upcoming presidential elections.
Premadasa said that he is heading with this decision as he seeks the “greater good” for Lankans. “For the greater good of my country that I love and the people I cherish I hereby withdraw my candidacy for the position of President. Samagi Jana Balawegaya and our alliance and our opposition partners will work hard towards making Dullas Alahaperuma victorious,” he tweeted.
Earlier, Alahapperuma was campaigning hard for the presidential race along with his prime ministerial candidate Sajith Premadasa to persuade the Tamil MPs to vote for Dullas, the Daily Mirror reported.
Earlier, former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had offered his resignation after fleeing the country to Singapore. The president first flew to the Maldives after tens of thousands of protesters stormed his official residence in the capital Colombo.
The economy in Sri Lanka is bracing for a sharp contraction due to the unavailability of basic inputs for production, an 80 per cent depreciation of the currency since March 2022, coupled with a lack of foreign reserves and the country’s failure to meet its international debt obligations.
Hundreds of Sri Lankans continue to queue up at petrol pumps across the debt-ridden country every day amid fuel shortage, and a large number of people are ditching their cars and motorcycles for bicycles for their daily commute.
The economic crisis which is the worst in Sri Lanka’s history has prompted an acute shortage of essential items like fuel. (ANI)
