Tag: Sri Lanka economic protests

Sri Lankan parliament passes constitutional amendment aimed at trimming presidential powers

Sri Lanka’s parliament on Friday passed a constitutional amendment aimed at trimming presidential powers, beefing up anti-corruption safeguards and helping to find a way out of the country’s worst financial crisis since independence. Sri Lanka has struggled for months to find enough dollars to pay for essential imports such as fuel, food, cooking gas and… Read More Sri Lankan parliament passes constitutional amendment aimed at trimming presidential powers

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Sri Lanka’s top court allows proceedings against former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, two others

Sri Lanka’s top court has granted permission for proceedings against former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the rights group which filed the case against him said in a statement on Friday. The court also agreed to allow proceedings against the country’s former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, its former finance minister and two of its former central bank… Read More Sri Lanka’s top court allows proceedings against former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, two others

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Sri Lankan government provides ousted President Gotabaya Rajapaksa with residence, security on return to country

Sri Lanka’s ousted President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was provided on Saturday with an official residence and security by the government after he returned to the country he had fled in July during economic unrest, two senior officials said. Rajapaksa fled in the early hours of July 13 after massive protests engulfed Colombo and demonstrators enraged with… Read More Sri Lankan government provides ousted President Gotabaya Rajapaksa with residence, security on return to country

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Sri Lanka’s new President Ranil Wickremesinghe says non-violent protests can continue

Sri Lanka’s new President Ranil Wickremesinghe told diplomats this week that non-violent protests against his government will be allowed to continue, including in the commercial capital Colombo, his office said in a statement on Sunday. In a pre-dawn raid on Friday, hundreds of security personnel dismantled part of an anti-government protest camp outside the presidential… Read More Sri Lanka’s new President Ranil Wickremesinghe says non-violent protests can continue

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Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa officially resigns

Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa submitted a letter of resignation on Thursday, a spokesperson for the parliament 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 firecrackers,… Read More Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa officially resigns

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Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa flees to Maldives amid protests

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled to the Maldives on Wednesday,bringing to an apparent end his family’s near two-decade dominance of the country after a massive popular uprising brought on by an economic collapse. But his decision to leave his ally Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in charge as acting president triggered more demonstrations, with protesters… Read More Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa flees to Maldives amid protests

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Sri Lankan authorities stop former finance minister Basil Rajapaksa from leaving country

Sri Lankan immigration officials said on Tuesday they prevented the president’s brother and former finance minister Basil Rajapaksa from flying out of the country, as anger mounted against the powerful family for a debilitating economic crisis. It was not immediately clear where Rajapaksa, who also holds U.S. citizenship, was trying to go. He resigned as… Read More Sri Lankan authorities stop former finance minister Basil Rajapaksa from leaving country

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Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to step down as protests intensify

Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will step down next Wednesday, the country’s parliamentary speaker said on Saturday, bowing to popular pressure after a day of violent protests in which demonstrators stormed the president’s official residence and set fire to the prime minister’s home in Colombo. The announcement came after a dramatic escalation in months of… Read More Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to step down as protests intensify

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