Rajapaksa, Gotabaya
Sri Lanka Targets Protest Organizers That Toppled President
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — The Sri Lankan government is cracking down on the people who participated in a protest movement that toppled the island nation’s president last month, arresting several demonstration leaders, slapping others with travel bans and ordering the clearing of the last remaining protest tents. The monthslong movement forced out the former president, […]
Know More
Amid Sri Lanka’s Crisis, Cricket Carries On
As a political crisis and economic meltdown ravaged Sri Lanka, the computer science student Aadhil Siddhique was among the legions of people there who found relief in the simple pleasures of an old ritual: cricket. When he wasn’t studying for exams or attending antigovernment protests, Mr. Siddhique, 24, made time in recent months to follow […]
Know More
Sri Lankan Forces Raid Protest Camp at Center of Uprising
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Security forces on Friday raided the protest camp at the heart of the uprising that toppled Sri Lanka’s president, breaking down tents and cordoning off large stretches of the area before dawn, in a move that could set off further unrest as the bankrupt nation seeks stability. The protesters, many of […]
Know More
Sri Lanka’s President Resigns After Months of Protest
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — President Gotabaya Rajapaksa of Sri Lanka, who fled his country early Wednesday after months of fervent protests blaming him for the country’s economic collapse and widespread hardship, officially resigned on Thursday, setting off celebrations in his homeland. Mr. Rajapaksa submitted his resignation by email from Singapore where he traveled after first […]
Know More
Sri Lanka in Chaos as President Flees and Protesters Object to Interim Leader
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka descended into political chaos Wednesday, as the unpopular president fled the country and protesters overran the interim leader’s offices, leaving it unclear who held power or how long it would last. Mass demonstrations and tear gas filled the streets of Colombo, the capital, and late into the night, protesters […]
Know More
‘There’s Nothing’: Scarcity Deepens Desperation in Sri Lanka
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — The woman stood in line for more than 14 hours for a passport, desperate to escape the economic crisis engulfing Sri Lanka. Selwi Thangawelu, a Sri Lankan mother of two, had secured a job as a housekeeper in Kuwait, money she needs for their school fees and books. Her husband’s job […]
Know More
Embattled Leaders in Hiding, Sri Lankans Ask: What’s Next?
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka’s political and economic crisis offered a peculiar tableau Sunday after a day of high drama: The protesters were everywhere, cooking in the prime minister’s garden and even lounging in the president’s bedroom while the leaders were nowhere to be seen. With President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the prime minister Ranil […]
Know More
As Sri Lanka Plunges Into Ruin, the Rajapaksa Family Is on the Run
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — As the guests sat down for a banquet dinner last summer at the grand colonial-era home of Sri Lanka’s president, the small talk soon turned gravely serious. Addressing members of the ruling coalition, the country’s energy minister, Udaya Gammanpila, defended a small increase in fuel prices that was intended to address […]
Know More
Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa Resigns in Face of Unrest
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka’s prime minister, Mahinda Rajapaksa, resigned on Monday with his country in economic free fall, bowing to months of protests in a significant blow to the fortunes of a family dynasty that has dominated the island’s politics for nearly two decades. Mr. Rajapaksa made the move hours after his supporters […]
Know More