Sri Lankan media reports that a new cabinet will take over by the end of the week.
Highlights:
- Reports say opposition ministers are gearing up to form a new government.
- Mahinda Rajapakse is reportedly in Trincomalee under heavy protection.
- 17 members of the ruling SLPP party are banned from leaving the country by courts.
- Sri Lanka has been in a severe food and finance crisis since late February.
COLOMBO: Reports coming out of Sri Lanka suggest opposition leader Ranil Wickramasinghe could be the new prime minister. Wickramasinghe previously served as PM for 5 terms, the last one ending in 2018. United National Party (UNP) ministers are expected to replace the current cabinet by the end of this week. The veteran politician currently holds only 1 out of 255 total seats in the parliament.
https://twitter.com/IndiaToday/status/1524674656636178432?s=20&t=V7tNm6fsbU1soYql9bBckQ
Last Night in Sri Lanka:
President Gotabaya Rajapakse announced that he would not be stepping down in a televised broadcast on 10th May. In the late-night speech, he assured a fresh government by the end of the week with a new PM and cabinet. Shortly after the speech, Rajapakse put out a series of tweets calling for unity.
Protestors, however, are unsatisfied with the action taken and demand the president relinquish his seat.
https://twitter.com/GotabayaR/status/1524598105261240321?s=20&t=DPgjU3b8Iwt-CKrN0YgWoA
17 Ministers slammed with travel bans:
Mahinda Rajapakse, Namal Rajapaksa, Johnston Fernando and 14 others are banned from leaving Sri Lanka. The Fort Magistrate has issued the travel ban on behalf of the Attorney General and the public interest.
Mahinda Rajapaksa is reportedly in hiding in Trincomalee under heavy police protection.
Trincomalee is the site of the 1985 massacre of hundreds of Tamils by the Sri Lankan armed forces. It would later go on to contain many refugee camps from the bloody Tamil civil war under the Rajapaksa government.
Indian External affairs ministry denies India sending troops to Sri Lanka and maintains that the Indian interest lies in protecting democracy in the region.
Sri Lanka continues to be in a state of crisis, suffering from food, medicine and fuel shortages. The financial meltdown is due to rampant borrowing from Chinese lenders on low-return infra projects. Protesters blame current and previous Rajapaksa governments for the economic mishandling.
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