Gotabaya Rajapaksa

Corruption and mismanagement have left the island nation laden with debt and unable to pay for imports of basic necessities.

The family has denied the corruption allegations, but Rajakpaksa acknowledged some of his policies contributed to the meltdown. "Sri Lanka used to be a prosperous country." Her mother, Manjula Sedaraliyanage, used to work in Kuwait but came back to Sri Lanka a few years ago after she suffered a stroke. "This is the first time people in Sri Lanka have risen like this against a president. As a restaurant manager in a hotel in Colombo, she used to have a steady income. We will not stop until we have a new president and prime minister," D' Silva said. Sri Lankans are skipping meals and lining up for hours to try to buy scarce fuel. Sri Lankan presidents are protected from arrest while in power, and it is likely Rajapaksa planned his escape while he still had constitutional immunity. The promised resignations brought no end to the crisis, and protesters have vowed to occupy the official buildings until the top leaders are gone. "We expected him to be behind bars — not escape to a tropical island! He should be in jail," said Malik D' Silva, a 25-year-old protester occupying the president's office. A few waved the flag.

Sri Lanka's Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who oversaw a ruthless crushing of Tamil Tiger guerrillas to end a long-running civil war and went on to become president, ...

Two defence ministry sources said Rajapaksa had left the official residence on Friday ahead of the planned weekend demonstration. Hit hard by the pandemic and populist tax cuts, Sri Lanka fell into its worst economic crisis since the end of colonial rule in 1948. "They did not give priority to national security," he told Reuters a week after the bombings when announcing his presidential run. The government has countered that the rebels kept thousands of civilians as human shields, exacerbating the death toll. Taking early retirement he emigrated to the United States, where he worked in information technology. Advertisement

Gotabaya Rajapaksa has arrived in the Maldives amid mass protests over Sri Lanka's economic crisis.

But he also lacks public support and there is deep public suspicion of politicians in general. But Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena is an ally of the Rajapaksas, and it is unclear whether the public would accept his authority. Whoever does become acting president has 30 days to hold an election for a new president from among members of parliament. The prime minister is considered the president's deputy in parliament. He is accused of human rights abuses during the war and also targeting those who dissented, but he has always denied those accusations. - One family of brothers has dominated for years: Mahinda Rajapaksa became a hero among the majority Sinhalese in 2009 when his government defeated Tamil separatist rebels after years of bitter and bloody civil war.

Colombo–Amidst severe public protest and an ultimatum to resign by protestors who took over the President's House in a violent protest on Saturday, ...

Amidst protests, the Rajapaksa brothers had left the airport, and Gotabaya is said to have taken refuge for almost a day at an Air Force base adjoining the airport. On Tuesday morning, the two Rajapaksa brothers were to leave for the UAE to go to the US, but immigration officers at the VIP lounge protested and declined to serve them. President Rajapaksa had left for the Maldives together with his wife and a bodyguard from the country’s main airport in Katunayake, closer to the capital, the officer said, seeking anonymity.

The Sri Lankan president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, had fled to the Maldives on a military jet within hours before he was due to resign, following days of ...

Basil was also reported to have left the country over Tuesday night. Many protesters, activists and lawyers have called for him to be prosecuted along with various family members over alleged corruption and human rights abuses in the two decades they have held power in Sri Lanka. India also refused to give permission for a military airport transporting him to land on its soil.

This is the second time in 44 years of Sri Lanka's executive presidency that the office will fall vacant midstream. The first time was when Ranasinghe ...

On May 7, 1993, Wijetunga was sworn in as the third executive President after being elected unanimously by Parliament to complete the remainder of Premadasa’s term. It was when Premadasa was assassinated by a LTTE suicide bomber during a May Day rally in 1993 that the office fell vacant for the first time. This is the second time in the 44 years of Sri Lanka’s executive presidency that the office will fall vacant midstream. The SJB has 50 members in the House of 225. Wickremsinghe said in a statement on Monday that “no one can go beyond the Constitution, and no one can force Parliament to do things from outside. The Speaker of Parliament has said that this election will take place on July 20.

Sri Lanka declared a state of emergency today as massive protests engulfed Colombo after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa flew to the Maldives following months ...

Earlier, both Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Basil Rajapaksa failed to leave the country as immigration officials did not clear their journey and other fliers protested. Reports claim the President's younger brother and former finance minister Basil Rajapaksa has also left the country. Defence officials of the island nation have told NDTV that Mr Rajapaksa requested a plane last night and insisted they were "obligated" to provide him with one.

The President of Sri Lanka, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, flees the country days after protesters stormed his home and office amid a three-month economic crisis.

They should listen to the nation and the nation wants them to go." The protesters have vowed to wait until both Mr Rajapaksa and Mr Wickremesinghe are out of office. Members of parliament have agreed to elect a new president next week but struggled on Tuesday to decide on the makeup of a new government to lift the bankrupt country out of economic and political collapse. They should go. - The President and his wife have fled to Male, the capital city of the Maldives Mr Rajapaksa, his wife and two bodyguards left aboard a Sri Lankan Air Force plane bound for the city of Male, the capital of the Maldives, according to an immigration official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.

They were once seen as heroes of the nation, the almost mythical warrior-king leaders who defeated the separatists in a bloody civil war.

And it is the Rajapaksas they blame. For weeks Gotabaya clung on, apparently unwilling to let the dynasty fall. Ratings agencies then downgraded Sri Lanka to near default levels, meaning the country lost access to overseas markets. people in a string of bombings at churches and luxury hotels. It's a complete fall from grace." That victory gave Mahinda Rajapaksa an almost inexhaustible well of political capital to draw on and he would go on to enjoy a 10-year grip on power during which he was venerated by Sri Lanka's Sinhalese Buddhist majority. Sri Lanka then had to use its foreign exchange reserves to pay off government debt. The country saw years of growth, fueled by the government's vast borrowing from overseas to fund public services. "This combination of (nepotism) and mismanaging the economy... , government troops were responsible for abuses including the intentional shelling of civilians, summary executions, rape, and blocking food and medicine from reaching affected communities. people were upset they elected these people." His brother Mahinda Rajapaksa

COLOMBO: Known as "The Terminator" to family and foes alike for his ruthless crushing of Tamil rebels to end a decades-long civil war, Sri Lankan President ...

#GotaGoHome become a trending hash-tag on social media. Arguably his biggest policy blunder was the banning of agrochemicals in April last year. Those taxes are now being raised. We must get rid of him." "This pariah stole our future," shouted former legislator Hirunika Premachandra leading a recent demonstration outside Rajapaksa's home. He thought by simply issuing orders things would materialise.

Public ire turns against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who has been appointed acting president.

Police initially used tear gas to try to disperse the protesters outside his office but failed, and more and more marched down the lane toward the compound. Sri Lankan presidents are protected from arrest while in power, and it is likely Rajapaksa planned his escape while he still had constitutional immunity. “We need both … to go home,” said Supun Eranga, a 28-year-old civil servant in the crowd outside Wickremesinghe’s office. Rajapaksa has yet to resign, but Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena said the president assured him he would later in the day. That brought little relief to the island nation gripped for months by an economic disaster that has triggered severe shortages of food and fuel — and now is beset by political chaos. Some could later be seen inside the building and standing on a rooftop terrace waving Sri Lanka’s flag.

Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled overnight to Maldives on an Air Force aircraft. According to reports, Gotabaya was taken to a resort after ...

And at the same time, Sri Lanka never shut its doors to anti-Gayoom politicians. One news outlet reported that the Foreign Ministry was maintaining silence on Gotabaya’s arrival. The former Maldives leader Maumoon Abdul Gayoom also had close relations with Sri Lankan leaders during his three-decade-long grip on power. Other reports had said he was thwarted at the airport while trying to leave for a country in the Middle East. Why did he ultimately choose the Maldives? Last month, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe appointed Nasheed to coordinate international relief efforts for Sri Lanka’s beleaguered and shortage-hit economy. Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled overnight to Maldives on an Air Force aircraft.

Sri Lanka's parliament speaker says he's waiting for Rajapaksa's official resignation.

Protesters in Sri Lanka have overwhelmed the prime minister’s office in Colombo and continue to demand the country’s leaders step down. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has fled the country, and the country’s parliament speaker says he’s waiting for Rajapaksa’s official resignation. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa flees Sri Lanka as protesters demand leaders step down

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa who fled to Maldives followed by an uprising triggered due to the economic collapse of the island nation, ...

As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. ALSO READ Former Sri Lankan Prez Rajapaksa to leave for Singapore from Maldives Lanka uprising: End of the political journey of powerful Rajapaksa dynasty? Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world.