Bharat Rakshak

Tanaji wrote:How much of this uprising is a spontaneous one as opposed to a Arab Spring type of manufactured discontent?

I remember there was an article some time ago how woke policies with respect to some critical area led to massive shortages, not sure if it was food… dont recall the exact item though.

The way SL Army just stood by and watched the country burn is a good indication there are some powerful puppeteers behind the curtain. The food crisis in what is a very fertile land served as a catalyst for large organized rioting, looting and protests. The food crisis was all thanks to lofty environmentalist goals of going 100% organic while some Indian jholachap marxist "experts" like Vandana Shiva cheered on the lankans on their way to hunger and self- destruction.

^^^ all these andolan jeev is and their media backers are MIA , Coupta as usual is releasing videos saying this is a problem of authoritarian govt, conveniently skipping wokeism and dynasty issues

Atmavik wrote:^^^ all these andolan jeev is and their media backers are MIA , Coupta as usual is releasing videos saying this is a problem of authoritarian govt, conveniently skipping wokeism and dynasty issues

Are commies/deep state setting up an asian spring, like they did the arab spring

chetak wrote:

Ambar wrote:
They will never, ever agree to such an arrangement. Nepal and more recently Bhutan are directly dealing with China despite the Chinese relentless salami slicing occupation of Nepalese and Bhutanese land, so much for them being Indian protectorates. I'd be interested to know how Srilanka plans on repaying over $4 billion dollars to India once they recover.

what if they did a another "deal" like hambanthota with the cheeni and called it a "commercial" deal and both SL/BHU and the cheeni (hypothetically) told India to take a hike, defence and foreign policy mandates, not withstanding

would you go to war, or go to court, or go to the SL/BHU (hypothetically) parliament to plead your case and what if you were over ruled by either or both legislative bodies.

what happens to the treaty then....

just asking onlee

Yep - that is probably what they are going to do. They will suddenly offer Colombo port to the Cheens and if India objects, tell India to waive the loan or else. I don't think we're going to see the loaned money again.

A Deshmukh wrote:

KLNMurthy wrote:Even if it were, what possible assets would Sri Lanka bring us?

SL brings us deep sea port, extended fishing zones, EEZ - mining of sands, better satellite launch sites, better connectivity between east and west seaboards, easier reach into Indian Ocean.

Should we merge SL into India - not until there are more changes to the mindset and SL govt nationalises/cancels the Chinese ports and any contracts.

Such things are also there in Thailand, Burma, etc. Arguably some of those countries (like Burma) have civil unrest problems. Even Thailand had civil unrest not long sgo, and may again. We can’t fantasize about taking advantage and just taking those things like ports etc. Maybe we can fantasize, but it won’t be realistic.

Even in the business world, becoming a corporate raider and doing hostile takeover needs special temperament, skills and resources. It is a thousand times harder to do with countries whose people are not employees working for a boss and a paycheck.

Do people talking blithely about India just taking over Sri Lanka really think we can do it? And digest it, even if we somehow managed to take over?

I think all such talk is just for feeding the ego. Mother India’s purpose in existing is not the feeding of our egotistical fantasies.

hnair wrote:

A Deshmukh wrote: SL brings us deep sea port, extended fishing zones, EEZ - mining of sands, better satellite launch sites, better connectivity between east and west seaboards, easier reach into Indian Ocean.
.

Don’t know what to make of this list

None of the above list matters to India. Adani is building a deep port right in my backyard at Vizhinjam, that can and will easily replace Colombo as a major Indian transshipment hub. The draft before dredging is 18 meters and after capital dredging can go upto 28 meters. The biggest 22,000 TEU ships need far less than that. And there is more space between Vizhinjam and Kanyakumari for more such hubs if needed. The region is barely miles from international shipping trunk routes and is well connected by rail and road to Indian hinterland unlike Sri Lanka.

India is under-utilising its own fishing banks (case in point Wadge Bank). Plus if world wide Chinese poaching is any indication, the smaller nations won’t bother if Indian fishermen pay right bribe. So no advantage there too.

As for satellite launches, Kulashekharapattinam is close to VSSC-LPSC clusters and needs none of the polar-shots’ dog-leg makeovers around Sri Lanka like SHAR. For Geo-shots, Sri Lanka is still far enough from equator to provide any advantage over SHAR. Only way out of that is a sea launch or to lease an atoll off Maldives (Addu City comes to mind)

And how the hell does accession of Sri Lanka provide “ better connectivity between east and west seaboards”?

Summary: Accession of Sri Lanka bring nothing to the table for India, economically or strategically. let them stew in their self-made fiasco, just make sure Chinese bleed due to their investments and work long term to have a more pro-India polity.

Valid points.
I am sure our leaders are taking all aspects under consideration before accepting any such proposal from SL.

https://archive.ph/IqvhF
29 Aug 2018
Ranil Wickremesinghe
Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Office of the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka
The original page has been removed from wef pages, alas for them, archives and wayback machines exist.

cusp of a transition to a knowledge-based economy.

government plans with due diligence to make Sri Lanka regain its centrality in the Indian Ocean and become a knowledge-based, highly competitive hub with a dynamic social-market economy.

the government has also invested in some mega projects, including the Colombo Megapolis constructions – to build a city of the future – and irrigation projects including the Moragahakanda-Kaluganga Dam, to generate green energy and provide water resources for agro-production.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moragahakanda_Dam

The total development cost for both sites totals to approximately Rs. 48.145 billion (approximately US$370 million) and is being carried out by SMEC Holdings and Sinohydro.

Sri Lanka is mindful of the shortcomings in its macroeconomic policies and institutional capacities that are required to respond to the challenges. We have encouraged strong public-private partnerships, and enabled institutions to become more transparent and efficient. We want them to function with independence, while ensuring transparency through being in compliance with norms set by the parliamentary oversight committees. The drive to end corruption is strong. We have enacted policy and legislative changes to facilitate doing business with Sri Lanka – it now ranks second in South Asia, according to the World Bank.

ASEAN is important as a source of FDI inflows and a market for Sri Lankan exports. We have set ourselves the target of doubling exports by 2020 as part of our new National Export Strategy launched recently, which lays emphasis on the diversification of exports by strengthening emerging sectors, to chart the next export growth cycle of Sri Lanka. With our nation already delivering increased FDI and record growth in both its traditional and high-growth export industries, alongside its plan to redefine its international trade relationships, Sri Lanka is confident in its ability to deliver on its export targets. ASEAN has and will be a major part of Sri Lanka’s growth strategy and its Engage Asia policy.

chetak wrote:

Atmavik wrote:^^^ all these andolan jeev is and their media backers are MIA , Coupta as usual is releasing videos saying this is a problem of authoritarian govt, conveniently skipping wokeism and dynasty issues

Are commies/deep state setting up an asian spring, like they did the arab spring

Ha. Victoria Nuland did visit the island in March, but doubt they have the heft to carry it out. IMO, Putin has taken out much of the wind. Besides, this IS India's backyard.

But, feel free to select your color.

KLNMurthy wrote:

A Deshmukh wrote: SL brings us deep sea port, extended fishing zones, EEZ - mining of sands, better satellite launch sites, better connectivity between east and west seaboards, easier reach into Indian Ocean.

Should we merge SL into India - not until there are more changes to the mindset and SL govt nationalises/cancels the Chinese ports and any contracts.

..........

I think all such talk is just for feeding the ego. Mother India’s purpose in existing is not the feeding of our egotistical fantasies.

I agree.

I very much doubt if India has the heft: economic or military, to embark on such a deal.

in my opinion, thinking about SL crisis as an excuse to ingest it into India is just laden with mines.. we need to first clean out our already infested areas- gods own country and kaali's kolkata..
and then we do have Xian strongholds along with some remnants of communist stringholds.

IN fact, I would rather have multiple dharmic countries that form a union(a-la OIC) which can keep each other in check and allow sanatanis to be free in multiple countries..

help SL dharmics/sanatanis.. get them back to the fold with their freedom intact and that should give hope for many dahrmic countries to support each other

https://swarajyamag.com/world/indias-le ... ds-to-ruin

India’s Lessons From Sri Lanka: Economic Wokeism And Dynastic Rule Lead To Ruin

Sri Lanka’s own economic ‘wokeism’ has also added to its woes. In April 2021, the Sri Lankan government banned the import and usage of synthetic fertilisers and decided to go organic. For an island nation, dependent on agri-exports, and with more than 60 per cent population directly or indirectly dependent on farming, the move was economically suicidal. Chamal Rajapaksa, the Minister of Irrigation, was apparently leading the fight against the ‘fertiliser mafia’.

Thus, Sri Lanka, had to now worry about food security, was importing rice, and was unable to export as much tea as it was doing before. The yield (tonnes/hectare) fell from 4.85 in 2019-20 to 4.57 in 2020-21 to 3.91 in 2021-22. The production came down to 2.92 million tonnes in 2021-22 from 3.39 million tonnes the previous year. The imports increased more than four times, from 147 thousand tonnes in 2020-21 to 650 thousand tonnes in 2021-22. The rice import for 2021-22 was more than that between 2017-2021 combined. Hail Organic!

Sri Lanka, much to the dismay of many Twitter economists in India, also went on a money printing spree and had to witness the music slowing down. The premise behind printing more currency was to increase the share of the domestic debt against foreign debt, which the Central Bank head believed would not be a cause of concern. Thus, between December 2019 and August 2021, the money supply increased by 2.8 trillion Sri Lankan rupees, a whopping 42 per cent. Today, the island nation battles with consequent inflation, as high as 40 per cent, even for the most essential commodities.

The 'wokenomics' history does not stop there, for the Rajapaksa government, after taking over in 2019, went on tax cuts, reducing the value-added tax to 8 per cent from 15 per cent, and doing away with the 2 per cent tax on domestic goods and services. Compared to 2019, there was a 30-odd per cent decrease in tax income for the government. The pandemic in 2020 was the final nail in the coffin. Tax revenue as per cent of the GDP has fallen to 8-odd per cent, the lowest in two decades. The lack of funds to pay for oil imports has resulted in power cuts that range from four to twelve hours each day.

To sum up, in 2019, economic wokeism took over as the state disrupted the agricultural sector, slashed taxes, and went on a printing spree. The pandemic contracted the economy in 2020 and 2021, as tourism was hit, and in 2022, with the crude oil prices hitting the roof, the cycle of economic doom was complete. The Rajapaksa clan, playing the dynasty card and infiltrating all levels of the government thus ushering in corruption and hindering reforms, further accelerated the doom.

Today, the island nation is renegotiating debt with its creditors, hoping for a generous credit extension from India apart from the aid already underway, and discussing a bailout with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). For certain states in India, the lessons are clear. Economic short-sightedness coupled with the dynastic rule leads to nothing but total ruin.

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-paci ... 022-07-11/
How a band of activists helped bring down Sri Lanka's government

In June, a few dozen activists started meeting regularly at a seaside tented camp in Colombo for hours-long sessions to think up ways to revive Sri Lanka's flagging protest movement.

The group, which included a Catholic priest, a digital strategist and a popular playwright, succeeded beyond their wildest hopes.

Within weeks, hundreds of thousands of people descended on Colombo. After initially clashing with police, protesters occupied key government buildings and residences, forcing President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his prime minister to promise to step down.

"I'm still trying to process it," said Chameera Dedduwage, a digital strategist at a major advertising firm who became part of the team that helped organise the uprising.

"It was 50 percent premeditation and coordination, another 30 percent willingness of the people and 20 percent luck."

In interviews, veterans of those small meetings described how they agreed on a multi-pronged campaign to inject new life into the movement widely known as "Aragalaya", or "struggle" in Sinhala.

Sri Lanka has around 5 million households and 8 million active Facebook accounts, making online outreach an extremely effective way to reach demonstrators, said Dedduwage, the digital strategist.


"Which means basically through Facebook, we can practically reach every corner of the country at no cost," Dedduwage told Reuters, sitting at a tent at "Gota Go Village", the main Colombo protest site that mockingly refers to the president.

Ruwanthie de Chickera, a playwright who is part of the core group of Aragalaya activists, works after demonstrators entered into the President's house and Presidential Secretariat building, following the fleeing of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, amid the country's economic crisis, in Colombo, Sri Lanka


In early July, one of those who received the group's social media messages was Sathya Charith Amaratunge, a marketing professional living in Moratuwa, some 20 km from Colombo, who had taken part in earlier anti-government protests.

The 35-year-old took a poster he received via WhatsApp on July 2 that read "The Country to Colombo, July 9" in Sinhala, and uploaded it on his personal Facebook page.

That night he began preparing a campaign that would eventually see tens of thousands of people join him on a march to Colombo.

Other Aragalaya members reached out directly to opposition political parties, trade unions and student unions, including the influential Inter University Students' Federation (IUSF), in order to bolster support, according to Dedduwage.

Jeevanth Peiris, a Catholic priest who is part of the activist group, worried that only a few thousand people would turn up the next day because of the restrictions. Fuel shortages had curtailed transport options for weeks.

It seems everyone’s making a run for it. Or trying to. Rats/ sinking ship etc.

President Gotabaya tried to flee but denied by his own immigration staff and an irate public:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/ ... ee-airport

Earlier Basil Rajpaksa was also prevented from leaving SL post haste.

https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/sri-lan ... es-3149307

This really brings me back to my old old days as a journalist, would have loved to suggest the headlines just to see my editor’s face:

Gota’s Goteys In A Bind!

And (Hindi Edition)

Rajpaksa Parivar: Lanka Mein Lankano Ne Inki Lanka Laga Di!!

He fled to Maldives on a military plane.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/7/1 ... remesinghe
Where are Sri Lanka President Rajapaksa and PM Wickremesinghe?
While the whereabouts of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is publicly unknown, Ranil Wickremesinghe’s current address is a closely guarded secret.
Saroj Pathirana, 11 Jul 2022
Colombo, Sri Lanka – Two days after tens of thousands of protesters forced the president and the prime minister of Sri Lanka to flee their residences, the two leaders have not been seen in public.
While the whereabouts of embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is publicly unknown, officials told Al Jazeera on Monday that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s current address is a closely guarded secret.
Hours before the protesters began marching towards the President’s House and his office in capital Colombo on Saturday morning, police announced an overnight curfew which was denounced as illegal by legal experts.
Amid confusion and chaos following the curfew announcement late on Friday, it is believed the president’s security made arrangements for Rajapaksa to flee to a safer place.
Journalist and political analyst Kusal Perera told Al Jazeera the president’s security had the option to take him to a naval camp through an underground bunker built during the presidency of Gotabaya’s elder brother Mahinda Rajapaksa.
From there, experts believe, the 73-year-old president could have been taken to a navy ship through Colombo harbour.
.....
Gautam

saip wrote:He fled to Maldives on a military plane.

the cheeni will protect him there

Massive protest erupting hours after news trickled in about the 'Goat Fleeing the Pen'
All seem very orchestrated!!
Just blaming US maybe what the Chins want or make believe
Army plane, decision to land in Maldives off all places (just wind back to Maldivian crisis of reverting from Chin control to Indian influence) and stories of Ex-Prez Nausheed facilitated the landing
Hmm all appears Chin made or the Big two trying to fix Indian rise what with Russian saga on going in Ukr.!!
Inspite of Indian Protests and statements Mob frenzy will be whipped up to blame India now!!
So much for printing the Article of Ascension!!

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/india-d ... ka-3152559
India Calls "Baseless" Reports It Helped Lanka President Flee To Maldives
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his wife along with two bodyguards travelled to the Maldives after full approval of the country's Defence Ministry, Sri Lanka officials confirmed on Wednesday.
Asian News International, July 13, 2022
Colombo: The Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka has dismissed "baseless" and "speculative" media reports that said that India has facilitated President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's exit from the country. According to reports, Gotabaya had fled the crisis-hit island country hours before he was scheduled to resign from the post.
"High Commission categorically denies baseless and speculative media reports that India facilitated the recent reported travel of @gotabayar @Realbrajapaksa out of Sri Lanka," the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka tweeted.
"It is reiterated that India will continue to support the people of Sri Lanka as they seek to realize their aspirations for prosperity and progress through democratic means and values, established democratic institutions and constitutional framework," it added.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his wife along with two bodyguards travelled to the Maldives after full approval of the country's Defence Ministry, Sri Lanka officials confirmed on Wednesday.
In a statement, the Sri Lankan Air Force also said that the move was done under the executive powers vested with the president.
.......
Gautam

vijayk wrote:https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-paci ... 022-07-11/
How a band of activists helped bring down Sri Lanka's government

This is wishful thinking and what they would like you to believe. If it was so easy that 3 people can bring down an elected government by making posts of Facebook, then it would have happened in India many times over.

For this to take off, it needs to appear on feeds of users which means the algorithm needs to prioritise this. The other point is that this needs to also conform to the policy on not instigating violence. Given the way past demonstrations have gone, it’s fairly obvious that such calls for assembly are going to result in violence. So someone must have approved that regardless, similar to kill the Russian invaders posts…

The above points to a consistent push to reach this state of affairs. Highly unlikely this is organic and done by “3 people on Facebook”.

Former sri lankan president rajapaksa to leave for Singapore from Maldives



https://www.business-standard.com/artic ... 940_1.html

I am disturbed by the constant claims that India is involved in some way or another in the current mess in Sri Lanka.

I would be happy with the claims that India has abandoned Sri Lanka to it's fate.

Pratyush wrote:I am disturbed by the constant claims that India is involved in some way or another in the current mess in Sri Lanka.

I would be happy with the claims that India has abandoned Sri Lanka to it's fate.

It's the BIF and their collaborators, the dravidians who are spreading this rumour.

the SM says

One visit is all it takes.

what has the church got to do with politics....

why would these guys care or even poke their roman noses as to who governed SL, unless they had an agenda and were hand in glove with the ongoing disturbances....

they have no say in government or do they, via the circuitous nuland route perhaps...............

What is happening in SL, will be used against other countries especially, India. They have already tried many thing against India but they were not able to get the desired success, but in SL, the government forcefully used its security and police resources against its own people to keep them quiet and that may have just been the last straw that broke the country's back.

The west has tasted blood again after Egypt and the arab spring. They will now regroup and relaunch another crusade against India.

The swords are once again being sharpened to tackle India but the solid backing that this govt has among the vast majority of the Indian people, cannot be overcome easily. No one has tried to topple a popular govt and got away with it.

@republic
President Rajapaksa has no mandate to govern Sri Lanka anymore: Church of Ceylon

https://www.republicworld.com/world-new ... eshow.html

Sri Lanka's church leaders on Monday said that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has to take personal responsibility for driving the country to a state of bankruptcy, as they called for his immediate resignation.

Colombo, Jul 11

Sri Lanka's church leaders on Monday said that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has to take personal responsibility for driving the country to a state of bankruptcy, as they called for his immediate resignation as well as that of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Issuing a statement on the unprecedented political turmoil, the Church of Ceylon said the overwhelming call for President Rajapaksa's resignation from religious leaders to civil society and the average man and woman on the street is a clear reflection that he has no mandate to govern this country anymore.

"The President has to take personal responsibility for driving this country to a state of bankruptcy and a term of office can only be legitimate if the people still have confidence in the individual," it said.

The Church of Ceylon also called for the immediate resignation of the Prime Minister "who never had the legitimacy to hold office, noting that it is clear that there is no plan and no action to revive the economy other than the people having to tighten their belts and die in queues."

It said that any government which cannot command the confidence of its own people will not stand a chance in commanding the respect of outside governments or funding agencies. President Rajapaksa announced on Saturday that he will resign on Wednesday. Prime Minister Wickremesinghe also said that he will step down after a new government is formed.

Opposition parties on Sunday held talks and decided to form an all-party interim government after President Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Wickremesinghe agreed to resign.

The Church of Ceylon called for the formation of a truly representative interim administration which can regain the confidence of the people and that of the international community. Such an administration will be called to manage the present crisis swiftly while devising suitable short, medium and long-term strategies for economic revival, it said

Chruch may have been used by US. Christains tried to bring down the elected Govt. in Srilanka.

just to put things in woke perspective

so corrosive is their ingrained hatred for India and this seditious woke is one of the west's and also the tribal commie academics's useful idiots

A question : what is Gotabaya's Passport status : Common SL citizen as he claims(Unkil yet to refute that he has given up US Citizenship) or still carries Diplomatic Immunity?? He has not resigned as Prez
If and when he flees to Singapore what security details will be accorded there??
There's a large diaspora of SL Tamils in Singa/Malay/Aust?? I think
Will the spectre of LTTE raise its head again
And if it does Mataji and Famiglia will revert back Z+++ security??

Rsatchi wrote:A question : what is Gotabaya's Passport status : Common SL citizen as he claims(Unkil yet to refute that he has given up US Citizenship) or still carries Diplomatic Immunity?? He has not resigned as Prez
If and when he flees to Singapore what security details will be accorded there??
There's a large diaspora of SL Tamils in Singa/Malay/Aust?? I think
Will the spectre of LTTE raise its head again
And if it does Mataji and Famiglia will revert back Z+++ security??

The LTTE and Khalistanis are not Organic organizations, It is Western driven , Pakistani Driven and Chinese Driven- even the Sinhalese atrocities on Tamils are driven cause the Sinhalese elite is Western driven. They will not act against their host Governments. These countries try to have peace at home and conflict abroad. Thats why the UK< Pakistan and China had dealings with both LTTE and Sri Lanka for supply of weapons, Arms training etc.

So if LTTE decides to raise its head it will be driven by their host Governments.

Aditya_V wrote:

Rsatchi wrote:A question : what is Gotabaya's Passport status : Common SL citizen as he claims(Unkil yet to refute that he has given up US Citizenship) or still carries Diplomatic Immunity?? He has not resigned as Prez
If and when he flees to Singapore what security details will be accorded there??
There's a large diaspora of SL Tamils in Singa/Malay/Aust?? I think
Will the spectre of LTTE raise its head again
And if it does Mataji and Famiglia will revert back Z+++ security??

The LTTE and Khalistanis are not Organic organizations, It is Western driven , Pakistani Driven and Chinese Driven- even the Sinhalese atrocities on Tamils are driven cause the Sinhalese elite is Western driven. They will not act against their host Governments. These countries try to have peace at home and conflict abroad. Thats why the UK< Pakistan and China had dealings with both LTTE and Sri Lanka for supply of weapons, Arms training etc.

So if LTTE decides to raise its head it will be driven by their host Governments.

they are already here, and busy implementing lessons learned from season 1

season 2 has been released and that is why the slimy hordes are acting up in dravidistan, publicly pushing for a separate state but slyly using a lot of verbal calisthenics to avoid arrest under sedition laws

the implosion of SL is a black swan for these guys which is why the "church of ceylon" is muscling in fully intending to carve out an expanded identity for the eelam project.

The govt in TN is already being run by the padres.

Pakistan and China had have dealings with both LTTE and the SL army but those are anti India business opportunities as also the huge drug trade being funnelled through SL for the US and EU markets

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-62160227
Sri Lanka: Gotabaya Rajapaksa resigns after fleeing Sri Lanka
Zubaidah Abdul Jalil & Simon Fraser & Patrick Jackson, 14/7/2022
Gotabaya Rajapaksa has resigned as president of Sri Lanka after fleeing to Singapore in the face of mass protests at home over his rule.
He is believed to have wanted to leave Sri Lanka before stepping down in order to avoid the possibility of arrest under a new administration.
The cost of food, fuel and other basic supplies has soared for Sri Lankans.
In the capital Colombo, delighted demonstrators greeted news of the president's departure with dancing.
Mr Rajapaksa arrived in Singapore after first flying to the Maldives on Tuesday night. Reports say he is accompanied by his wife and two bodyguards.
Singapore's foreign ministry said Mr Rajapaksa had not asked for asylum or been granted asylum. "Singapore generally does not grant requests for asylum," it added.
The acting president, Ranil Wickremesinghe, does not formally become interim president until he is sworn in.
Once sworn in he has 30 days for parliament to endorse him. If they do not, MPs need to hold a vote for a new president.
The resignation letter was sent by email to the speaker of parliament, who said he would complete legal processes and announce it officially on Friday.
.....
Who will let him stay?
Analysis by Tessa Wong, Asia Digital Reporter in Colombo
Many are asking where Gotabaya Rajapaksa is planning to flee to next. But perhaps the more important question is: who will let him stay?
It is unclear if Singapore is a transit point on the way to the Middle East, or if he intends to stay in the Southeast Asian island, and if so, for how long.
But sources say it is doubtful the Singapore government will allow him to stay for long
The rich city state has in the past played host to controversial figures such as Thein Sein, Robert Mugabe and Kim Jong-un. But harbouring Mr Rajapaksa for the long term is likely to be a line they will not cross.
This is a man accused of war crimes, under intense global scrutiny right now, having gone on the run while his country slides into economic collapse. The international criticism that Singapore would receive would not be worth it.
Authorities would also have to contend with the backlash from the Singapore public, which in recent years has become more vocal and assertive.
The country also has a significant Tamil population, some of whom are of Sri Lankan heritage. Mr Rajapaksa is accused of allowing the deaths of tens of thousands of Tamil civilians during the civil war while he was defence secretary.
......
Gautam

The goat is apparently in singapore, he arrived there by a saudi airlines plane.

goat neither asked for nor was he granted asylum in singapore.

Private visit says singapore govt

50 minutes long:



10 minutes long follow up:

It is an engineered protest and regime change. The western countries taking their revenge for LTTE's defeat.India again caught napping

BBC is providing covering fire for support of woke policies wrt organic food only approach that has led to the ruin of SL agro sector.. The article is written in the style of a fact check but it is anything but that and offers nothing new. Fact checking is another scam industry pioneered by the likes of zoobear…

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-62149554

some joker has written in some Indian newspaper that the chinese debt had no role to play in the SL fiasco and that joker is the brother of another joker, a paki born Indian tambram


here is what the WSJ says (via@MinhazMerchant)





https://www.wsj.com/articles/sri-lankas ... 1657735179

India only country that has provided us credit line: Sri Lanka minister amid worst economic crisis

Colombo: Sri Lanka has once again underlined India's support during its worst economic crisis in independent history. On Saturday, Sri Lanka Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said that India was the only country that had provided a credit line to Colombo. He said his country had made requests for fuel to different countries. "So, any country that comes to help us, we appreciate that. Right now, the Indian government is the only country that has provided us with a credit line," Wijesekera said while speaking to ANI.

https://www.firstpost.com/world/sri-lan ... 29591.html
Sri Lanka: Indian official injured in 'unprovoked assault', High Commission urges nationals to remain aware
'Vivek Varma, an Indian national and Director of Indian Visa Centre, sustained grievous injuries in an unprovoked assault last night near Colombo,' the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka said
FP Staff, July 19, 2022
New Delhi: A senior Indian government official posted in Sri Lanka sustained grievous injuries in an unprovoked assault, the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka said on Tuesday.
"Vivek Varma, an Indian national and Director of Indian Visa Centre, who sustained grievous injuries in an unprovoked assault last night near Colombo," the High Commission said.
The High Commission also urged Indian nationals to remain aware of the latest developments in the island nation and plan their movements and activities accordingly. The matter has been brought to the attention of the Sri Lankan authorities, it said.
'The relations between the people of India and Sri Lanka have always been cordial and friendly," it added.
India committed $3.8 billion to Sri Lanka
Earlier this month Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday said India has committed $3.8 billion for the support of Sri Lanka during the latter's economic crisis which had been building up over a period of time.
Jaishankar said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a neighbourhood first policy where the government makes special efforts to try and support the country's neighbours in a manner that meets their requirements.
.....
Gautam
No good deed shall remain unpunished.

g.sarkar wrote: Sri Lanka: Indian official injured in 'unprovoked assault', High Commission urges nationals to remain aware
'Vivek Varma, an Indian national and Director of Indian Visa Centre, sustained grievous injuries in an unprovoked assault last night near Colombo,' the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka said
FP Staff, July 19, 2022
New Delhi: A senior Indian government official posted in Sri Lanka sustained grievous injuries in an unprovoked assault, the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka said on Tuesday.
"Vivek Varma, an Indian national and Director of Indian Visa Centre, who sustained grievous injuries in an unprovoked assault last night near Colombo," the High Commission said...
Gautam
No good deed shall remain unpunished.

Something here more than perhaps what meets the eye.
The fella's hand appears to have been fractured by someone.
Perhaps his duties included more than just the Visa Centre and was he assaulted by inimical forces, during the course of his other duties?

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-62218050
Sri Lanka crisis: Is India gaining over China in island nation?
Anbarasan Ethirajan, BBC News, Colombo, 19/7/2022
During the ongoing anti-government protests in Sri Lanka, protesters shouted slogans targeting former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his family. But they also raised chants against India.
Slogans like - "Don't sell the country to India and the US"; "India: Sri Lanka is not another state"; and "India don't exploit Sri Lanka's situation" - could be widely heard during the demonstrations.
But while anti-Indian sentiments like these still persist, how Sri Lankans view India might be changing as the country grapples with political and economic chaos.
Sri Lanka is in the midst of a deep and unprecedented economic crisis that has sparked massive protests, and forced its president to quit after fleeing the country.
Over the years, Sri Lanka has built up a huge amount of debt - to the point that it is now struggling to buy essentials such as food, fuel and medicine.
Protesters blame Mr Rajapaksa and his family, who fled to Singapore last week, for the situation. The parliament has begun the process of electing a new president and MPs are expected to vote on Wednesday.
Some sections of the Sri Lankan polity have always viewed with suspicion the presence of its bigger and powerful neighbour, India. I have seen several anti-India protests in Sri Lanka over the years by majority Sinhala nationalists and Left-wing parties.
But when Sri Lanka suddenly found itself in a deep economic mess a few months back, it turned to India and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Delhi responded with financial help.
This was not the first time though - in fact, no other country or institution has helped Sri Lanka as much as India in the past year.
Experts say that Sri Lanka's desperate financial need, in a way, has helped Delhi regain its influence in the island-nation of 22 million people after China made inroads by offering loans and other forms of financial aid for infrastructure projects in the past 15 years.
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https://www.npr.org/2022/07/20/11125677 ... -inflation
Sri Lanka has a new president, but here's why many continue to protest
All Things Considered, July 20, 20224
Sri Lanka's parliament elected longtime politician Ranil Wickremesinghe as the country's new president in a secret ballot on Wednesday. He previously served as prime minister to the former president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled the country a week ago after months of protests calling for his resignation.
Due to Wickremesinghe's close association with the former president, many protesters entered and torched his house last week, and have called on him to resign as well.
Wickremesinghe takes office as Sri Lanka's economy continues to face soaring inflation, and shortages of essential goods like food, fuel and medicine. Many Sri Lankans are still waiting hours in line to buy basic supplies, often at prices that have doubled or tripled in recent months. The World Food Program's most recent analysis reported that 86% of families were either skipping meals, eating less or buying worse food.
Sri Lankan historian at Oxford University Shamara Wettimuny said that former president Rajapaksa's rule was, "To put it bluntly, a short-lived train wreck."
She spoke with All Things Considered about what Sri Lankans are expecting from the new administration, and what led to this moment.
Interview highlights
On whether Wickremesinghe has signaled any plans to staunch the country's economic crisis
He has made some progress in terms of negotiating with the IMF, who we're hoping to get some sort of bailout from, and he has been working to try and improve our fuel situation. But those changes are yet to be felt at the ground level. Walking around Colombo at the moment, we just see queues of cars snaking around the city, where people have been queuing for days to get petrol. So the crisis is still very real and still to be resolved.
On the political journey of Sri Lanka's former president, who is now in exile
Gotabaya Rajapaksa was new to electoral politics. He has a military background, and he then served as the defense secretary under his brother Mahinda Rajapaksa's government between 2005 to 2015.
The Rajapaksa government during the civil war is widely seen as ruthless in ending a conflict that lasted over 30 years, but there are still huge gaps in accountability. The end of the war was bloody, and a lot of Tamils were killed or disappeared. And these families of the disappeared are still searching for answers.
His campaign to run for president in 2019 was his first electoral campaign.
It has been, to put it bluntly, a short lived train wreck. He came into power in November 2019 on a platform of economic progress, as well as national security. And the reality is, he's delivered neither.
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Gautam