Tag: ranil Wickremesinghe president

Modi Congratulates President-Elect Wickremesinghe in Letter, Pledges Continued Support to Lanka

‘The Prime Minister also conveyed that he looked forward to working closely with the Sri Lankan President for the mutual benefit of people and strengthening the age-old, close and friendly relations between India and Sri Lanka,’ the Indian High Commission tweeted.

Colombo: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated Sri Lanka’s newly-elected President, Ranil Wickremesinghe, and said that India will continue to be supportive of the quest of the people of the island nation for stability and economic recovery, through established democratic means, the Indian High Commission said on Tuesday, July 26.

Wickremesinghe, 73, was on Thursday sworn in as Sri Lanka’s eighth president after he was elected by lawmakers to succeed Gotabaya Rajapaksa who fled the country and resigned in the face of public revolt against his government for mismanaging the economy.

“PM @narendramodi sent a congratulatory letter to H.E President @RW_UNP on his election,” the High Commission of India in Colombo said in a tweet.

“PM reiterated that India will continue to be supportive of the quest of the people of Sri Lanka for stability and economic recovery, through established democratic means, institutions and constitutional framework,” it said.

“The Prime Minister also conveyed that he looked forward to working closely with the Sri Lankan President for the mutual benefit of people and strengthening the age-old, close and friendly relations between India and Sri Lanka,” it added.

Wickremesinghe, who is believed to be close to India and its leaders, was appointed as Prime Minister in May. He was sworn-in as acting president on July 13 after President Rajapaksa fled the country amidst unprecedented anti-government protests.

Also read: Ranil Wickremesinghe Wins Sri Lanka’s Presidential Election

On July 22, Wickremesinghe appointed veteran politician Dinesh Gunawardena as the prime minister. Wickremesinghe has a mandate to serve out the rest of Rajapaksa’s term, which ends in November 2024.

Meanwhile, in Colombo, Indian High Commissioner Gopal Baglay on Tuesday paid a courtesy call on newly-appointed Prime Minister Gunawardena and conveyed greetings from the leadership, government and people of India.

“High Commissioner thanked the PM for his guidance in various capacities to strengthen the long-standing and close India-Sri Lankan relations in all areas of engagement. High Commissioner also thanked him for his whole-hearted appreciation for India’s unprecedented support to the people of Sri Lanka,” the Indian mission tweeted.

On Tuesday, Baglay handed over to crisis-hit Sri Lanka the third consignment of humanitarian supplies like rice and medicines donated by the government of Tamil Nadu.

“The Indian government and the people have come together for the people of Sri Lanka. The Indian High Commissioner here handed over the humanitarian supplies valued at over Sri Lankan Rupees 3.4 billion donated by the Tamil Nadu government,” the High Commission said in a statement.

As much as 40,000 MT of rice, 500 MT of milk powder, 100 MT medicines were received by the crisis-hit nation in the face of its worst economic crisis in history.

The Indian government assistance to Sri Lanka has reached almost $4 billion since January this year.

Sri Lanka needs about $5 billion in the next six months to cover basic necessities for its 22 million people, who have been struggling with long queues, worsening shortages and power cuts.

The country is currently holding talks with the IMF and other foreign countries on financial aid to tide over the current economic crisis.

Wickremesinghe, who has been leading the crucial talks with the International Monetary Fund, has said that negotiations were nearing conclusion, and discussions for assistance with foreign countries were also progressing.

(PTI)

‘Start of the Marathon’: Sri Lanka Protestors Glum but Undeterred After Ranil’s Election

Activists slammed the “greedy and self-serving politicians” who voted for the new president, who is seen as close to the Rajapaksa clan.

Colombo: Gloom and frustration hit Colombo’s protestors on Wednesday, shortly after the Sri Lankan Parliament voted Ranil Wickremesinghe as the next president. But they vowed to keep up their movement. The #GoGotaGo campaign, which ousted former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa from power, had set its sights on also booting out acting president Wickramasinghe, but it failed.

Wickramasinghe, received 134 votes from parliamentarians, while Dullas Alahaperuma, a dissenting member of Rajapaksa’s party Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, got 82 votes, and Leftist candidate Anurakumara Dossanayake finished with just three votes.

Vraie Cally Balthazaar, 37, an activist and researcher who addressed a disappointed crowd following the results, said that 134 “greedy and self-serving politicians who no longer represent us”, had helped Wickremesinghe take power.

“People want something different but parliament wants something different for themselves,” she said. “Today has been a very frustrating day, to say the least. We have been here for 103 days. We have been talking about what this struggle may lead to and today this is where we are at,” she continued. “The question now is, do we accept this? No.”

Posters says ‘Go Home Ranil’ after Wickremesinghe was elected as Sri Lanka’s President, in Colombo, July 20, 2022. Photo: Bhavya Dore

Alongside Balthazaar, a series of speakers – including various religious leaders – spoke in a mix of English, Sinhala and Tamil. Campaigners vowed to keep up the struggle, or the Aragalaya movement, which began on April 9.

Wickremesinghe, a six-time prime minister who took over as interim leader after Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country last week, is seen to be close to the Rajapaksa clan. “Parliament and other parties have cheated our citizens,” said Amila Egodamahawatta, 39, a lawyer. “He does not have the people’s support.”

The Presidential Secretariat, the only building that protestors continue to occupy, was quiet in the immediate hours following the results. Campaigners gathered there after 3:30 pm to give rousing speeches, denounce the new president and mark a new phase of the movement.

Also Read: Sri Lanka’s Presidential Secretariat Is Now a Buzzing Library Overseen by Protestors

“He tried to label us as fascists. He has engaged in dirty warfare,” said Harinda Fonseka, 37, a member of the movement. “But we are peace-loving, non-violent protestors. This is just the beginning of the marathon, we are undeterred.”

Bands of activists quickly turned out “Go Home Ranil” headbands, and by evening two artists had sketched a series of anti-Wickremesinghe posters that were taped to the secretariat’s pillars. The sketches effectively summed up the sentiment: Wickremesinghe is seen as a cunning deal-maker and unscrupulous politician, no different from the odious Rajapaksas.

Protestors at Sri Lanka’s Presidential Secretary in Colombo, July 20, 2022. Photo: Bhavya Dore

“I am not in a mood to speak,” said Visaka Jayaweer, 54, a theatre artist who has been protesting since the start. “We have to think of what our next move will be. It is like a chess game. They have made their move, now it is our turn.”

This reporting was supported by the International Women’s Media Foundation.

Bhavya Dore is a Mumbai-based freelance journalist.