Sri Lankan PM steps down as protesters storm presidential residence

Twitter ^ | 07/09/22

[Enlightened1]

Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has announced he is stepping down from office on Saturday. The announcement comes hours after tens of thousands of protesters stormed President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's residence in Colombo, forcing him to move to safety. Demonstrations across the country led to an imposed curfew as the economic crisis continues.

 

https://twitter.com/i/events/1545674271325769730

[cuban leaf]

When your failure is so obvious and devastating that the people storm the capitol, you know you have serious problems. Hmmm. Where have I seen that before?

I wonder where we’ll see it in the future...

[janetjanet998]

House going up in flames fast

VIDEO: Sri Lankan PM Ranil Wickremesinghe house set on fire by protesters
#SriLanka
https://rumble.com/v1bnj4t-sri-lankan-pm-ranil-wickremesinghe-house-set-on-fire-by-protesters.html?mref=3z0st&mrefc=7

[dforest]

When the place stinks to high heaven you take out the rubbish .

Sri Lanka gathered up the trash and threw it out.

[BrexitBen]

The “ economic crisis “ sweeping the third world is directly attributable to the domino-effect of China Joe’s policies.

[Roman_War_Criminal]

This could happen here if the monsters in congress keep destroying out economy, supply chains, and disrupting the energy markets.

[Paperpusher]

Colombo, Sri LankaDoctors and bankers were among hundreds of Sri Lankans who marched on Wednesday to demand the government resolve a severe fuel shortage at the heart of the Indian Ocean island's worst economic crisis in decades or step down. Weeks of street demonstrations against cascading woes such as power cuts and shortages of food and medicine brought a change in government last month after nine people were killed and about 300 injured in protests. Left with just enough fuel for about a week and fresh shipments at least two weeks away, the government restricted supplies on Tuesday to essential services, such as trains, buses and the health sector, for two weeks. The prime minister's office said in a statement a government-ordered petrol shipment would arrive on July 22, while Lanka IOC, a unit of Indian Oil Corporation, is expecting a shipment of petrol and diesel around July 13. "The government is also attempting to secure fuel shipments at an early date. However, until those are confirmed, the details would not be released," the statement said. Doctors, nurses and medical staff say that despite being designated essential workers, they struggle to find enough fuel to get to work. "This is an impossible situation, the government has to give us a solution," H.M. Mediwatta, secretary of one of Sri Lanka's largest nursing unions, the All Island Nurses Union, told reporters. Sri Lanka's economy has 'completely collapsed,' Prime Minister says Sri Lanka's economy has 'completely collapsed,' Prime Minister says The South Asian nation's most serious economic crisis since independence from Britain in 1948 comes after COVID-19 battered the tourism-reliant economy and slashed remittances from overseas workers. Rising oil prices, populist tax cuts and a seven-month ban on the import of chemical fertilisers last year that devastated agriculture have compounded the troubles. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said the World Bank had agreed to restructure 17 projects it is funding in Sri Lanka. Similar support extended earlier had been used to buy fuel and medicine. "More World Bank assistance will follow after negotiations with the IMF are finalised," he said on Twitter. An International Monetary Fund team is in Colombo for talks on a bailout package of as much as $3 billion. Sri Lanka hopes to reach a staff-level agreement by Thursday, but even so, it is unlikely to bring immediate funds. 'Unbearable' A march to the president's house by a trade union of bankers, teachers, and the self-employed was stopped by riot police who had thrown up barricades to guard the area. "Things have become unbearable for the common man," said an official of a teachers' union. "We want this government to go home." More than 100 medical staff of the national hospital in Colombo marched to the prime minister's office calling for the government to ensure fresh supplies of fuel and medicines. Public health inspectors and other health service workers are also on strike on Wednesday and Thursday. Energy prices are causing chaos in Asia. Here's why the rest of the world should worry Energy prices are causing chaos in Asia. Here's why the rest of the world should worry The island of 22 million has nearly run out of useable foreign exchange reserves to import essentials such as food, medicine, petrol and diesel. As the crisis grows, many people have been detained trying to flee the country by boat. The government is also looking abroad for help, to countries from the Middle East to Russia. On Tuesday, in a bid to secure fuel, Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera met Qatar's minister of state for energy affairs and the chief executive of Qatar Energy. He is also seeking a line of credit from a Qatar development fund. Another Sri Lankan minister will travel to Russia at the weekend in search of energy deals. https://edition.cnn.com/2022/06/29/asia/sri-lanka-fuel-shortage-impossible-situation-intl-hnk/index.html

[EastTexasTraveler]

“Sri Lanka gathered up the trash and threw it out.”

Now comes the hard part. Far too often a tyrant is thrown out and replaced by someone little if any better.

[catnipman]

this all started when this government outlawed use of imported synthetic fertilizer and forced ALL domestic agriculture to use “natural” methods instead, you know, to “go green” AND save money ... the resulting crop failures subsequently depleted foreign reserves when they had to be used to import food (instead of fertilizer) ... consequently, no foreign reserves remained to import anything else, including fuel ... “Go Green, Commit National Suicide” ...

[vrwc1]

"This is an impossible situation, the government has to give us a solution."
As the crisis grows, many people have been detained trying to flee the country by boat.

This is what happens when you live in a "democratic socialist republic" paradise.
The government is incompetent, and they jail you for trying to escape their incompetence.

[catnipman]

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/impossible-situation-sri-lankans-struggling-petrol-2022-06-29/

[Nextrush]

This is the 9 pm News in English on TV 1 Sri Lanka tonight.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=uLdcaBh1OJI

[dforest]

That is very true. I agree the hard part is coming. It taks a special type of person and the fix won’t be overnight. Patience will be needed and hangry folks can have a short fuse.

[seowulf]

Now, that’s how you do an insurrection.

[Georgia Girl 2]

Call for Joey on the red phone. 😏

[butlerweave]

Going Green kills and destroys

[chajin]

Nothing to see here, just Ceylon

[Miguk]

According to the Interwebs and BuzzLearn, "Ranil Wickremesinghe net worth or net income is estimated to be between $1 Million – $5 Million dollars. He has made such amount of wealth from his primary career as Politician."

So, we're gonna see just how much a million dollars buys you to escape from Sri Lanka and to whatever Western nation willing to take his money.

Note to all the dirty angry hungry angry desperately hungry angry citizens of Sri Lanka, unlike all of you, your PM had an exit plan, and will not now (barring the Ceaucescu-Treatment), ever miss a paycheck or a meal, courtesty of the West and corruption.

While you and your families, neighbors and fellow citizens kill, murder, rape and eat each other, your betters are running for the hills.

**Coming soon to another country near you!**

[ifinnegan]

From December

https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4019632/posts

“China and Sri Lanka have strong relations. Over the past decade, China has emerged Sri Lanka’s largest investor and has played a huge role in the island’s infrastructure development. So deeply steeped in Chinese debt is Sri Lanka that it is said to be caught in a Chinese debt trap. Importantly, Beijing has repeatedly defended Sri Lanka from censure at global human rights forums. An important component of the Sino-Sri Lankan relationship is the strong equation between Beijing and Sri Lanka’s ruling Rajapaksa family.”