“What the Chinese offered to a regime that was being chastised for its human rights record… was international diplomatic protection as well the funds for development,” analyst Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu told AFP.
via: News 18
“What the Chinese offered to a regime that was being chastised for its human rights record… was international diplomatic protection as well the funds for development,” analyst Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu told AFP.
via: News 18
With a slightly different outlook towards the days and weeks to follow, Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) Executive Director Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu was of the opinion that instability will not come about if the appointment of a Prime Minister and Cabinet and the dissolution of Parliament can be resolved amicably.
He added that ideally, anyone elected as the Executive President has the power to reconcile the North and the South. “As you know, the Election results have split the country in two, with the minorities going one way and the rest of the country going another,” Dr. Saravanamuttu said, adding that, “If we cannot agree with each other, we will never be able to pursue the path of prosperity that we all say we deserve. We need to have that reconciliation and unity. It cannot become a majoritarian democracy.” Dr. Saravanamuttu added that he hopes President-elect Gotabaya Rajapaksa will recognise the need for reconciliation and unity and take necessary steps to ensure he is the President of all Sri Lankans. Echoing his views, Office on Missing Persons (OMP) Chairman Saliya Pieris said: “The President is the President of the entire country, and whether one supported him or opposed him at the Election, he must be constructively supported in the implementation of his vision for the country, as long as he does so in terms of the spirit of the Constitution.”
via. ft.lk
“Sept mois après les attentats de Pâques, le Sri Lanka a fait le choix du sécuritaire et rappelé au pouvoir le clan Rajapaksa, en élisant à la présidence lors du scrutin de samedi 16 novembre l’un des frères, Gotabaya, ancien secrétaire à la défense qui écrasa dans un bain de sang la guérilla tamoule lorsque son aîné, Mahinda, était chef de l’Etat (2005-2015). Selon la commission électorale, il a recueilli 52,25 % des suffrages, devançant largement son rival Sajith Premadasa (41,99 %). M. Premadasa avait reconnu sa défaite un peu plus tôt dimanche.”
via: Le Monde
“Rabidly anti-Tamil and Islamophobic Gotabaya Rajapaksa, a man accused of war crimes comes to power in Sri Lanka
’70-year-old former wartime defence secretary, the younger brother of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, has swept the poll with over 60% margins in most Sinhala majority districts while his 52-year-old rival Premadasa has performed well in the minority Tamil-dominated north and east provinces.
Premadasa has garnered over 80% of the vote in Tamil areas, reducing Rajapaksa to less than 5% in some areas in the north….According to observers, with pro-China Rajapaksa in the fray, India is keeping a close watch on the election results as its outcome will have a bearing on the country’s presence in the Indian Ocean region where Beijing is increasingly making its inroads.’
via: The Wire
“Armed men have stabbed and injured a Sri Lankan writer in the southern Galle district, a week after he published a book criticising the main opposition candidate in Saturday’s presidential polls, police said.
The attackers stormed the home of Lasantha Wijeratne on Thursday, who released his book Wasteful Development and Corruption last week and gave a copy to the ruling party candidate Sajith Premadasa.”
via: Aljazeera
“Gotabaya “Gota” Rajapaksa of the Sinhalese-Buddhist nationalist SLPP, who served as defence minister under his brother, is one of two frontrunners. Mr Rajapaksa is subject to lawsuits relating to torture, fraud and corruption. He wants Mahinda, unable to run again due to term limits, as his prime minister. The Rajapaksas oversaw the end to the decades-long civil war, but one UN report suggested as many as 40,000 Tamil civilians died in its final months. Tamil politicians were murdered and thousands of Sri Lankans disappeared.”
via: the Guardian
“Even as a Rajapakse return haunts Sri Lanka I am inspired today by the strength and determination of the Muslim persons attacked en-route to the polling station. The Hindu reports that they used public transport and private vehicles to ensure they made it to the polling stations in Mannar to cast their vote. I return to the statement released by CPA in the aftermath of the 2015 Presidential Election and continue to grasp onto the spirit in which it was written: “They called us terrorists, traitors and thieves; we called ourselves citizens”.
8 January 2015: Memories from a Future-Past, https://groundviews.org/…/8-january-2015-memories-from-a-f…/ by Deborah Philip”
via: Groundviews
“Preliminary estimates record close to 80% polling; minority Tamil, Muslim regions see over 70% voting.
The November 16 presidential election in Sri Lanka may be headed for a tight race between hopefuls Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Sajith Premadasa, following a high voter turnout, including in the north and east, home to a large population of minority Tamils and Muslims.
According to preliminary estimates provided by the Election Commission, about 80% of the eligible citizens cast their votes, comparable to the 81.52 % recorded in the 2015 election.
Initial trends are likely to emerge by Sunday afternoon, while official results will be declared on Monday.”
via: The Hindu
“Dans un pays meurtri par des attentats en avril dernier le jour de Pâques, et qui ont coûté la vie à 269 personnes, deux hommes s’affrontent aujourd’hui pour le poste de président: un candidat proche du pouvoir et un candidat du puissant clan Rajapaksa.”
via: Radio Vatican
La commission électorale a annoncé ce dimanche 17 novembre la victoire de Gotabhaya Rajapakse, surnommé « Terminator » à la présidentielle de samedi.
via: RFI
Le Parlement de Sri Lanka vient de faire paraître son rapport sur les responsabilités des services de sécurité sri-lankais dans les attentats de Pâques. Ce rapport confirme ce qui était suggéré dès après les attentats, à savoir la non-transmission à la police par les services secrets sri-lankais des informations fournies par les services secrets indiens d’une attaque imminente contre des églises et des hôtels, et la rétention par ces mêmes services d’informations concernant le groupe extrémiste musulman à l’origine des attentats.
Le rapport suggère que “de nouvelles investigations seront nécessaires pour comprendre si des personnes ayant des intérêts personnels n’ont pas agi consciemment de sorte à créer le chaos et l’incertitude dans le pays dans la perspective des élections présidentielles devant se dérouler plus tard dans l’année”. Sans le dire explicitement, l’allusion vise Gotabhaya Rajapakse, dont les liens avec les services secrets de l’armée sont bien connus, et dont l’appui constant aux organisations bouddhistes anti-musulmanes a contribué à attiser la violence en retour des extrémistes musulmans. La parution de ce rapport à quelques jours des élections n’est évidemment pas fortuite, et son contenu soulève suffisamment de questions pour qu’il soit versé au dossier
“If Gotabaya Rajapaksa wins the presidency, he and his family will have two priorities: secure the premiership for Mahinda Rajapaksa and obtain a two-thirds majority in the next parliament for the SLPP. Reaching the first goal would be a necessary condition for reaching the second. If the SLPP can go for the next election under a SLPP president and a SLPP premier, a landslide victory would be possible…”
via: Groundviews
“In a matter of days Sri Lanka will elect a new President and it is imperative that no doubt remains as to the eligibility of the person elected to the office of first citizen in Sri Lanka. It is also paramount that the Election Commission and other officials are independent and impartial and take all necessary steps to protect the integrity of elections”
via: CPA
“Sri Lanka goes to the polls on Saturday for a presidential election that will be a decisive moment for its future. The country is still reeling from the Easter Sunday bombings of April 2019, in which more than 250 people died, as well as 18 months of political instability and infighting.”
via: The Guardian