Sri Lanka

Promises made to India by President Anura Dissanayake in December 2024 must be matched with action.

As Dissanayake takes up the presidency, Sri Lanka stands at a pivotal juncture.

Once again, the pending visit of a Chinese research vessel to Sri Lanka has touched off Indian objections.

The report said Rajapaksa, then a powerful defense official, ordered the destruction of all police records older than five years after mass graves were discovered in the Matale district of central Sri Lanka in 2013.

Damage to crops can be minimized by preventing the destruction of forests, experts say.   

China has lent over $1 trillion to more than 150 countries as part of its Belt and Road Initiative, making it the world’s largest official creditor.

India has already given the necessary assurances to the IMF. Other bilateral creditors, including China, have not yet but Sri Lanka says there’s progress in the ongoing discussions. 

Sri Lanka is nearly bankrupt and has suspended repaying its $51 billion foreign debt, of which it must repay $28 billion by 2027.

Devastating floods have placed a third of the country underwater, underscoring significant climate risks in South Asia.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe said his government will soon start negotiating debt restructuring with countries that provide loans to Sri Lanka.

The Indian and Chinese diplomatic missions in Sri Lanka sparred on social media over the visit of a Chinese military research vessel to the island nation.

Sri Lanka’s refusal to codify trade relations with India speaks to a consistent policy of strategic ambiguity.

Establishing rules of the aid game and channels of communication might prevent a repeat of the current crisis, in Sri Lanka and elsewhere.

If passed into law, the amendments would reinstate democratic reforms made in 2015 and then reversed in 2020 under President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Wickremesinghe said the government's aim is to create a surplus in the primary budget by the year 2025 and to bring down public debt.

If the northeast Indian Ocean is of strategic interest to Australia, then the current economic and political crisis in Sri Lanka ought to be a pressing concern for Canberra. 

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa promised to step down, while Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said he would leave once a new government was in place.

One member of the Sri Lankan diaspora reflects on the agony of watching his motherland lurch from crisis to crisis. 

The president's selection of Wickremesinghe a five-time former prime minister, is an attempt to end the violence and restore international credibility.

Ranjith Siyambalapitiya, backed by the ruling coalition led by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, was re-elected deputy speaker after having resigned in April.

A majority vote in the 225-member Parliament would be needed to remove Rajapaksa and the Cabinet from power. 

MP (and former president) Sirisena says Gotabaya Rajapaksa has agreed to a national council and a new prime minister; the prime minister's spokesperson said that had not been communicated yet.

The Delhi-driven subregional arrangement faces a number of challenges but stands as a noteworthy endeavor to coordinate on maritime safety and security in the Indian Ocean region.

Amid increased Chinese activity, India and Sri Lanka focus on their shared strategic interests in the Southern Indian Ocean region.