Sri Lanka Crisis
The early signs of a serious economic crisis in Sri Lanka became evident by February 2022 when I first arrived in the country to report on the situation.
By April, an unprecedented wave of demonstrations against President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s handling of the economy started taking hold across parts of Sri Lanka, eventually leading to unrest and violence.
Within months, mass protests put Rajapaksa under severe pressure, eventually forcing him to him to flee the country and then resign - becoming the first Sri Lankan president to quit office mid-term.
I helped lead Reuters’ coverage of Sri Lanka’s economic and political turmoil, delivering a series of scoops, exclusive interviews, deeply reported stories and analysis pieces amid a relentless flow of breaking news.
Sri Lanka faces looming food crisis with stunted rice crop
Nallathambi Mahendran walked through his paddy fields in Sri Lanka's Kilinochchi district, indicating the height the plants should have reached by now. They were several feet short. The standing paddy crop across most of this major rice growing belt is stunted for the second successive season.
Full story here.
Sri Lankan president flees to Maldives, protesters storm prime minister's office
Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled to the Maldives, driven out after an economic collapse unleashed a popular uprising that appeared to end his family's near two-decade dominance of the country.
Full story here.
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.
Full story here.
Brothers at odds, but ruling family still holds key to Sri Lanka's future
The Rajapaksas are not done yet.
The youngest brother, Basil, wields considerable influence over the country via his hold over the ruling party that dominates parliament, according to at least five people who spoke to Reuters
Full story here.
Crisis-hit Sri Lanka, India revive talks to link electric grids
India and Sri Lanka have resumed talks on linking their electricity grids, a step that could aid New Delhi's goal of reducing China's influence on the island nation, now grappling with a severe economic crisis.
Full story here.
A small tent camp in Sri Lankan city becomes focus of national protests
On a patch of grass near Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's office in Colombo, around two dozen tents have been erected in a small but growing camp that is becoming the focal point of national protests.
Full story here.
Drugs running out, surgeries cancelled as Sri Lanka's health system buckles
A patient’s struggle to find Bevacizumab in state-run facilities is an early sign of how Sri Lanka's healthcare system is close to collapse, under the weight of the island nation's worst economic crisis. There are shortages of vital drugs, and some procedures and tests have been suspended.
Full story here.
In stunning reversal, protests leave Sri Lanka's ruling dynasty teetering
The country's pre-eminent political dynasty is in trouble, as protesters take to the streets making demands that would have been unthinkable before the economic crisis struck: that the president, Gotabaya Rajapaska, steps down.
Full story here.
Sri Lanka to start talks with IMF as economic crisis worsens - sources
Sri Lanka will begin talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) next month on a plan to help the crisis-hit country, where a foreign exchange shortage has squeezed essential imports amid looming debt payments, three sources said.
Full story here.