Category: Breaking News

Sri Lanka’s new President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and his party members should now investigate long alleged stolen money in Uganda by former leader Mahinda Rajapaksa’s family, Rajapaksa-led former ruling party members said.

Dissanayake and his party have long accused the Rajapaksa family of taking wealth out of Sri Lanka they were supposed to have earned from commissions and other deals through illegal and inappropriate means when in public office.

“President Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) and his team have been alleging for years that we have stashed away billions of dollars in Uganda and various countries. It is now time for President AKD to prove his allegations,” Rajapaksa’s eldest son Namal Rajapaksa said on his personal X (twitter) platform.

Rajapaksa junior contested through the previous ruling coalition of nationalist Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) and lost the September 21 presidential poll to Dissanayake, who became the first leftist leader of Sri Lanka with less than 50 percent majority after a second vote count.

Dissanayake and his Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) during the election campaign have promised to bring back stolen assets and take legal action against Rajapaksa and his family members for corrupt deals and wealth accumulation using his public office.

“When they were in the opposition, they leveled various accusations against politicians and past governments. It was their duty then as an opposition. But now the situation is different,” Sagara Kariyawasam, the General Secretary of Rajapaksa-led SLPP told reporters at a media briefing.

“MEDIA SHOW”

“First of all, the JVP should understand this. Though they staged media shows and accused others, now their party leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake is the president. Now all the law implementing agencies are operating under him,” the former SLPP legislator said.

“In the past they had accused Rajapaksa of looting the money. They had said $18 billion money was stolen and taken to Uganda. So now they have to investigate these allegations and find evidence for these allegations.”

Kariyawasam said the SLPP is wary of the Dissanayake-led government’s stance on taking action against past allegations made by them and trying to evade from their responsibilities of proper investigation.

President Dissanayake in an interview with a local television station before the election said that he had been carrying heaps of files in his vehicle which contain all the corruption details of mostly politicians and would be probing them once he comes to power.

“But they did not want to put them (files) in public citing that they could not trust the public officials and they will do that when they have the state powers. Rather than saying this repeatedly, they should act immediately,” Kariyawasam said.

“If you are trying to do the same media show again and again to win the upcoming parliament election, it is an injustice for the voters who cast their votes for you and the citizens of this country who did not vote for you all,” he said.

When Maithripala Sirisena won the presidential poll in 2015, he promised to arrest and take legal action against Rajapaksas with evidence. However, his government failed to prove anything despite the arrests of at least three Rajapaksas including Namal.

Lack of action against corruption led the Sirisena government to become unpopular soon and helped SLPP to record a landslide win in the 2018 local government poll.

Later, most of the corruption cases were either dropped or withdrawn by the Attorney General’s Department and some of the accused Rajapaksas were acquitted under former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the brother of Rajapaksa and the war-time defence secretary.

India has Sri Lanka’s ear on security matters, observers say – citing Colombo’s appreciation for its neighbour’s help during its recent economic crisis – even as the South Asian island nation’s new president strives to balance ties with New Delhi and Beijing.

Sri Lanka elected Marxist lawmaker Anura Kumara Dissanayake as president on last month, marking a decisive shift away from the old political elite that many blamed for the country’s economic collapse.
Dissanayake triumphed over opposition leader Sajith Premadasa and former president Ranil Wickremesinghe, who had assumed power two years ago after the economy hit rock bottom.

The election came as Sri Lanka strives to recover from a severe crisis marked by shortages of essential goods, including food, medicine, and fuel, sparking widespread protests in 2022 that ultimately forced former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa to resign and flee the country.

Sri Lankan leaders – including Dissanayake – must adeptly balance relations between India, China, and other major powers such as the United States and Japan, said Neil Devotta, professor of politics and international affairs at Wake Forest University in the US.

Although his political background rooted in Marxist ideology, Dissanayake has evolved into a “practical nationalist”, focused on foreign policies that prioritise Sri Lanka’s interests, Devotta said.

With an eye on revitalising the economy and easing austerity measures that have hurt the poor, Dissanayake is likely to pursue domestic and foreign policies that enhance economic stability.

“India is likely to have an advantage in this regard given its proximity and the possibility for Sri Lankans to link with the economic developments in South India,” Devotta said.

While Dissanayake’s National People’s Power (NPP) alliance has traditionally harboured “warmer feelings for China over India”, Devotta said that anti-India sentiment was “much diminished compared to the past”, largely due to the gratitude felt for Delhi’s extensive support during the island’s economic crisis.

India provided around US$4 billion in financing during the unprecedented crisis brought on by mismanagement and corruption, enabling Sri Lanka to sustain essential imports and maintain its foreign currency reserves.

Earlier this year, Indian companies secured agreements in sectors ranging from energy to maritime logistics – including a 20-year power purchase agreement involving two new wind power stations in Sri Lanka’s north – further solidifying economic ties.

However, Dissanayake has previously expressed intentions to cancel the controversial wind power project with India, claiming it was corrupt and detrimental to Sri Lanka’s interests.

Devotta warned that any attempt to renegotiate these deals “while making even minor concessions to China … would upset India”.

Rajni Gamage, a research fellow at the National University of Singapore’s Institute of South Asian Studies, said Dissanayake, 55, was perceived to be closer to China, due to the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna’s (JVP) historical and ideological affinities with Beijing.

Dissanayake’s socialist NPP coalition includes the JVP, a left-wing political group established six decades ago to promote a communist revolution in postcolonial Sri Lanka.

Despite these affiliations, Gamage expects Dissanayake to be “pragmatic and engage with Delhi”, acknowledging its vital role during the economic crisis. Given the increasing presence of Chinese naval vessels in the region, the NPP has indicated a willingness to consider India’s security concerns.

Both the NPP and Dissanayake have stressed their commitment to protecting the Sri Lanka’s core interests.

“However, the real test is when such a situation or event arises, where the president is forced to make a call on accommodating one country’s interests that could trigger security-related anxieties over the other”, Gamage said.

In January, Colombo declared a one-year moratorium on foreign research ships entering its waters, responding to Indian concerns over Chinese vessels docking nearby.

Chinese research ship Shi Yan 6 spent several days port in Colombo in October last year, and in 2022, the navy vessel Yuan Wang 5 docked at Hambantota in southern Sri Lanka, raising alarms in Delhi that these ships could be used for regional surveillance.

Sriparna Pathak, an associate professor of Chinese studies and international relations at the O.P. Jindal Global University in India, said Sri Lanka under Dissanayake was likely to enforce a ban on Chinese vessels regardless of external pressures.

“[The government] will ensure that these spy vessels from China, bulldozing over Sri Lankan interests merely due to the fact that Hambantota is now China’s, do not get entry into Sri Lankan exclusive economic zones,” she said.

The Hambantota deep water port, the nation’s second-largest, was leased to China Merchant Ports for 99 years in 2017.
Pathak expects that Sri Lanka will maintain the moratorium on ships, with Foreign Minister Ali Sabry indicating in July that the situation would be reassessed at the end of the year.

India had anticipated Dissanayake’s victory, Pathak noted, highlighting the Asian giant’s engagement with all political parties in Sri Lanka, including invitations extended to JVP leaders like Dissanayake to visit Delhi.

In February, Dissanayake met with India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, later sharing on social media that they had a productive discussion about deepening bilateral relations.

“Sri Lanka in the past has benefited economically from its ties with India, and Dissanayake will adhere to the same policy,” Pathak said.

India stands as Sri Lanka’s largest trade partner and one of its top investors, with total foreign direct investment surpassing US$2.2 billion.

In 2021, India accounted for the largest share of foreign direct investment at US$142 million, focusing primarily on sectors such as petroleum, manufacturing, real estate, telecommunications, and banking and financial services.

Maria Siow is a long-time China-based correspondent and analyst with keen interest in East Asia. Maria has a masters degree in international relations.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a personal message to Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

Levan S. Dzhagaryan, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Sri Lanka, met with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Presidential Secretariat on Tuesday.

During the meeting, Ambassador Dzhagaryan extended his warm congratulations to President Dissanayake on his recent election and delivered a personal message from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

President Putin in his message states, that he expects that the bilateral relationship between the two countries will deepen under the leadership of President Anura Dissanayake.

The discussions focused on strengthening the longstanding bilateral relations between Sri Lanka and Russia.

Both parties highlighted the importance of enhancing cooperation in key areas such as trade, investment, culture, and education, while reaffirming their commitment to deepening diplomatic ties for the mutual benefit of both nations. (

Former Jaffna District MP of the ITAK elected Leader, S. Shritharan, has met with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday (01), the President’s Media Division (PMD) said.

During the meeting, former MP Shritharan congratulated President Dissanayake on his election as the ninth Executive President of Sri Lanka, reflecting the will of the people.

The two also engaged in a warm and friendly conversation, the statement said.

The selling rate of the US Dollar has dropped below the Rs. 300 mark for the first time since June 8, 2023.

The USD selling rate was recorded as Rs. 299.35 today (02).

Meanwhile, the buying rate of the US Dollar is Rs. 290.30.

The UNP and other opposition groups are willing to accept Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Leader Sajith Premadasa as the Prime Ministerial candidate if he agrees to a common opposition alliance under a common symbol ahead of the General Election 2024, a former MP said yesterday.

Former MP Saman Ratnapriya who is a close associate of former President Ranil Wickremesinghe told media that Mr. Premadasa is welcome to become the Prime Ministerial candidate if he agrees for a common opposition alliance under a common symbol.

“We are ready to welcome Mr. Premadasa as the Prime Ministerial candidate if he agree to form a common opposition alliance under a common symbol. However, the issue is that the SJB wants the symbol of the common alliance to be the telephone. No alliance is formed under a symbol of a partner of that alliance. It has to be a common symbol,” Ratnapriya said.

“However, we will be making the final decision on the common symbol in a two days’ time and we shall then make an announcement on a common symbol,” he added.

Meanwhile SJB General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara said his party had officially informed former President Ranil Wickremesinghe to resign from the UNP leadership so that Mr. Premadasa could take over the party and go ahead with the forming of a common alliance.” Mr. Wickremesinghe has not agreed to step down from the leadership,” he said.

Meanwhile former MP Manusha Nanayakkara told media that there is a request by some UNPers that the common symbol should be the elephant. “Some UNPers wants the elephant symbol back but we have to think about all these options. This is why we have not come to a final agreement yet,” he said.