Sri Lankan president’s brother quits; UN launches aid appeal

Jun 9, 2022, 4:37 AM | Updated: 9:04 am
A Buddhist nun falls next to a barricade after inhaling tear gas during a protest outside police he...

A Buddhist nun falls next to a barricade after inhaling tear gas during a protest outside police headquarters in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Thursday, June 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

(AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Basil Rajapaksa, the younger brother of Sri Lanka’s president and the country’s former finance minister, said he resigned from Parliament on Thursday amid mounting criticism of his role in the island nation’s economic crisis, as the United Nations launched an appeal for $47.2 million in emergency aid.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has said Sri Lanka needs about $6 billion to pay for vital imports and stay afloat for the next six months.

Rajapaksa said he submitted a letter to give up his Parliament seat but insisted that he was not solely responsible for the country’s economic hardships.

“The crisis was there even when I took over,” he said at a news conference. “I did my best with all my strength.”

He served as finance minister from July last year until April, when he resigned with other ministers over the government’s failure to resolve the economic situation.

His resignation from Parliament is seen as a severe blow to his family’s dynasty, which has faced growing public outrage. The powerful Rajapaksa family has ruled Sri Lanka for much of the past two decades.

For months, Sri Lankans have endured severe shortages of food, fuel and medicines, power outages and other difficulties because of an acute foreign currency shortage that prevents the country from buying needed imported goods and repaying its debts.

The United Nations said it launched the appeal on Thursday in response to a government request for assistance focusing on healthcare, food and agriculture, safe drinking water and protection of livelihoods.

It said 5.7 million Sri Lankans are in need of humanitarian assistance, but that the appeal will focus on 1.7 million who are most at risk and in need of urgent help.

“If we don’t act now, many families will be unable to meet their basic food needs,” the U.N resident coordinator in Sri Lanka, Hanaa Singer-Hamdy, said in a statement.

“Sri Lanka’s once-strong healthcare system is now in jeopardy, livelihoods are suffering and the most vulnerable are facing the greatest impact. Now is the time for the international community to show solidarity with the people of Sri Lanka,” she said.

Rajapaksa said Thursday that successive governments that ruled Sri Lanka since the 1950s also deserve blame because “they took loans and spent them” without taking steps to avert a crisis. He said he would not be involved in the government anymore but vowed to “continue political work.”

Protesters have occupied the entrance to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s office for more than 50 days demanding his resignation, saying the primary responsibility for the economic crisis rests with him and his family, whom they accuse of corruption and mismanagement.

The protests drove another family member, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, from office last month amid nationwide violence in which his supporters attacked peaceful protesters. Another of the president’s siblings and a nephew also resigned from their Cabinet posts but still serve as lawmakers. Mahinda Rajapaksa was Sri Lanka’s president from 2005 to 2015.

Demonstrations continued Thursday, with police using tear gas to prevent protesters from breaking into the police headquarters to demand action against the Rajapaksa supporters involved in the attacks. They also demanded the release of people they said had been unfairly detained in relation to retaliatory attacks in which nine people, including a lawmaker, were killed and dozens of homes of officials and ruling party supporters were burned.

Sri Lanka is nearly bankrupt. The government announced last month that it is suspending nearly $7 billion in foreign debt repayments due this year out of about $25 billion due by 2026. Sri Lanka’s total foreign debt stands at $51 billion.

Authorities have started discussions with the International Monetary Fund for a bailout package and have asked it to lead a conference to unite Sri Lanka’s lenders.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

(Facebook Photo/Superior Court of Arizona in Yavapai County)...
Associated Press

Arizona judge has cases reassigned following DUI arrest

The Arizona Supreme Court has ruled that all cases currently assigned to a Yavapai County Superior Court judge recently arrested on suspicion of extreme DUI will be reassigned to other judges.
4 days ago
Haitian migrant Gerson Solay, 28, carries his daughter, Bianca, as he and his family cross into Can...
Associated Press

US, Canada to end loophole that allows asylum-seekers to move between countries

President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday announced a plan to close a loophole to an immigration agreement.
7 days ago
Expert skateboarder Di'Orr Greenwood, an artist born and raised in the Navajo Nation in Arizona and...
Associated Press

Indigenous skateboard art featured on new stamps unveiled at Phoenix skate park

The Postal Service unveiled the “Art of the Skateboard" stamps at a Phoenix skate park, featuring designs from Indigenous artists.
7 days ago
(Facebook Photo/City of San Luis, Arizona)...
Associated Press

San Luis authorities receive complaints about 911 calls going across border

Authorities in San Luis say they are receiving more complaints about 911 calls mistakenly going across the border.
13 days ago
(Pexels Photo)...
Associated Press

Daylight saving time begins in most of US this weekend

No time change is observed in Hawaii, most of Arizona, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Marianas.
21 days ago
Mexican army soldiers prepare a search mission for four U.S. citizens kidnapped by gunmen in Matamo...
Associated Press

How the 4 abducted Americans in Mexico were located

The anonymous tip that led Mexican authorities to a remote shack where four abducted Americans were held described armed men and blindfolds.
21 days ago

Sponsored Articles

(Photo by Michael Matthey/picture alliance via Getty Images)...
Cox Communications

Valley Boys & Girls Club uses esports to help kids make healthy choices

KTAR’s Community Spotlight focuses on the Boys & Girls Club of the Valley and the work to incorporate esports into children's lives.
(Pexels Photo)...

Sports gambling can be fun for adults, but it’s a dangerous game for children

While adults may find that sports gambling is a way to enhance the experience with more than just fandom on the line, it can be a dangerous proposition if children get involved in the activity.
...
Quantum Fiber

How high-speed fiber internet edges out cable for everyday use

In a world where technology drives so much of our daily lives, a lack of high-speed internet can be a major issue.
Sri Lankan president’s brother quits; UN launches aid appeal