Close
KTAR.com
News
Shows
Blogs
KTAR News on 92.3FM

Sri Lanka’s crisis cripples once burgeoning middle class

Women wait in a queue to buy kerosene in in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Saturday, June 11, 2022. Sri Lanka's economic crisis, the worst in its history, has completely recast the lives of the country's once galloping middle class. For many families that never had to think twice about fuel or food, the effects have been instant and painful, derailing years of progress toward lifestyles aspired to across South Asia. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena) A man shops for vegetables at a market in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Friday, June 10,2022. Sri Lanka's economic crisis, the worst in its history, has completely recast the lives of the country's once galloping middle class. For many families that never had to think twice about fuel or food, the effects have been instant and painful, derailing years of progress toward lifestyles aspired to across South Asia. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena) Miraj Madusanka, left, helps his mother Sriyani, light a firewood hearth at their house in Colombo, Sri Lanka, June 10, 2022. Madushanka, a 27-year-old accountant, studied in Japan and hoped to work there. He moved back home in 2018 after his father died, to look after his mother and sister. Madushanka finished his studies and found a job in tourism, but lost it in the shadow of 2019 terror attacks that rattled the country and its economy. The next job evaporated during the pandemic. He's now working for a management company, his fourth job in four years. But even with a reliable paycheck, he can barely manage to support his family. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena) People wait for fuel at petrol station in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Saturday, June 11, 2022. Sri Lanka's economic crisis, the worst in its history, has completely recast the lives of the country's once galloping middle class. For many families that never had to think twice about fuel or food, the effects have been instant and painful, derailing years of progress toward lifestyles aspired to across South Asia. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena) A coconut seller waits for customers at a market place in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Friday, June 10, 2022. Sri Lanka's economic crisis, the worst in its history, has completely recast the lives of the country's once galloping middle class. For many families that never had to think twice about fuel or food, the effects have been instant and painful, derailing years of progress toward lifestyles aspired to across South Asia. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena) People wait near an empty fuel station hoping to buy kerosene oil for cooking in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Thursday, May 26, 2022. Sri Lanka's economic crisis, the worst in its history, has completely recast the lives of the country's once galloping middle class. For many families that never had to think twice about fuel or food, the effects have been instant and painful, derailing years of progress toward lifestyles aspired to across South Asia. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena, file) An elderly woman sits outside a police station in a protest demanding cooking gas in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Saturday, May 14, 2022. Sri Lanka's economic crisis, the worst in its history, has completely recast the lives of the country's once galloping middle class. For many families that never had to think twice about fuel or food, the effects have been instant and painful, derailing years of progress toward lifestyles aspired to across South Asia. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena, file) Scooterists and motorists wait in long queues at a fuel station in in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Saturday, June 11, 2022. Sri Lanka's economic crisis, the worst in its history, has completely recast the lives of the country's once galloping middle class. For many families that never had to think twice about fuel or food, the effects have been instant and painful, derailing years of progress toward lifestyles aspired to across South Asia. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena) Retailers transport goods purchased from a market in a auto rickshaw in Colombo, Sri Lanka , Friday, June 10, 2022. Sri Lanka's economic crisis, the worst in its history, has completely recast the lives of the country's once galloping middle class. For many families that never had to think twice about fuel or food, the effects have been instant and painful, derailing years of progress toward lifestyles aspired to across South Asia. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena) Miraj Madusanka, right, helps his mother Sriyani, to light a firewood hearth at their house in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Friday, June 10, 2022. Sri Lanka's economic crisis, the worst in its history, has completely recast the lives of the country's once galloping middle class. For many families that never had to think twice about fuel or food, the effects have been instant and painful, derailing years of progress toward lifestyles aspired to across South Asia. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)