Tag: Maithripala Sirisena

Visitors come to the Indian Ocean island nation to enjoy its beaches, historic places, interesting nature and tasty food. But Sri Lanka’s current political environment is keeping visitors away. Violence has broken out in parliament and the 2019 national budget has been delayed. The Reuters news agency received that information from someone at the national Sri Lankan airlines. The person told Reuters that, “The crisis started just when tourists take a decision where to go...It has discouraged many of them.” Chandra Mohotti is manager of the high-end Galle Face Hotel in the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo. She said that 20 percent of planned visits to the area have been canceled. But instead, the hotel has been forced to offer low-cost rates to appeal to tourists. Sanath Ukwatte, president of the Hotels Association of Sri Lanka, said some companies have chosen to move their planned events to Singapore, Indonesia and other places in Southeast Asia. He said if the current situation continues, the economic effects “will be significant.” More than 2.1 million people visited Sri Lanka in 2017, tourism officials say. I’m Ashley Thompson.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Lawmakers hurled chairs, thick books and stinging chile powder at one another as violence and chaos erupted again on the floor of Sri Lanka’s Parliament on Friday. At least four lawmakers and several police officers were injured. The proceedings were carried live on TV and beamed across the island nation. The trouble began when lawmakers allied to Mahinda Rajapaksa, a former president who, in a contentious move, was appointed prime minister last month, arrived in the chamber early and occupied the speaker’s chair. The lawmakers broke microphones and staged mock sessions. They also blocked the mace, a gold-tipped ebony staff that is the symbol of authority, from being brought into the chamber to begin the session. Dozens of policemen marched in. The government has been paralyzed by a three-way duel between Maithripala Sirisena, the president; Ranil Wickremesinghe, the prime minister who was summarily deposed by the president in October; and Mr. Rajapaksa, considered the strongman of Sri Lankan politics. “But there was also so much to be proud of,” she added, saying that the speaker and the police officers showed enormous bravery and would fall “on the right side of history.” After the vote, Mr. Rajapaksa left the chamber to a cacophony of hoots. Mr. Sirisena had claimed on Thursday that he would accept the result of the vote, but by Friday he seemed to be wavering again.