2022 Sri Lankan protests

The 2022 Sri Lankan protests are a series of ongoing protests by various non-partisan protesters, mainly the general public and opposition political parties against the government of president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, accused of mismanaging the Sri Lanka's economy which has resulted in an economic crisis with severe inflation, daily blackouts upto 10-13 hours, a shortage of fuel and many essential items. The key demand of the protesters is that the government run by the Rajapaksa family immediately resign, paving the way for a completely new set of qualified and democratic rulers.[5][8] Most protesters were unaligned with any political party, and some even expressed discontent with the current parliamentary opposition.[9] The protesters commonly chanted slogans such as "Go home Gota", ''Go Home Rajapaksas'' and "Gota pissek" (Gota is a lunatic).[10][11] The protests have been mainly staged by the general public including teachers, students, doctors, nurses, IT professionals, farmers, lawyers, few police officers, social activists, sportspersons and engineers without any direct political affiliation and most of the protestors are consider themselves to be apolitical.[12][13] Few protests have been carried out by individuals with political connections and political parties but have subsequently fallen apart due to lack of support. The youth population of Sri Lanka has played a major part in carrying the protests at Galle Face Green, chanting slogans like "You have messed with the wrong generation" and "Don't play with our future".[14][15][16][17]

2022 Sri Lankan protests
ශ්‍රී ලාංකික විරෝධතා - இலங்கையின் மக்கள் போராட்டம்
Part of the Sri Lankan economic crisis
Protesters protest in front of the Presidential Secretariat
Date9 March 2022–present
Location
Sri Lanka,
Demonstrations by Sri Lankan communities in Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States, Canada and many other countries
Caused by
Goals
  • Resignation of president Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the Rajapaksa administration.
MethodsDemonstrations, Internet activism, rioting
StatusOngoing
Parties to the civil conflict

Protesters and opposition organizations:
Lead figures
Largely unorganized and decentralized leadership.
Casualties and losses
3 protesters dead[lower-alpha 1],[2][3][4] 60+ injured[5]
600 arrested[6]
24 police officers injured[7]

Protesters targeted members of the Rajapaksa family and government politicians. The government in retaliation used authoritarian methods such as declaring a state of emergency which allows the military to arrest civilians, imposing curfews, restricting social media such as Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Instagram, Viber and YouTube, assaulting protesters and journalists, and arresting online activists.[18][19][20] These measures increased popular disapproval of the government, and the Sri Lankan diaspora also began demonstrations against the suppression of basic human rights.[21][22] The social media block also backfired as the heavy use of VPNs by Sri Lankans caused hashtags such as #GoHomeRajapaksas and #GoHomeGota to trend in countries such as the United States, Singapore, and Germany; the block was lifted on the same day. In addition, the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka condemned the measure and summoned officials responsible for the block and abuse of protesters.[23][24]

On 3 April, all 26 members of the Second Gotabaya Rajapaksa cabinet with the exception of Prime Minister Rajapaksa resigned en masse. However, critics noted that the resignation was not valid as they did not follow the constitutional protocol and thus deemed it a "sham,"[25][26][27] and several were reinstated in different ministries the next day.[28] Chief government whip Johnston Fernando insisted that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa would not resign under any circumstances despite the widespread calls from protesters, the opposition, and the general public.[29]

Background
Main article: 2019–present Sri Lankan economic crisis
Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa

Since 2010, Sri Lanka has witnessed a sharp rise in foreign debt, reaching 88% of the country's GDP in 2019.[30] The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic-induced global recession accelerated the crisis and by 2021, the foreign debt rose to 101% of the nation's GDP,[31] causing an economic crisis. The incumbent Government of Sri Lanka under president Gotabaya Rajapaksa made continuous cascading policy errors which resulted in a severe economic crisis for Sri Lanka. These included significant tax cuts that affected fiscal policies and reduced government revenue, intensifying the budget deficit as well as the inflation.[32] To cover government spending, the Central Bank began printing money in record amounts, ignoring advice by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to stop printing money and instead increase interest rates and taxes while decreasing spending, as well as another IMF warning that continued money printing would lead to an economic implosion.[33] In April 2021, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa announced that Sri Lanka would only allow organic farming, totally banning agrochemical-based fertilisers. The drop in tea production as a result of the fertilizer ban alone resulted in economic losses of around $425 million. The ban also contributed to a 20% drop in rice production within the first six months. As a result, Sri Lanka went from being self-sufficient in rice production to having to import rice at a cost of $450 million.[34]

With brothers Basil Rajapaksa as finance minister and Mahinda Rajapaksa as prime minister, the sense of nepotism and mismanagement deepened among critics.[35] While members of the Rajapaksa family have been charged with corruption locally, authorities have failed to prove these charges in court. In 2021, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists released the Pandora Papers, which named Nirupama Rajapaksa who had used offshore shell companies and trusts to secretly stash the family's wealth around the world. In 2022, as protests began growing in Sri Lanka, Jaliya Chitran Wickramasuriya, cousin of the Rajapaksa brothers, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for defrauding $332,027 from the Sri Lankan government during the purchase of a new embassy building in 2013.[36][37] Government supporters and allies also began to blame the economic crisis on Basil Rajapaksa who gained a reputation as "Mr. Ten Percent" due to his alleged commission from government contracts[38][39] and, despite being the finance minister, did not attend parliament sessions during the economic crisis.[40] Udaya Gammanpila, the leader of government-aligned Pivithuru Hela Urumaya, claimed that the party has no intention of reelecting a Rajapaksa, describing it as the end of the nepotism that has plagued Sri Lankan politics.[41]

Uganda links, conspiracies

On 14 April 2021, the Sri Lankan Airlines in its official Twitter handle claimed that Sri Lankan cargo had made history by operating three successive cargo charter flights to Entebbe International Airport which is Uganda's only international airport uplifting over 102 metric tonnes of printed papers in February 2021.[42] The information on whether what kind of printed papers were not revealed by Sri Lankan Airlines due to confidential reasons. However, the cargo carrier deleted the tweet for unknown reasons.[43]

Sri Lankan Airlines later issued a statement clarifying that the printed material which was deported to Uganda included only the Ugandan currency notes and it further revealed that due to security reasons with bordering Kenya, Ugandan government preferred to obtain printed Ugandan shilling currency notes from a global security printer.[44][45] The Biyagama branch of the De La Rue company is responsible for printing currency notes to countries including Uganda.[46] SriLankan insisted that the consignment was purely commercial in nature and brought much needed foreign revenue to the airlines as well as for the country.[47]

Several sources claimed that Mahinda Rajapaksa had maintained close ties with Uganda especially during his second tenure as President from 2010 to 2015. Mahinda Rajapaksa also reported to have befriended Sri Lankan Ambassador to Uganda, Velupillai Kananathan during the former's first official Presidential trip to Uganda in 2014.[48][49][50]

Uganda has been marked for a possible blacklisting by international financial systems for falling to comply with anti-money laundering laws and for continuously engaging in various financial crimes.[51][52] The news that Uganda was going to be blacklisted due to money laundering went viral in Sri Lanka among protestors and social media users with speculation that Rajapaksa family members and influential politicians in the government could have possibly transferred ill-gotten wealth to Uganda on cargo flights via the Sri Lankan Airlines flight.[53]

Hashtags on social media

GoHomeGota2022 and GoHomeGota hashtags are an internet trend used on social media platforms like Twitter[54] and Facebook at the beginning and during the protest against the Sri Lankan government. Users (many Sri Lankans around the world) used the hashtag to express their displeasure with the ruling party, especially President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. Most posts include pictures, slogans, poems, etc. of different levels of life experiences with the hashtag #GoHomeGota2022 or #GoHomeGota.[55][56] Many posts talk about adverse effects on daily life or Sri Lanka's debt situation, stolen public money by the ruling parties, and poor decisions taken at crucial moments.[57] The hashtag has now a separate website for posting related posts, photos, and stories.[58] However, the government and sponsored social media activities launched a social media campaign against the #GoHomeGota campaign with the hashtag #WeAreWithGota.[59][60][61] Similar to GoHomeGota2022, GoHomeGota was a popular hashtag several weeks after GoHomeGota2022. Although both hashtags are similar, what makes them different is the mentioning of the year 2022, which the has been used to urge the president to resign within 2022 as it is the origin on the last day of the year 2021.[62] #GoHomeRajapakshas, #SriLankaEconomicCrisis, #SriLankaProtests, #SrilankaCrisis, #gotojailrajapakshas, #GotaGoGama, #අරගලයටජය, #පන්නමු, #giveusourmoneyback, #anonymoussavesrilanka are the rest of the famous hashtags been using on famous social media to encourage people and supporters during the protest.

Origin and popularity

Like most internet trends, it is difficult to determine exactly who started all the hashtags has been using relevant to the protest ongoing in Sri Lanka in 2022. However, #GoHomeGota2022 hashtag is been trending after it appears in many Facebook and Twitter posts published by Pathum Kerner[63][64][65][66].[67][68] This trend has become a practice of posting related news, ideas, photos, and comments until it became viral at the end of March 2022. Since then, the slogan has blown up to the point where GoHomeGota2022 has been used on Facebook over 4 million times on Twitter by 17th April 2022.[69]  At the end of March 2022, social activist Thisara Anuruddha Bandara, admin of the Facebook group called GoHomeGota2022 arrested.[70][71] This social media group enabled the Facebook user to post relevant posts under the GoHomegota2022 hashtag that made it popular. Also, after being arrested by the Government police for further investigation into subversive activities or any influence on society in violation of the Constitution of Sri Lanka, he was released on bail at midnight the next day after proving with the support of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka that he was not a fugitive on any charges helped #GoHomeGota to become popular and strong.[72] Also, with the government's decision to crackdown on social media, the use of VPNs by many users to access and publish on social media has helped increase its global reach.[73][74][75][76]

Timeline

March

On 16 March, tens of thousands of supporters of the opposition party, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) led by Sajith Premadasa, carried out protests in front of the President's office, demanding that the President resign from his position.[77] On 30 March, when Namal Rajapaksa arrived for the opening ceremony of a sports ground in Bandarawela, angry locals blocked the road and demanded fuel, which resulted in Rajapaksa avoiding the area and the mayor opening the grounds instead.[78]

On Thursday, 31 March, hundreds of protesters held a demonstration at Pangiriwatte Road, Mirihana, where President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's residence is situated.[79] Hundreds of social media leaders stormed the home of the President on Thursday night, demanding his resignation. The protest was initially spontaneous and peaceful until the police attacked the protesters with tear gas and water cannons. Protesters then set fire to two military buses and a police jeep, hurled stones at officers, and blocked Colombo's main highway by burning tires. The curfew, which was imposed Thursday night, was lifted on Friday morning, but police and army presence in the city increased.[80][81][82][39][83] Security forces used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowd.[5][84] Nearly 50 people, including some journalists, were injured and hospitalized, while 45 people were arrested.[5] The protest was broadcast live by a private television channel, but was later stopped due to what journalists described as pressure from the government.[83]

A day later, over 300 lawyers appeared at the Mirihana Police to represent the arrested protesters free of charge.[85] Official sources said that Rajapaksa was not present in the house during the protest. A statement from the president's office said, "Thursday night's protests are being led by extremist forces who are inviting the Arab Spring to destabilize the country."[84] The SJB accused the government of sending loyalists to infiltrate and sabotage the protests by burning vehicles and initiating acts of violence and noted that the videos of the protests do not show protesters being armed as the government claimed.[86]

April

On 1 April, Shashseendra Rajapaksa, nephew of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, had to avoid a ceremony in Wallawaya due to a protest waving black flags. Chamara Sampath Dassanayake attended the ceremony in his place but had to change vehicles and flee using a side road due to protesters pelting him with eggs.[87][88] On 1 April, the Samagi Vanitha Balawegaya headed by the SJB politician and parliamentarian Hirunika Premachandra staged a protest march from Point Pedro in Jaffna against the economic hardships faced by the public. During the protests, Hirunika had reportedly been involved in a heated exchange with political activist Arun Siddharth. The situation in the area later became tense, with police officers managing to intervene in the matter.[89]

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Sri Lanka requested that political leaders save the country from becoming a failed state while Gnanartha Pradeepaya, a Catholic weekly, blamed the situation on corruption which forced the country to borrow to buy essential items. Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith blamed the situation on political leaders and "us citizens who have allowed ourselves to be used by vested political and cultural interests in choosing the persons to whom we have entrusted the country and its destiny over all these years".[90] The Cardinal also condemned the government's classifications of protesters as "extremists" and "terrorists" as not being empathetic to the pain and fear of the people.[91]

On 2 April, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared a nationwide public emergency.[7] However, protests persisted as private bus drivers in Anuradhapura,[92] carpenters in Moratuwa and fishermen in Galle joined demonstrations.[10] A 36-hour island-wide curfew was imposed from 6:00 pm on the same day until 6:00 am on 4 April. The move intended to prevent or at least reduce new protests.[93][94] The sudden announcement of a curfew resulted in panic-buying, creating long lines of people outside supermarkets and pharmacies who began chanting anti-government slogans. Some who came to work from distant areas were unable to return to their homes, forcing some to sleep on the streets.[95][96] Celebrities also joined in the condemnation of the government, with Roshan Mahanama accusing "incompetent power-hungry rulers" of creating an economic depression.[97] More Sri Lankan cricketers including Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Sanath Jayasuriya, Arjuna Ranatunga, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dimuth Karunaratne, Angelo Mathews, Muttiah Muralitharan, Rangana Herath, Dhammika Prasad and Marvan Atapattu also took to social media and forums to raise their voices and concerns advocating for the rights of the public during the crisis.[98][99][100] Sanath Jayasuriya, Roshan Mahanama and Marvan Atapattu took to the streets and protested against the government while holding placards.[101] Hirunika Premachandra led a group of women in a march toward the residence of popular fortune teller "Gnana Akka" in Anuradhapura. Hirunika and the other women protested in front of Gnanakka's shrine, but police blocked them from entering it.[102][103]

Thisara Anuruddha Bandara, the social media activist who was widely known for initiating the #GoHomeGota hashtag campaign, was arrested by the police on 2 April and was held in police custody in Modara before being produced before a court. He was deemed to have been arrested under section 120 of the Penal Code.[104][105] A riot also broke out in front of the residence of Saman Lal Fernando, mayor of Moratuwa, a Colombo suburb that lies under the administrative province of Sri Lanka. Angry protesters threw stones at Fernando's residence, demanding electricity.[106]

On 3 April, the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) announced that service providers had blocked social media platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube due to a request from the Ministry of Defence.[107] Oshada Senanayake, the Chairman of the Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka, tendered his resignation amidst the social media blackout, stating that he was standing by his ethos and principles.[108] The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) requested that the TRC and service providers immediately restore all social media platforms since they are unable to inform consumers about impending power cuts as electricity has been declared an essential service.[109] The social media blackout ended 15 hours after it started.[110]

Multiple protests in violation of the curfew were reported.[111] Sajith Premadasa, Sarath Fonseka and Patali Champika Ranawaka led an SJB-affiliated protest in Colombo where they were blocked by the police.[112] A protest by the students of University of Peradeniya in Kandy dispersed after police used water cannons and tear gas.[113]

On 3 April, several Rajapaksa cabinet ministers submitted their resignation letters. Those resigning included the Sports and Youth Minister and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa's son Namal Rajapaksa, who had criticized the social media blackout. The President was to announce the new cabinet on Monday. Two ministers from the Rajapaksa family, Chamal Rajapaksa and Basil Rajapaksa, also resigned.[114] However, the opposition noted that 47/2/a of the 20th Amendment to the Constitution requires that resignations be submitted to the president, while the resignations in this case were submitted to the prime minister instead. The opposition also denied that they would join any interim government, as it was not practical to join a government under President Rajapaksa without the parliamentary majority needed to pass substantial economic reforms.[27] Central Bank governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal also resigned as a result of growing public anger.[115][116] However, on 4 April, Gotabaya Rajapaksa reshuffled the ministerial portfolios by swearing in Ali Sabry as Finance Minister, G. L. Peiris as Foreign Minister, Dinesh Gunawardena as Education Minister, and Johnston Fernando as Minister of Highways.[28] Protests continued on 4 April, including one on the Tangalle-Kataragama Main Road close to the Carlton House in Tangalle, the residence of the Rajapaksa family.[117] President Rajapaksa invited the opposition to join his proposed unity government to find a solution to the crisis.[118]

The swearing-in of the same ministers from the former cabinet caused protests to intensify, leading protesters to surround the houses of government MPs such as Keheliya Rambukwella, Gamini Lokuge, Ramesh Pathirana, Kanchana Wijesekera, Roshan Ranasinghe, Nimal Lanza, and Janaka Bandara Tennakoon. Protesters surrounded Douglas Devananda's office in Jaffna while he was still in the building. The police fired tear gas to disperse the protesters but some succeeded in storming Roshan Ranasinghe's residence and vandalising it.[119][120][121] Protesters also began to demand the arrest of the Rajapaksas and the recuperating of stolen wealth.[122]

In a phone interview with Newsfirst, former deputy governor of Central Bank Nandalal Weerasinghe revealed that Gotabaya Rajapaksa offered him the post of Central Bank of Sri Lanka governor, and Nandalal himself admitted that he accepted the position.[123][124] He resumed his duties as CBSL governor on 7 April.[125]

Catholic clergy led by Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith protested against the government from Archbishop's House in Colombo,[126] while Buddhist clergy from Bhiksu University of Sri Lanka protested in Anuradhapura.[127] Hospital staff of the Kalubowila Teaching Hospital also protested against the government.[128]

On 5 April, the parliament reconvened for the first time since the state of emergency began and were set to discuss the current state of affairs.[129] The ruling SLPP government began losing the support of its key allies: 9 MPs of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) decided to move away from the government and to work as independent persons, while the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), the Ceylon Workers' Congress (CWC) and the All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) left the government and moved into opposition.[130][131][132] Large numbers of protesters assembled in front of Parliament, demanding that the entire cabinet resign and chanting the slogans "Gota Go Home" and "Go Home Rajapaksas".[133] During the protest, opposite Parliament, six armed masked men in military attire later revealed to be from the Army arrived in motorcycles without registration plates.[134] However, the police stopped and questioned them, taking the keys to the motorcycles.[135] The Chief of Defence Staff and Commander of the Army General Shavendra Silva called the police actions "unethical and ill-mannered behaviour".[136]

On 5 April, the Government Medical Officers' Association and government doctors staged protests against the government, and the Government Medical Officers' Association declared a national health emergency due to the limited supply of essential medicines.[137][138]

Some young protesters who could not receive parental permission to join the street protests vented their frustration by vandalizing the Wikipedia articles of politicians such as Ajith Nivard Cabraal, Basil Rajapaksa, and Namal Rajapaksa.[139]

Gotabaya Rajapaksa revoked the state of emergency effective on midnight of 5 April.[140][141]

On 8 April, police used tear gas to disperse a set of university students who had protested at Polduwa junction in Battaramulla.[142] Several IT professionals also gathered in large numbers and protested at the Liberty Roundabout, close to the Liberty Plaza complex in Colombo.[143] A few Rajapaksa supporters carried protests in Colombo in support of Gotabaya Rajapaksa by chanting the slogan "We want Gota".[144]

On 9 April, massive protests occurred in Colombo; the protestors included members of the LGBT community, trade unions, the Buddhist clergy and the Muslim community.[145] Students from private and state universities also collaborated for a combined protest march when the students protested in Nugegoda.[146]

Some Sri Lankan social media users on Twitter called for American billionaire investor Elon Musk to buy Sri Lanka, which has a debt burden of US$45 billion, instead of buying Twitter for US$43 billion and urged him to rename himself Ceylon Musk.[147][148]

Several Sri Lankan social media users in Reddit and Twitter asked Anonymous hacker group to disseminate and reveal the corruption of the Rajapaksa family and other politicians. With the request of several Sri Lankans, the Anonymous hacker group responded to it by unveiling their first video regarding the corruption of Rajapaksas through their official YouTube channel The Ghost Squad on 9 April 2022.[149][150]

"Occupy Galle Face"

On 9 April 2022, the protestors had planned large demonstrations, protests and rallies in the Galle Face Green against the government. However, the authorities closed the Galle Face Green, citing land development.[151] However, tens of thousands of people gathered in large numbers and joined the protests in Galle Face to make it one of the largest street protests in Sri Lanka.[152][153][154] Despite the disruption caused by inclement weather conditions, people continued to protest from morning to night standing for hours holding the placards.[155][156] However, protestors faced internet outages and loss of mobile signal due to the installation of a mobile phone jammer at the Galle Face which made it difficult for protestors to conduct Facebook Livestream and send messages on social media.[157] The protests are held under the #OccupyGalleFace hashtag since 9 April opposite to Presidential Secretariat as protestors have taken a stance to not leave the Galle Face until the resignation of the President.[158] The protestors have also initiated "Occupy Galle Face" as a slogan for their protests at Galle Face.[159] The protestors were also holding placards that included the phrases "This is our country, not your ATM", "Country is for sale, Gota fail", "Give us our stolen money back", "If you steal our dreams, we won't let you sleep", and "Audit all politicians immediately".[160]

On 10 April, protests continued for the second successive day. Despite the heavy rain and thunderstorms, the protestors continued their peaceful protest saying that they will continue it until President Gotabaya Rajapaksa resigns from the presidency. Protestors also renamed the protesting area as ''Gotagogama''. The hashtag #GoHomeGota2022 reached 1 million posts on Facebook and it has been trending on Twitter for the 3rd consecutive week.[161]

On 11 April, protests continued for the third day. Parallel to the main protest in the Galle Face Green, many protests occurred islandwide.[162] Shiraz Shiraz, a popular senior Sri Lankan rapper died due to a sudden heart attack during the protests which also marked the first death reported directly linked with the Galle Face protests.[163] It was revealed that Shiraz-Rude Bwoy had performed the album titled Get up, Stand up of Bob Marley to entertain the tired protestors at the Galle Face just moments before collapsing onto the ground.[164][165] He collapsed just after ending the song performance and he was presumed dead while being transported through an ambulance to a nearby hospital.[166]

On 12 April, protests continued for the fourth day. Veteran artists including Nanda Malini, Sunil Ariyaratne, Swarna Mallawarachchi and Buddhadasa Galappatti joined the protests in Galle Face to support the young protestors' efforts to dethrone the government from power.[167]

Protestors gathered in large numbers for sixth consecutive day and celebrated the Sinhalese New Year (Puthandu) on 14 April 2022 at the Galle Face near Gotagogama site by boiling milkrice, sharing sweetmeats and oil cakes at the auspicious time.[168][169] The protestors also welcomed the New Year by setting off fire crackers chanting phrases such as "Victory to the People's struggle".[170] The protestors also launched Avurudhu traditional games such as hitting pots at Gotagogama area and also sang Raban tune songs as part of New Year customs and traditions.[171] Veteran singer Victor Ratnayake also joined the protests on the New Year to support the protestors.[172] Military veterans, including veterans disabled in the line of combat, joined protesters in New Year celebrations.[173]

Many protestors boycotted New Year's vacation and holiday celebrations by joining the protests and demonstrations against the government.[174][175][176] Several protestors including infants and small children were spotted at the protests wearing headbands which carried slogans such as "Go Home Gota", "Gota Go Home".

A police officer attached to the Kuttigala Police Station who joined the Galle Face protests on 14 April in police uniform was taken into custody and was questioned by the Police Special Investigations Unit.[177] The following day he was granted bail by the Fort Magistrate's Court as several lawyers were present on behalf of the police sergeant when he was produced before the courts.[178]

On 15 April 2022, former Sri Lankan cricketer Dhammika Prasad went on a hunger strike for 24 hours urging the leaders of Sri Lanka to give justice to the Easter Sunday attack victims and urged that immediate measures to be taken to ease the burden of the economic crisis on the population.[179][180] Former Sri Lankan cricketers Arjuna Ranatunga and Sidath Wettimuny joined the Galle Face protests especially to support Dhammika Prasad who pledged to go on a hunger strike for a day.[181] Sanath Jayasuriya also turned up for the protests against Gotabaya Rajapaksa.[182] The campaign hashtag ''#GoHomeGota2022'' reached 3 million posts on the 15th of April, three days after passing 2 million posts. A group of indigenous Vedda people also joined the Galle Face protests on 15 April 2022.[183]

On 17 April 2022, the protests continued at Galle Face for ninth consecutive day as protestors also sang the national anthem of Sri Lanka in both Sinhala and Tamil, to show solidarity and unity among the various people of the multicultural society of Sri Lanka.[184][185] On 17 April, which coincided with the Easter Sunday festival, protestors also commemorated the tragic 2019 Easter Sunday blasts where 258 people were killed and the protestors demanded justice for the 2019 Easter Sunday attack victims.[186][187] The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka also visited the Gotagogama premises to inspect the protests following reports that police officers were attempting to disperse the peaceful protests through violence.[188]

The night of 17 April 2022, the protestors lit up the Presidential Secretariat building (where Gotabaya Rajapaksa works) with colorful themes and illusion of 3D art graphics using projectors and video projector mapping technology with slogans “Go Home Gota”.[189] However, police officers attempted to prevent the protestors from projecting the Presidential Secretariat.[190] Some media outlets including TV Derana and its sister channel Ada Derana termed the peaceful protests as "beach party", a description which was ill-received by protestors and critics including human rights lawyer Ambika Satkunanathan.[191] There were also allegations that the protests were funded by terrorist organisations and hackers according to Ada Derana's 12th episode of the State of the Nation programme which was aired on 17 April 2022.[192] Ada Derana TV host Mahieash Jonny tendered his resignation the day after the controversial programme and Derana insisted that the opinions of Jonny do not represent the entire viewpoint of the television channel.[193]

On 19 April 2022, the Federation of University Teachers' Association engaged in a protest march from University of Colombo to Galle Face in support of popular protests.[194][195] One lane of the Galle Road leading to the Presidential Secretariat from Kollupitiya junction was blocked by university lecturers who gathered in large numbers holding placards.[196]

On 19 April 2022, actor Jehan Appuhami commenced a symbolic walk from St. Sebastian's Church, Katuwapitiya in Negombo to St. Anthony's Shrine in Kochchikade with a group of people by carrying a large wooden cross on his back to seek truth and justice behind the 2019 Easter attacks as the final destination is set to be at the Galle Face Green.[197]

British based Sri Lankan actor Hiran Abeysekera who recently won the best actor award at the 2022 Laurence Olivier Awards arrived in Sri Lanka and joined the Galle Face protests.[198]

On 24 April 2022, thousands of Inter University Students Federation surrounded the PM's residence and demanded the current regime to resign.[199]

Dozens of war veterans have also joined the protests against the government and have been camping near the President's office.[200]

Gotagogama (occupation of Galle Face Green by protestors)
People taking selfies in Gotagogama.

The protestors placed a placard made out of a card box naming the protestor's area at the Galle Face Green "Gota Go Gama" or "Gotagogama" (Sinhala: ගෝඨාගෝගම) which means "Gota Go Village" in Sinhala.[201][202][203] Gota-Go-Gama has been set up (similar to Occupy Wall Street moment) like a small model village providing basic necessities, including free food, free water bottles, toilets and also limited free emergency medical services.[204][205][206][207] The camp was initially set up by volunteers on 9 April during the night with just a handful of tents but the number of tents increased to around 24 on 10 April. Portable toilet facilities have been made including three each allocated for men and women.[208]

The youth protestors created a township right in front of President's House. The protestors also follow the habit of cleaning the garbage on every night.[209][210] They started a library named ''ගෝඨාගෝගම පුස්තකලය (Library of Gota Go Village), to share knowledge between protestors. Later they started the Gotagogama College and carried out the education of the children who came for the protests.

Daily Mirror in its official Twitter handle confirmed that an unnamed leading telecommunications company had installed a telephone tower to send and enhance signals at Gotagogama site.[211] It was later confirmed that the Dialog Axiata had installed the 20ft (6m) pole antenna structure at Galle Face Green as a solution to network congestion.[212][213] Later, Dialog decided to deinstall the tower with mutual respect to the concerns raised by the public especially the installation of the said tower caused protestors uncomfortable and panicking due to privacy issues while people also alleged that the personal data of them would be compromised which would lead to tracking of individuals.[214]

A new branch of the Gotagogama was declared open in the Southern Province of the country in Galle on 15 April 2022 in support of the Colombo Galle Face protests.[215][216] However, tensions arose in Galle when police officers attempted to discard the Gotagogama temporary tents in Galle.[217] The police officers removed the tents but the tents were later restored with the intervention of the lawyers.[218] The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka ordered a complete investigation regarding the removal of the tents in Galle which were installed by the protestors.[219]

On the morning of April 16, a convoy of riot police trucks was placed on the outskirts of Galle Face. The trucks raised eyebrows, especially the issue raised by users on social media triggering speculations regarding a possible crackdown on the protests by the government.[220] The trucks were later cleared and removed from the site with the timely intervention of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka.[221] The BASL also requested the government to not oppress the protestors and to respect the legitimate exercise of the freedom of dissent of the people.[222]

On 16 April 2022, Gotagogama People's University was officially opened to people from all walks of life as the university was built to create a free space for knowledge sharing.[223]

On 3 May 2022, Ramadan Eid-Ul-Fitr Festival was celebrated at the Gotagogama site at Galle Face with the participation of several religious leaders including Buddhist monks and Christian priests.[224][225] The protestors were also seen sharing Sawans with biriyani on the opposite side of the Old Parliament on Galle Road. Several members of Sri Lankan Muslim Civil Society donated 700 lunch parcels on the eve of Ramadan at the Gotagogama site.[226]

Mynagogama

Mynagogama protest site was also launched mocking the Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa in front of his official residence Temple Trees outside the Galle Road entrance.[227][228] The site was launched by taking inspiration from Gotagogama and also due to the fact that Mahinda Rajapaksa got the nickname "Myna" from protestors as part of recent developments.[229]

On 29 April 2022, one of the protestors who were protesting at Mynagogama was assaulted by a police officer who was apparently without badges on his uniform. The injured protestor was admitted to the accident ward of the Colombo National Hospital.[230] On the same day police officers reportedly attempted to induce violence by removing the placards that were placed on the police buses which were parked at the Mynagogama protest site.[231]

April 18: Rambukkana incident

People, who were standing in long queues to obtain fuel since early morning on 19 April, staged a protest at the Rambukkana Crossing by obstructing the railway tracks, completely blocking the area. The protesters blocked all entry and exit roads to Rambukkana town for more than 15 hours and the police later fired tear gas and even opened fire to disperse protesters.[232][233] According to the Police Spokesperson, after police officers fired tear gas, the protestors started hurling rocks, attempted to set fire to a fuel bowser and a three-wheeler and in order to control the situation police had opened fire.[234]The police justification for the use of live ammunition was contradicted by protesters and videos that showed the fuel truck was not threatened by protesters. The protesters instead claimed that the vehicles were set on fire by the police. Videos released by protesters also showed that protesters were trying to put down fires in a fuel station.[235][236][237] Witnesses also claimed that the protesters were peaceful until the police came and it was in fact the police that burned down vehicles. A video clip of the incident also showed that police officers were vandalizing parked vehicles in the area.[238] Several people were injured and were rushed to the Kegalle Hospital for treatment.[239] Later it was confirmed that one died and 12 others were injured in the incident.[240] A police curfew was imposed in the Rambukkana Police area with immediate effect.[241][242]

According to the Bar Association of Sri Lanka, the police is intimidating witnesses to provide false evidence.[243] Kegalle Magistrate Wasana Nawaratne has ordered Inspector General of Police to arrest the officer who gave the orders to open fire at protestors and officers who were involved with the shooting.[244]

April 28: Islandwide token strike

On 28 April 2022, over 1000 trade unions are planning to have a massive island wide one-day token strike in support of the ongoing public protests against the government at the Viharamahadevi Park in Colombo.[245] Unions representing banking, ports, education, health, plantations, railway and petroleum would take part in the one-day strike.[246]

International protests

In the United States, protests erupted including one outside the residence of Gotabaya Rajapaksa's son in Los Angeles during which protesters demanded he summon his father back to the U.S.[247] A protest was also held in front of the Sri Lankan High Commission in London, England.[248]

Protests were also held in Melbourne, Australia, at the Federation Square and in Mount Wellington, Auckland, New Zealand. In Australia, protests were also organized in other cities such as Perth, Brisbane, and Sydney.[249]

Reactions

Government

After the protest in front of the President's house, the government of Sri Lanka called the protesters "terrorists" and blamed an "extremist group" for instigating the riot.[250][251] In the wake of nationwide protests, the Rajapaksa government declared a 36-hour state of emergency that lasted from the evening of 2 April until the morning of 4 April. The president's proclamation said that the state of emergency was in the interest of "public security, the protection of public order and the maintenance of supplies and services essential to the life of the community".[252] Dozens of Sri Lankan police were deployed to the main square in Colombo to prevent protesters from gathering. The Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence also blocked access to social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and WhatsApp as public criticism has grown against the ruling Rajapaksa family.[253][254] However, Sports and Youth Minister Namal Rajapaksa said that imposing internet block was "completely useless" as the use of VPNs has been widespread.[255] Access to social media was restored 15 hours later.

In March, in response to the #GoHomeGota hashtag, the #WeAreWithGota hashtag was launched on social media and cabinet ministers in the government, artistes, celebrities, media personalities all tweeted under the hashtag #WeAreWithGota in support of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his administration.[256][257]

Government politicians came under fire for using a Facebook frame with the national flag on their profile photos similar to the ones used by the public who have been protesting against the government under the hashtag #GoHomeGota.[258]

On 13 April, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa made a request to meet a delegation from the protestors in Galle Face, but was refused.[259]

New government

On 18 April 2022, Gotabaya appointed a new 17 member cabinet despite the protests calling the entire government to resign including the president alongside all 225 MPs in parliament.[260] Dinesh Gunawardena was appointed as Public Administration, Internal Affairs minister while Douglas Devananda was appointed as Fisheries minister, Kanaka Herath was appointed as Highways minister, Dilum Amunugama was appointed as Transport & Industries minister, Prasanna Ranatunga was appointed as Public security and tourism minister, Channa Jayasumana was appointed as Health minister, Nalaka Godahewa was appointed as Media minister, Pramitha Tennakoon was appointed as Ports and Shipping minister, Amith Thenuka Vidanagamage was appointed as Sports & Youth Affairs ministry, Kanchana Wijesekera was appointed as Power & Energy minister, Asanka Shehan Semasinghe was appointed as Trade & Samurdhi Development minister, Janaka Wakkumbura was appointed as Agriculture & Irrigation minister, Vidura Wickremanayake was appointed as Labour minister, Mohan Priyadarshana De Silva was appointed as Water supply minister, Ramesh Pathirana was appointed as Education & Plantation Industries, Wimalaweera Dissanayake was appointed as Widelife & Forest Resources Conservation minister and Ahamed Nazeer Zainulabdeen was appointed as Environment minister.[261][262] In the new cabinet portfolio, female representation was completely excluded with all 17 ministers are being males.[263]

Opposition

The government's handling of the protests has been met with criticism and condemnation from several opposition politicians. Opposition MP for Tamil National Alliance M. A. Sumanthiran condemned the government's handling of the protests and called on President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to immediately rescind the gazette notification. Sumanthiran also urged fellow MPs to reject the state of emergency bill.[252] Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Harsha de Silva said that the government had lost its legitimacy for its mishandling of the country's debt crisis.[264][259] Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa called the state of emergency unconstitutional and condemned the government for violating the law.[253] Premadasa has also called on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene in the Sri Lankan political and economic crisis.[265] Ranil Wickremesinghe, former Prime Minister of Sri Lanka and MP of the United National Party (UNP), also criticized the Rajapaksas' handling of the crisis and expressed optimism that it could bring an end to the nationalist politics of the Rajapaksas.[259]

On 6 April, members of the SJB held placards and protested inside Parliament demanding that Gotabaya Rajapaksa resign immediately.[266] The SJB party said that it would try to bring a no-confidence motion in Parliament if the President and Prime Minister do not step down.[267][268][145]

Samagi Jana Balawageya organised a protest march carrying the slogan "The Struggle for Freedom" and it began on 26 April 2022 from Kandy and it is expected that the final destination would be Colombo by 1 May 2022.[269][270]

International

The United Nations Human Rights Council said that it was closely monitoring the situation, stating: "The drift towards militarisation and the weakening of institutional checks and balances in Sri Lanka have affected the state's ability to effectively tackle the economic crisis".[271]

The European Union said that it has been monitoring the situation and recent developments in Sri Lanka, stating: "We stress the extreme emergency of the situation, which require the authorities to start in-depth discussions with the International Monetary Fund on the reforms needed to bring the Sri Lankan economy back to a sustainable path".[272] The delegation of the EU together with the diplomatic missions of the EU Member States issued a joint statement on 8 April.[273]

The UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka Hanaa Singer and the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung condemned the shooting in Rambukkana and urged to maintain peace, law and order.[274][275]

The ambassador of Germany to Sri Lanka, Holger Seubert praised the protests stating that the protests are conducted in peaceful manner and he likened the protests to that of 1989-1990 German reunification.[276]

Departures to foreign states

Several reports of members and associates of the Rajapaksa family fleeing the country emerged during the protests. On 3 April, it was reported that a group of nine people, including the wife and in-laws of Namal Rajapaksa, had fled the country.[277] Namal's father-in-law had been appointed director of the state-owned Airport and Aviation (Services) Sri Lanka Limited.[278] On 4 April, Nissanka Senadhipathi, a close ally of the Rajapaksas and the chairman of the Avant-Garde PMC, allegedly fled to the Maldives with his family members aboard Sri Lankan Airlines flight UL-102.[279] On 5 April, the former deputy minister Nirupama Rajapaksa who was embroiled in the Pandora Papers scandal also fled the country to Dubai.[280]

On 7 April, the Colombo Magistrate Court issued an order preventing former CBSL governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal from leaving Sri Lanka until 18 April.[281] The court order was issued on the basis of a case filed by political activist Keerthi Tennakoon against Cabraal regarding misappropriation and misuse of public funds which led to a massive economic crisis in Sri Lanka.[282]

It was reported that on 16 April 2022, Basil Rajapaksa had tested positive for COVID-19 and was hospitalized for treatment.[283][284] However, speculations and rumours were rife that Basil Rajapaksa would have eventually left Colombo for Dubai on 16 April 2022 through the private jet named N750GF.[285] However, the reports which speculated Basil would have fled the country were rubbished and media confirmed that the private jet which left the Ratmalana Airport on 16 April was owned by British fashion designer and millionaire George Davies.[286]

See also

Footnotes
  1. 1 shot dead by police, 2 died of other causes

References
  1. "Sri Lanka's all-powerful Rajapaksas under fire". France 24. 1 April 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
  2. https://www.dailymirror.lk/latest_news/One-dead-over-10-injured-from-gunshot-injuries-as-protestors-and-police-clash-in-Rambukkana/342-235274. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. "Man gets electrocuted while protesting against power cuts in Sri Lanka: Police". Deccan Herald. Colombo. 3 April 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  4. "Local rap star Shiraz Rudebwoy dies at protest site". Daily Mirror. Colombo. 12 April 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  5. Dhillon, Amrit (1 April 2022). "Sri Lanka: 50 injured as protesters try to storm president's house amid economic crisis". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  6. "Sri Lanka arrests over 600 protestors violating curfew in Western Province". The New Indian Express. 3 April 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  7. "Sri Lanka president declares public emergency after protests against economic crisis". The Guardian. Reuters. 2 April 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  8. "Main opposition SJB to hold mass protest rally in Colombo". NewsWire. 13 March 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
  9. Nadeera, Dilshan. "The betrayal of the young". Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  10. "Carpenters in Moratuwa stage protest - Front Page | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  11. Srinivasan, Meera (4 April 2022). "Opposition reject Gotabaya call to join cabinet amid crisis". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  12. "Sri Lanka's Leaderless Protests". thediplomat.com. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  13. "Sri Lanka: The protesters". The Indian Express. 17 April 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  14. "Don't play around with this generation | Daily FT". www.ft.lk. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  15. "'Messed with the Wrong Generation'". CeylonToday. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  16. "The youth are marching on". Print Edition - The Sunday Times, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  17. "Diverse but determined; the people keep coming to Galle Face". Print Edition - The Sunday Times, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  18. "Sri Lanka Declared State Of Emergency As Crisis Sparks Protests". Viral Bake. 2 April 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  19. "Sri Lanka imposes curfew amid food, fuel and power shortage protests". BBC News. 2 April 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  20. "Sri Lanka imposes curfew after protests over food, fuel shortages". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  21. "ඇදිරිය හා සමාජ මාධ්‍ය තහනම නිසා රජයට ඇති අප්‍රසාදය ඉහළට?". www.ada.lk (in Sinhala). Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  22. "Sri Lankans in NZ, Australia take to the street against govt because they support UNP or SJB. People have right to protest but in Sri Lanka we see other parties are creating crazy protests. Some protests disrupt people's normal life example. they block roads, railways and don't give to people walk peacefully. These kind of protests are made by JVP (NPP) Sri Lanka has bad history of JVP's because they destroyed public properties and they want again start civil war.. - Breaking News | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  23. "Social media ban backfires : Anti Govt slogans trends in other countries". NewsWire. 3 April 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  24. "Sri Lanka lifts social media ban, HRCSL summons officials". NewsWire. 3 April 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  25. "Sri Lanka's cabinet ministers resign as crisis protesters defy curfew". BBC News. 3 April 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  26. "Cabinet resigns". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  27. "Sri Lanka main SJB slams 'sham' cabinet resignation, says no deal". EconomyNext. 4 April 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  28. "4 new Ministers sworn in". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  29. "Gotabaya Rajapaksa: Sri Lanka president defies calls for his resignation". BBC News. 6 April 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  30. "Sri Lanka's foreign debt crisis forecast for 2021". 27 February 2021. Archived from the original on 9 August 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  31. "Sri Lanka declares worst economic downturn in 73 years". France 24. 30 April 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  32. Bala, Sumathi (4 March 2022). "Sri Lanka's economic crisis deepens as the country is snowed under its crushing debt". CNBC. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  33. "Sri Lanka money printing, deficits could lead to economic implosion: IMF report". EconomyNext. 4 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  34. Shah, Ted Nordhaus, Saloni. "In Sri Lanka, Organic Farming Went Catastrophically Wrong". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  35. "Sri Lanka seeks IMF bailout amid shortages, rising public anger". Deutsche Welle. 17 March 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  36. VP, Sashikala (1 April 2022). "Rajapaksas, The Family Which Pushed Sri Lanka To The Brink - India Ahead". Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  37. "Sri Lanka Crisis: Rajapaksa government dismisses reports of Indian troops in country". Deccan Herald. 2 April 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  38. Weerasooriya, Sahan. "Killer waves of public anger". Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  39. "Sri Lanka economic crisis: The all-powerful Rajapaksas under fire". Al Jazeera. 1 April 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  40. "Basil Rajapaksa finally attends Parliament after 4 months - Latest News | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  41. "Gammanpila to move 22A against Dual Citizens holding office". Sri Lanka News - Newsfirst. 29 March 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  42. "Private Jets & UL Cargo flights linked to Uganda - What's going on?". Sri Lanka News - Newsfirst. 15 April 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  43. "Sri Lanka : Sri Lanka national carrier explains last year's cargo operation to Uganda". www.colombopage.com. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  44. "SriLankan says Entebbe-bound cargo contained currency notes for Uganda". Print Edition - The Sunday Times, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  45. "The sinking ship of state and its hapless captain". Print Edition - The Sunday Times, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  46. "SriLankan flights to Uganda : Statement from Currency Printer De La Rue". NewsWire. 15 April 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  47. "Cargo flights to Uganda in 2021 : SriLankan issues clarification". NewsWire. 14 April 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  48. "Gota's gotta go, Lankans say, Destination Uganda?". Deccan Herald. 13 April 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  49. "SL Currency printing and airlifting money to Uganda open can of worms". LNW. 16 April 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  50. Suranimala (29 December 2021). "One Family, One Set Of Looters". Colombo Telegraph. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  51. "Uganda to be blacklisted over money laundering - Reports". Sri Lanka News - Newsfirst. 15 April 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  52. "Uganda to be blacklisted over money laundering - Latest News | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  53. "What Is The Ugandan Link And Shady Dealings With Sri Lanka's Kings?". Colombo Telegraph. 31 December 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  54. "Students in Sri Lanka take to Twitter on economic crisis". Free Press Journal. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  55. "Mass protests demanding Sri Lankan President Rajapakse resign continue in Colombo". World Socialist Web Site. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  56. "'Rajapaksa family totally responsible for Lankan crisis'". The Economic Times. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  57. "Students in Sri Lanka take to Twitter on economic crisis". Free Press Journal. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  58. "#gohomegota2022 has its own website now". ReadMe. 12 April 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  59. "We Are With Gota campaign launched on social media". Colombo Gazette. 14 March 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  60. "Battle of the #hashtags : #GoHomeGota vs #WeAreWithGota". Sri Lanka News - Newsfirst. 14 March 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  61. "#GoHomeGota vs #WeAreWithGota". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  62. Weerasooriya, Sahan. "#GoHomeGota, 'the struggle' and the rhetoric". Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  63. "Sri Lanka: Unprecedented protests, why people of the country do not want to see President Rajapaksa again". 360news24.com. 5 April 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  64. "Sri Lanka Brief Update: Mass protests in Sri Lanka – Issues and Developments • Sri Lanka Brief". Sri Lanka Brief. 5 April 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  65. "පැතුම්ගේ පැතුම සහ අපේ පැතුම....!". aithiya. 3 April 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  66. "එංගලන්තයේ පැතුම් කර්නර් 'ගෝ හෝම් ගෝටා' රැල්ල සදමින් මුලින්ම කළ කතාව Video". Gossip Lanka News. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  67. Thushi. "අසංවිධානාත්මක ප්‍රචණ්ඩත්වය විසඳුම නොවේ - සහෘද ජනතා පුත්‍රයා". theleader.lk. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  68. "GotaGoHome විරෝධයේ 'මහ මොළකරු' බව කියන පැතුම් කර්නර්..!". News Sri Lanka | Latest News Sri Lanka | Gossip News | Ape Rata | Breaking News. 5 April 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  69. "Social media ban backfires : Anti Govt slogans trends in other countries". NewsWire. 3 April 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  70. "Activist arrested for running 'Go Home Gota' Facebook page | Tamil Guardian". www.tamilguardian.com. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  71. "Go Home Gota' FB admin and social media activist Anuruddha Bandara granted bail - Breaking News | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  72. "I am concerned about my safety: Thisara Anuruddha Bandara - Recomended News | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  73. Srinivasan, Meera (3 April 2022). "Sri Lanka crisis: Government restores access to social media following backlash". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  74. "Sri Lanka blocks social media sites amid protests against economic crisis". Scroll.in. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  75. "Social media disruptions reported in Sri Lanka". Telangana Today. 3 April 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  76. "Sri Lanka to remove ban on social media". www.adaderana.lk. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  77. "Sri Lankan protesters demand president quit over economic crisis". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  78. "ජනතා විරෝධය හමුවේ නාමල් පසු බසී". www.ada.lk (in Sinhala). Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  79. "Protest near President's residence". Island. 1 April 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  80. Kuruwita, Rathindra; Rasheed, Zaheena. "Curfew in Sri Lanka as protesters try to storm president's house". Al Jazeera.
  81. "Sri Lanka: Protest at president Rajapaksa's home turns violent". BBC News. April 2022.
  82. "Dozens arrested in Sri Lanka following protests over economy". Associated Press. Arab News. April 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  83. "Sri Lanka steps up security as anger over economic crisis boils over". Dawn. Reuters. 1 April 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  84. "Protesters storm Sri Lankan president's home as crisis deepens". Dawn. Agence France-Presse. 1 April 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  85. "Over 300 lawyers at Mirihana Police to represent arrested protesters free of charge". NewsWire. April 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
  86. "Who's the real mastermind behind Thursday's (31) violence ? - Manusha". Sri Lanka News - Newsfirst. 1 April 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  87. "තැන තැන පැවති උත්සවවලට එල්ලවූ විරෝධය". sinhala.adaderana.lk (in Sinhala). Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  88. "කළු ‌කොඩි ඉස්සූ නිසා ශෂීන්ද්‍ර නොගිය උත්සවයට චාමර සම්පත් චණ්ඩියා වගේ යයි! මිනිස්සු හූ කියා පන්නයි! වෙන වාහනයක නැගී චාමර වෙන පාරකින් මාරුවෙයි! - Sri Lanka News Update". Mawratanews.lk (in Sinhala). 1 April 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  89. "Hirunika-Arun Siddharth clash in Jaffna (Video)". NewsWire. 1 April 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  90. "Sri Lanka's Catholic bishops urge politicians to save the nation from becoming failed state". Catholic News in Asia | LiCAS.news | Licas News. 1 April 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  91. "Sri Lanka's 'Mirihana uprising, 2022' and popular fury". Print Edition - The Sunday Times, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  92. "Anuradhapura bus drivers haphazardly park in protest of fuel crisis". Sri Lanka News - Newsfirst. 2 April 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  93. "Island-wide curfew in Sri Lanka until Monday". Ada Derana. 2 April 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  94. "Sri Lanka imposes curfew amid food, fuel and power shortage protests". BBC. 2 April 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  95. "Panic buying reported in many areas: Heavy Traffic in Colombo". NewsWire. 2 April 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  96. Jayasinghe, Uditha; Ghoshal, Devjyot (3 April 2022). "Social media platforms blocked in Sri Lanka amid curfew, opposition protest". Reuters. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  97. "Incompetent power-hungry rulers : Request from Roshan Mahanama". NewsWire. 1 April 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  98. "When Sri Lanka's cricket legends rose against the government". Hindustan Times. 8 April 2022. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  99. "Exclusive: 'Put religion, party aside' - Muralitharan on Lanka economic crisis". Zee News. 5 April 2022. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  100. ""True Leaders Own Up To Mistakes": Mahela Jayawardene, Bhanuka Rajapaksa On Sri Lankan Crisis | Cricket News". NDTVSports.com. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  101. Weerasooriya, Sahan. "Cricketers join protests against the government". Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  102. "Anuradhapura Gnana Akka RENOWNED SOOTHSAYER'S HOTEL COMES UNDER SPOTLIGHT. - Recomended News | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  103. "Police prevent SJB women group from traveling towards fortune teller 'Gnana Akka' shrine". NewsWire. 2 April 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  104. "Activist Thisara Anuruddha Bandara detained at Modara Police". Sri Lanka News - Newsfirst. 2 April 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  105. "Youth activist behind #GoHomeGota Facebook campaign arrested and produced in Court". Print Edition - The Sunday Times, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  106. "Sri Lanka Highlights: Fresh Protests, Stones Thrown At Mayor's House Near Colombo". NDTV. 4 April 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  107. "Defence Ministry requests to block social media: TRC - Breaking News | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  108. "Oshada Senanayake resigns as ICTA Chairman". www.adaderana.lk. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  109. "PUCSL urges TRC, mobile operators to revoke social media ban - Breaking News | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  110. "Sri Lanka restores access to social media platforms after 15 hours". Deccan Herald. Colombo. 3 April 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  111. "Sri Lanka protesters defy curfew after social media ban". The Guardian. Agence France-Presse. 3 April 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  112. "Sajith takes to the streets - Breaking News | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  113. "Protesting Uni. students tear gassed in Peradeniya - Breaking News | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  114. "Sri Lanka's cabinet ministers resign amid protests, social media ban". France24. 3 April 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  115. "Sri Lanka central bank governor submits resignation amid crisis". BBC News. 4 April 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  116. "Sri Lankan central bank governor resigns". Reuters. Reuters. 4 April 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  117. "Public protests continue including in front of MR's house in Tangalle". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  118. "Sri Lanka Economic Crisis: President Gotabaya Rajapaksa invites Opposition to join unity government". Firstpost. 4 April 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  119. "Protests intensify against Sri Lanka President demanding resignation". NewsWire. 4 April 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  120. "Police fire tear gas at protestors surrounding MP residences - Breaking News | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  121. "Polonnaruwa : Protesters enter SLPP MP's house, Tear gas fired". NewsWire. 4 April 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  122. "President needs to go to prison not home - Shihan Mihiranga". NewsWire. 4 April 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  123. "Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, Dhammika Perera to get new posts?". CeylonToday. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  124. "Sri Lanka Economic Crisis highlights: Ex-Sri Lanka cenbanker Weerasinghe says he accepts offer to be new governor". Deccan Herald. 4 April 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  125. "Nandalal Weerasinghe to be come new CBSL Governor". Sri Lanka News - Newsfirst. 5 April 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  126. "Catholic clergy in protest - Caption Story | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  127. "ආර්ථික අර්බුදයට එරෙහිව භික්ෂු විශ්වවිද්‍යාලය උද්ඝෝෂණයක". www.ada.lk (in Sinhala). Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  128. "Protest at Kalubowila teaching hospital - Latest News | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  129. "Parliament to meet on Tuesday (5)". Sri Lanka News - Newsfirst. 5 April 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  130. "Sri Lanka ruling alliance loses majority ahead of parliament meet". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  131. "SLPP MPs who became independent in Parliament". www.adaderana.lk. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  132. Srinivasan, Meera (5 April 2022). "Sri Lanka crisis: Gotabaya Rajapaksa loses parliamentary majority". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  133. "WATCH : Protests underway in many areas in Colombo including near Parliament". NewsWire. 5 April 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  134. "Masked men in unregistered bikes are from Army : Inquiry against Police officers". NewsWire. 5 April 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  135. "Police confront armed masked men in unregistered bikes at parliament protest". Sri Lanka News - Newsfirst. 5 April 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  136. "Investigation into Police, Army Riders confrontation during protest near parliament". Sri Lanka News - Newsfirst. 5 April 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  137. "Sri Lanka : Government doctors declare health emergency in Sri Lanka due to shortage of essential medicines". www.colombopage.com. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  138. Ellis-Petersen, Hannah (5 April 2022). "Sri Lanka faces medical emergency as economic crisis hits drug supplies". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  139. "Sri Lankan protestors in Wikipedia edit war on pages of leaders, ex-CB chief to express displeasure". EconomyNext. 6 April 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  140. "Gazette issued revoking State of Emergency - Breaking News | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  141. Jayasinghe, Uditha; Ghoshal, Devjyot (5 April 2022). "Sri Lanka president revokes emergency order, govt in disarray as economic crisis deepens". Reuters. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  142. "Police use tear gas to disperse protesting Uni. students - Breaking News | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  143. "Another protest at Liberty Roundabout - Breaking News | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  144. ""We want Gota" Protest held in Colombo". NewsWire. 8 April 2022. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  145. Ellis-Petersen, Hannah (9 April 2022). "'We're finished': Sri Lankans pushed to the brink by financial crisis". The Observer. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  146. "State, Private University students march together in protest". Sri Lanka News - Newsfirst. 9 April 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  147. "Buy Sri Lanka and name it Ceylon Musk: Snapdeal CEO advises Elon Musk". mint. 16 April 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  148. "Twitterati ask Musk to buy Sri Lanka instead of Twitter for $43bn". Business Standard. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  149. "Anonymous answers Sri Lanka's call. Should Sri Lanka worry?". ReadMe. 14 April 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  150. "Sri Lanka's appeal answered anonymously. Should Sri Lanka be worried?". herock.net. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  151. "Galle Face Green closed - Caption Story | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  152. "Crowds moving to Galle Face to Protest". Sri Lanka News - Newsfirst. 9 April 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  153. "Protest launched in Galle Face Green - Breaking News | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  154. "Public Protest 2022: Protesters swarm in thousands at Galle Face". 11 April 2022.
  155. "Massive crowd in Galle Face Green demanding President to step down". NewsWire. 9 April 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  156. Srinivasan, Meera (9 April 2022). "Protesters take over Colombo seafront". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  157. "Crowds gathering to Galle Face - News Cutter Ground Report". Newscutter.lk - Sri Lanka's Leading News Site | Breaking News Updates | Latest News Headlines. 9 April 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  158. "Occupy Galle Face protest continues". Colombo Gazette. 10 April 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  159. "Anti-Govt protest at Galle Face Green continues... - Caption Story". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  160. "Sri Lanka protesters occupy near president's office to continue agitation". EconomyNext. 11 April 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  161. "#gohomegota2022 - Explore". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  162. "ජනපති කාර්යාලය අසල ජන අරගලය තවදුරටත් - Sri Lanka News". Sri Lanka News - Newsfirst | Breaking News and Latest News provider | Political | Sports | International | Business. 12 April 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  163. "අරගල බිමේදී ගීතයක් ගැයූ රැප් ගායකයා ජීවිතක්ෂයට". www.ada.lk (in Sinhala). Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  164. "SL rapper passes away after collapsing at protest site, performed Bob Marley's stand up for the rights minutes ago". NewsWire. 12 April 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  165. "Local rap star Shiraz Rudebwoy dies at protest site - Latest News | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  166. "Sri Lanka : Sri Lankan rapper Shiraz -Rude Bwoy passes away soon after performance at Galle Face protest". www.colombopage.com. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  167. "Senior Artistes including Nanda Malini join Galle Face protest". NewsWire. 12 April 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  168. "Sri Lanka : Sri Lankan anti-government protesters celebrate the New Year at protest site". www.colombopage.com. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  169. "Occupy Galle Face protest welcomes the New Year". Sri Lanka News - Newsfirst. 14 April 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  170. "Sri Lankans mark new year at protest camp near president's office". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  171. Srinivasan, Meera (14 April 2022). "New Year dawns at protest site for many Sri Lankans". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  172. ""Go Gota" Raban Padha at Galle Face as protesters celebrate Sinhala-Tamil new year". NewsWire. 14 April 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  173. "Sri Lankans mark new year at protest camp near president's office". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  174. "Sri Lankans abandon family holiday celebrations to join anti-government protests". Arab News. 14 April 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  175. Jayasinghe, Uditha; Ghoshal, Devjyot (14 April 2022). "Thousands of Sri Lankans celebrate New Year at anti-government protest site". Reuters. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  176. "Families join protest against Gota - Caption Story | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  177. "Police Officer who joined the protest at Galle Face taken in for questioning - Breaking News | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  178. "Police Seargent who joined Galle Face Green protest granted bail - Breaking News | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  179. "Former Cricketer Dhammika Prasad to launch 24-hour hunger strike in Galle Face". NewsWire. 14 April 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  180. "Ex-cricketer Dhammika Prasad begins 24-hour hunger strike - Breaking News | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  181. "Dhammika Prasad's 24 hr fast protest : Arjuna & Sidath visit Galle Face". NewsWire. 15 April 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  182. "Master Blaster Sanath Jayasuriya joins Galle Face protest (Video)". NewsWire. 15 April 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  183. "Veddah community joins protest at Galle Face Green". www.adaderana.lk. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  184. "Sri Lankans sing National Anthem in Tamil at Galle Face protest". NewsWire. 17 April 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  185. "Sri Lanka's economic crisis protests see national unity". EconomyNext. 17 April 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  186. "Sri Lankan protesters demand justice for 2019 Easter bombings". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  187. "Sri Lankan protesters demand justice for 2019 attack victims". CNA. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  188. "HRCSL officials visit "GotaGoGama" protest premises". NewsWire. 17 April 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  189. "(PICTURES) Video projection mapping lights up President's Office in Sri Lanka". Sri Lanka News - Newsfirst. 17 April 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  190. "WATCH : Protesters project "Go home Gota" on President's office building, Police attempt to block". NewsWire. 17 April 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  191. "Gotabaya Rajapaksa: Under fire Sri Lanka president appoints new cabinet". BBC News. 18 April 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  192. State of the Nation | Episode - 12, retrieved 18 April 2022
  193. "Ada Derana TV host resigns over controversial program on Galle Face protest". NewsWire. 18 April 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  194. "FUTA to protest from Colombo University to Galle Face". The Morning - Sri Lanka News. 17 April 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  195. "University lecturers join Galle Face protest : Make 14 requests". NewsWire. 19 April 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  196. "Uni lecturers protest blocks one lane of Galle road - Latest News | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  197. "Actor begins walk with cross on his back demanding Justice for Easter attack victims". NewsWire. 19 April 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  198. "UK-based SL actor arrives with his 'best actor' Olivier Award to attend Galle Face protest". NewsWire. 18 April 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  199. "Sri Lanka protesters surround PM residence; Galle Face agitation enters 16th day - Times of India". The Times of India. 24 April 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  200. "At Sri Lanka protest camp, army veterans once led by president". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  201. Kuruwita, Zaheena Rasheed,Rathindra. "Sri Lankans set up protest camp, vow to stay till Rajapaksa quits". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  202. "Protester Shoots Flames Into the Air Near Sri Lankan Presidential Secretariat". Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  203. Srinivasan, Meera (12 April 2022). "'Occupy Galle Face': A tent city of resistance beside Colombo's seat of power". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  204. "Protestors set up 'village' called 'Gota-Go-Gama'". The Morning - Sri Lanka News. 11 April 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  205. "Agitation site re-named as 'Gota Go Gama' by protestors - Latest News | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  206. "'GotaGoGama' protest village pops up as protestors occupy Galle Face". Sri Lanka News - Newsfirst. 11 April 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  207. "New village 'Gotagogama' established near Galle Face. Public protest continues". LNW. 11 April 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  208. "Portable toilets for Occupy Galle Face protest, but will be taken away?". Sri Lanka News - Newsfirst. 12 April 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  209. "Protestors clearing garbage at 'Occupy Galle Face'". The Hindu. 12 April 2022. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  210. "Youth protesters set up township in front of Presidents Office, in Sri Lanka". Sri Lanka News - Newsfirst. 12 April 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  211. "https://mobile.twitter.com/dailymirror_sl/status/1514972589126344707". Twitter. Retrieved 15 April 2022. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  212. "Dialog says it installed antenna structure at Galle Face - Breaking News | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  213. "Notice to subscribers from Dialog over newly installed antenna structure in Galle Face". NewsWire. 16 April 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  214. "Dialog de-installs antenna structure at Galle Face - Breaking News | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  215. "(Video) GotaGoGama branch set-up in Galle". Sri Lanka News - Newsfirst. 16 April 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  216. "Protest similar to GalleFace begins in Galle". NewsWire. 15 April 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  217. "Tensions as cops dismantle 'GotaGoGama' Galle tent". Sri Lanka News - Newsfirst. 17 April 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  218. ""Galle GotaGoGama" removed tents are back after lawyers intervene". NewsWire. 17 April 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  219. "HRCSL to probe removal of Galle 'GotaGoGama' tents". Sri Lanka News - Newsfirst. 17 April 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  220. "Galle Face protest continues for the 8th day : Police trucks placed near protest site". NewsWire. 16 April 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  221. "Police trucks removed : BASL says any attempt to disrupt protests will have grave repercussions". NewsWire. 16 April 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  222. "BASL urges Govt not to disrupt freedom of dissent - Latest News | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  223. People's University at Gotagogama., retrieved 18 April 2022
  224. "Eid-ul-Fitr festival at Galle Face Green - Caption Story | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  225. "Together they protest, together they break fast". Print Edition - The Sunday Times, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  226. "Eid festival celebrated at Galle Face protest". NewsWire. 3 May 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  227. "Sri Lanka protest site started to oust Prime Minister". EconomyNext. 27 April 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  228. "MynaGoGama set up opposite Temple Trees". Sri Lanka News - Newsfirst. 26 April 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  229. "Tents to MynaGoGama from GotaGoGama". Sri Lanka News - Newsfirst. 1 May 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  230. "Sri Lanka police accused of assaulting protestor outside prime minister's residence". EconomyNext. 29 April 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  231. "#MynaGoGama: Tense situation as cops remove placards". Sri Lanka News - Newsfirst. 29 April 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  232. "Police fire tear gas at protesters in Rambukkana". Ada Derana. 19 April 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  233. "Tear gas fired to disperse Rambukkana Protest". News First. 19 April 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  234. "Police confirm they opened fire on protestors in Rambukkana - Breaking News | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  235. "RAMBUKKANA UNDER POLICE FIRE". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  236. "Rambukkana shooting : IGP's statement". NewsWire. 19 April 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  237. "Sri Lanka crisis: One killed after police fire live bullets at protesters". BBC News. 20 April 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  238. "Unrest in Rambukkana: State level contradictions galore as victims await justice". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  239. "Rambukkana Protest : Cops open fire at protestors to disperse the crowd". 19 April 2022. News First. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  240. "One dead & 12 injured as Sri Lankan police open fire at protestors in #Rambukkana". News First. 19 April 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  241. "Police curfew in Rambukkana following unrest - Breaking News | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  242. "Police curfew imposed in Rambukkana Police area". News First. 19 April 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  243. "Sri Lanka to deploy military for funeral of slain protestor". EconomyNext. 21 April 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  244. Farzan, Zulfick (27 April 2022). "#Rambukkana Shooting: Court orders to arrest SSP who ordered to open fire, & cops who followed the order". News First. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  245. "Large-scale strike action tomorrow". NewsWire. 27 April 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  246. "1,000+ unions to go on strike in Sri Lanka on April 28 demanding govt resignation". EconomyNext. 27 April 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  247. "Protest erupts outside GR's son's house in LA - Latest News | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  248. "Sri Lankans in London demand an end to Rajapaksa rule". Daily Mirror. 4 April 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  249. "Sri Lankans protest in foreign lands". United News of India.
  250. "Sri Lankan President blames unidentified 'extremist' group for violent protest in Colombo". The Economic Times. 1 April 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  251. Perera, Ayeshea (1 April 2022). "Sri Lanka: Protest at president Rajapaksa's home turns violent". BBC News. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  252. Srinivasan, Meera (3 April 2022). "Sri Lanka imposes curfew until April 4 morning". The Hindu. Colombo. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  253. "Sri Lankan government imposes curfew, blocks social media platforms". CBC News. 3 April 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  254. Srinivasan, Meera (3 April 2022). "Sri Lanka crisis: Govt. blocks social media ahead of protests". The Hindu. Colombo. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  255. ""Completely Useless": Lanka PM's Minister Son On Social Media Blackout". NDTV. 3 April 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  256. "#GoHomeRajapaksas now trending in Sri Lanka". Colombo Gazette. 22 March 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  257. "#GoHomeGota vs #WeAreWithGota - Latest News | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  258. "Sri Lanka govt leaders criticized over Facebook frame with national flag". EconomyNext. 11 April 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  259. Ellis-Petersen, Hannah (14 April 2022). "'Gota go home': desperate Sri Lankans call for President Rajapaksa to quit". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  260. "Sri Lankan president appoints new Cabinet of 17 ministers amid protests against him: Report". Hindustan Times. 18 April 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  261. "Sri Lanka appointed new 17-member Cabinet". Sri Lanka News - Newsfirst. 18 April 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  262. "17 member new Cabinet announced". NewsWire. 18 April 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  263. "No women in Sri Lanka's new Cabinet". NewsWire. 18 April 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  264. Bala, Sumathi (14 March 2022). "Sri Lanka's opposition says government lost its legitimacy, claims it mishandled the debt crisis". CNBC. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  265. Gaurav, Kunal (4 April 2022). "Sri Lanka leader urges Modi to help crisis-hit nation to 'maximum possible extent'". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  266. "Sri Lanka main opposition SJB protests in parliament, demands president's resignation". EconomyNext. 6 April 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  267. "SJB says will bring no-confidence motion against govt". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  268. Srinivasan, Meera (8 April 2022). "Sri Lanka opposition threatens no-confidence motion, industry warns of 'precipice'". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  269. "SJB protest march to start from Kandy today (26)". Sri Lanka News - Newsfirst. 26 April 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  270. "Sri Lanka : Sri Lanka main Opposition SJB commences massive protest march from Kandy". www.colombopage.com. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  271. "Why are people protesting in Sri Lanka?". The Guardian. 6 April 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  272. "Sri Lanka talks with IMF extremely urgent: EU delegation". EconomyNext. 8 April 2022. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  273. "EU statement on situation in Sri Lanka". NewsWire. 8 April 2022. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  274. "UN and US express concern over Rambukkana killing - Breaking News | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  275. Ellis-Petersen, Hannah (19 April 2022). "Sri Lanka: One dead and several wounded as police shoot protesters". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  276. "Impressed with how peaceful the protests are: German Ambassador". Sri Lanka News - Newsfirst. 24 April 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  277. "Namal's wife, in laws leave country - Breaking News | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  278. "Namal's Father-In-Law And Chichi's Mother-In-Law Appointed Directors At Airport & Aviation (Services) Ltd". Colombo Telegraph. 10 January 2020. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  279. "Avant-Garde chairman, family left the country? - Latest News | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  280. "Nirupama Rajapaksa left for Dubai - Breaking News | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  281. "Court prevents Cabraal from traveling overseas". Sri Lanka News - Newsfirst. 7 April 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  282. "Court imposes travel ban on Cabraal after activist Keerthi Tennakoon files case | Daily FT". www.ft.lk. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  283. "Sri Lanka : Basil Rajapaksa contracts COVID". www.colombopage.com. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  284. "Basil Rajapaksa tests positive for Covid-19". www.adaderana.lk. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  285. "Basil still in Sri Lanka - Breaking News | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  286. "Flight that leaves Ratmalana belongs to UK millionaire - Latest News | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.