INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Wickremesinghe told Al Jazeera in a wide-ranging interview at his official residence in the capital, Colombo.The 73-year-old leader, who in
virtual standstill due to acute shortages of fuel and essential items such as food and medicines, as the government ran out of foreign
reserves to import commodities earlier this year.Sri Lanka defaulted on its external debt in April and the usable foreign reserves are so
low that it has struggled to cover its needs from the international market.In Colombo, the roads are nearly empty
Some long queues can be seen near the few petrol stations that are still open, but educational institutions, businesses and government
tasked with lifting the country out of its worst crisis since independence in 1948, said there will be petrol shortages until at least July
that a gas deal has been secured, with most of the funding coming from the World Bank, which will ensure supplies for the next four
months.Sri Lanka has held talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank as it seeks to overcome the financial upheaval
minister also said his government was planning to bring in an interim budget, most probably in August.Meanwhile, protesters have been
camping at the Galle Face in Colombo since April and demanding the removal of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, blaming him and his elder
brother, Mahinda Rajapaksa, for bringing the economy to the ground.They also call for the removal of the executive presidency as part of the
have made some proposals regarding the change in parliamentary structure, and referred it to the former Speaker Mr Karu Jayasuriya; his
oversight of the parliament and involvement of parties in governance.The veteran leader, who is seen as having good ties with the West, said
he had been trying to get the support of a diverse group of countries, including India, China, Japan, the United States and the United
They say Beijing is upset because the Rajapaksa government cancelled infrastructure projects last year by Chinese companies.But
Contracts with Chinese companies were cancelled, but the previous government cancelled contracts with Japanese companies, MCC [Millennium
Challenge Corporation] and contracts with India
MCC is a programme run by the US government through which it grants funds to countries for infrastructure projects.The prime minister also
They actually came here first on this East Terminal issue where Japan and India got together, and Indians nominated Adani
But the then-government cancelled it
Unlike the Japanese who went home, Adani stayed
He [Adani] got hold of John Keells and got the West Terminal
that Modi pressured Gotabaya Rajapaksa to award the wind energy project in favour of Adani, who is seen as close to the Indian prime
It will be a part of exporting energy to India
#GoHomeGota, have accused Wickremesinghe of doing little to ease the fuel and food crisis nearly two months since he took over as prime
minister.They plan to organise nationwide protests on July 9 to mark three months since the beginning of the #GoHomeGota
demonstrations.Protesters say the acute shortages continue, affecting the livelihoods and nutrition of millions of people.United Nations
agencies, including the World Food Programme, say 5.7 million Sri Lankans need humanitarian assistance, with 4.9 million facing food
insecurity.Wickremesinghe admitted there has been a drop in nutrition standards and said his government has set up a food security
We have already set aside money
People have already started some community kitchens in Colombo city, and this can spread
2023 onward, amid fears of a global food crisis next year as the war in Ukraine grinds on.He said the cultivation seasons from November
the removal of the ban on Qatar Charity
Qatari capital.SOURCE: AL JAZEERA--Agencies
This article first appeared/also appeared in https://adaderana.lk
