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Australia has expressed alarm about the deepening political crisis in Sri Lanka, with Foreign Minister Marise Payne warning "democratic principles must be upheld in the country" and called to resolve the constitutional crisis through Parliament.

"It is important that issues be addressed expeditiously through Parliament and that democratic principles and freedoms are upheld," Foreign Minister Payne said.

Thousands of supporters of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe protested in Colombo on Tuesday (30) as political turmoil on the island entered its fifth day. 

Payne said Australia was concerned about the developments in Sri Lanka, and urged all parties to refrain from violence. 

"We encourage all parties to continue to resolve differences peacefully, and refrain from confrontation and violence," she said.

Slamming the President’s decision to appoint Mahinda Rajapaksa who once headed the much feared Rajapaksa regime, wife of missing journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda says all hopes of justice and truth have disappeared. 

“We risked our lives to get on stages and call for a new change to get Sirisena appointed and defeat the Rajapaksa government,” she said adding that she along with other families of the missing believed at the time that justice will be delivered. 

According to her, however, the President has now endangered their lives and is acting like a dictator. “The President we appointed has taken this decision unilaterally like a dictator and endangered our lives,” she said. 

“Families of the missing are now wondering what will happen to them, the legal cases of their loved ones and if the perpetrators will be released” Sandhya added. She says the families are now living in fear after Rajapaksa’s appointment. 

“As the people who appointed him, we ask the President to convene parliament and revert this decision made to ensure democracy and justice” she concluded.

Sri Lanka’s Attorney-General Jayantha Jayasuriya Wednesday refused to give an opinion to parliamentary Speaker Karu Jayasuriya on the current political impasse over the sacking of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, saying it would be “deemed inappropriate”.

The Speaker, seeking the AG’s opinion, asked five questions, including the one on the validity of President Maithripala Sirisena dismissing Wickremesinghe as the Premier.

The Attorney-General (AG) wrote to the Speaker: “Having regard to the role of the Attorney-General under the Constitution, I am of the view that expressing an opinion on the said questions would be deemed inappropriate”.

Letter sent by Attorney General to Speaker Karu Jayasuriya

President Sirisena replaced Wickremesinghe with former President Mahinda Rajapaksa in a dramatic turn of events last Friday.

Sirisena also suspended Parliament until November 16, which experts said was meant to buy time to engineer crossovers from Wickremesinghe’s side to Rajapaksa in the 225-member Parliament to reach the 113 working majority mark.

On Tuesday, angry protests rocked Sri Lanka’s Capital as thousands of demonstrators gathered for a rally organised by deposed Prime Minister Wickremesinghe’s party against what it said was a “coup” by President Sirisena, even as the opposing sides were engaged in efforts to secure their numbers in Parliament to end the country’s political crisis.

Wickremesinghe’s position was bolstered by a statement in the British House of Parliament where Hugo Swire, a former Deputy Foreign Minister in charge of South Asia, said they continue to treat him as the legitimate Prime Minister.

The country’s main Tamil party Tamil National Alliance (TNA), after a meeting with Rajapaksa, said they were not treating Rajapaksa as the lawfully-elected Prime Minister.

“We met him on his request as a fellow member of Parliament and his title of (former) President,” senior TNA leader M A Sumanthiran said.
Sirisena is under increasing political and diplomatic pressure to reconvene Parliament and resolve the Constitutional crisis.

Wickremesinghe, who is refusing to accept his dismissal, argues that he cannot legally be dismissed until he loses the support of Parliament.

Opposition leader R.Sampanthan is said to have stated the appointment of Mahinda Rajapaksa by the President is illegal. Sampanthan had made these comments while meeting Rajapaksa at his Wijerama residence yesterday during a courtesy call.  

Sampanthan had refused the invitation to meet Rajapaksa at the Prime Minister’s Office and instead opted to meet him at his residence. 

“He was only met as an MP” M.A Sumanthiran told the media after attending a party leaders meeting with the Speaker in parliament.

“The way you were appointed is against the constitution, illegal and undemocratic” Sampanthan had told Rajapaksa according to TNA MP Sumanthiran. 

According to sources, Rajapaksa had requested to meet Sampanthan in a bid to gain the support of the TNA which holds 16 seats in parliament. Sumanthiran also disclaimed rumours that discussions were held regarding the post of the opposition leader warning that the TNA’s vote at the next parliamentary session will be highly influenced by the unilateral decision made by the President. 

 “We will not do anyone's bidding according to their hurry or happiness,” he said adding that the TNA does not have a tradition of making decisions based on who will win like others who crossover. 

Sumanthiran also pointed out that no legitimate international leader congratulating Mahinda Rajapaksa following his appointment is evidence enough to the illegality of his appointment. (Radio Gagana)

With the recent political coup engineered by President Maithripala Sirisena, leading investigation officers of the Police Criminal Investigations Department (CID) are said to be bracing for possible transfers and a complete shutdown of ongoing investigations into crimes committed during the Rajapaksa regime. 

During the past three years, the Criminal Investigations Department headed by its Director SSP Shani Abeysekara made great headway into a large number of investigations such as the death of ruggerite Wasim Thajudeen, Lasantha Wickrematunge along with the disappearances of Journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda and 11 youth abducted by a group of Naval Officers. While the cases were continuously heard in courts, the CID was able to arrest a large number of suspects while also unearthing a plethora of information and evidence. 

However, with Rajapaksa coming into power again, CID sources say main investigation officers who worked tirelessly for justice are now awaiting possible transfers out of the CID which will eventually lead to the shutdown of investigations allowing for the perpetrators to be released. “We know the transfers are coming, but what can we do?” an officer said. 

Meanwhile, Police sources say Rajapaksa loyalists within the force are already being brought in and is expected to be granted key positions in the Police soon.

Tens of thousands of supporters of Sri Lanka's deposed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe have protested in the capital, Colombo, as political turmoil on the island enters its fifth day.

Wickremesinghe's United National Party (UNP) workers staged the protest on Tuesday outside his official residence, where he has remained since President Maithripala Sirisena dismissed him last week and appointed former president Mahinda Rajapaksa as his replacement.

"We are against the sacking, the people did not vote for Sirisena to act in this manner," Wickremesinghe told supporters from a makeshift stage.

"We will resist what the president has done," he said, as crowds chanted "down with the rogue PM", referring to Rajapaksa, and "respect the mandate, recall parliament."

Effigies of Sirisena were torn up in a symbolic protest against the president's move, which has been described by many local newspapers as a "constitutional coup".

Large crowds, many wearing caps in green, the UNP party colour, took part in the hurriedly arranged rally that forced the closure of several roads.

Wickremesinghe arrives at the protest against his removal near the PM's official residence in Colombo [Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters] 

Colombo on edgeSri Lanka was plunged into crisis on Friday when Sirisena sacked Wickremesinghe and suspended parliament, breaking up a fragile coalition governing the South Asian country.

"This is a coup. It has all the characteristics of a coup," one of the protesters, Deepanjalie Abeywardene, told the Reuters news agency on Tuesday, while holding a sign which read "reconvene the parliament"

"This is a third-grade act by Sirisena. We voted him as the president to ensure democracy," said P Ariyadasa, a 62-year-old farmer from Mesawachchiya, 230km from Colombo.

Parliament speaker Karu Jayasuriya has warned that the crisis could lead to a "bloodbath" on the streets unless Sirisena ends the suspension of parliament to let MPs choose between Wickremesinghe and Rajapaksa.

Wickremesinghe has demanded that parliament meet so that he can prove he has majority backing.

Some of Wickremesinghe's removed ministers have refused to accept his sacking. On Sunday, former oil minister Arjuna Ranatunga attempted to enter his office, leading to violence that left two dead.

Sirisena named a new cabinet on Monday with Rajapaksa in charge of finance.

Sri Lanka is a key state in the battle for influence in South Asia between traditional ally India and China.

(Al Jazeera)

If President Maithripala Sirisena refuses to convene Parliament as requested by the majority of lawmakers, Speaker Karu Jayasuriya will take measures to convene Parliament under “special circumstances”, popular website Colombo Telegraph has reported. 

A final discussion to reach a conclusion in this regard is likely to take place between the President and the Speaker today it said. 

This one-on-one meeting will follow Jayasuriya’s second letter to Sirisena reiterating the Speaker’s request to convene Parliament.

In his letter, the Speaker Says over 125 MPs from the United National Party, Illankai Tamil Arasu Katchi, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna and the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress have called for reconvening Parliament.

“As the Speaker of the House, I have to heed their request,” Jayasuriya said, expressing disbelief that a leader who sought a mandate to ensure good governance had prorogued Parliament by 18 days.

Jayasuriya sent a letter to the President after a discussion he held with leaders and representatives of all political parties representing Parliament, yesterday.

At the meeting, the JVP requested the speaker to convene Parliament forthright citing a similar decision by former Speaker Joseph Michael Perera who ruled in 2003 that the President’s power to prorogue, summon and dissolve Parliament must be done in consultation with Parliament itself. (Colombo Telegraph)

Sri Lanka's former president Mahinda Rajapaksa receives blessings from Buddhist monks before assuming duties as the new Prime Minister in Colombo on Oct 29, 2018.

Sri Lanka plunged into turmoil when its prime minister was replaced with a former president who's been associated with human rights violations.

The sudden change of guard could impact policy-making and business confidence at a time of economic trouble, pushing the cash-strapped South Asian country even closer to Beijing.

President Maithripala Sirisena on Friday fired Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and swore in Mahinda Rajapaksa, who ruled the country from 2005 to 2015 before being defeated by Sirisena.

Sirisena then forced parliament into a three-week recess, preventing lawmakers from holding a no-confidence vote on Rajapaksa, whose previous regime was dominated by the suppression of free speech and harassment of critics.

The U.S. State Department has since urged Sirisena to immediately reconvene parliament.

Rajapaksa's appointment amounts to "an anti democratic coup," Sri Lanka's Minister of Finance and Mass Media Mangala Samaraweera said in a tweet.Wickremesinghe, meanwhile, has refused to give up his title as premier, claiming the president violated parliamentary processes and the constitution.

Rajapaksa's return to power has already triggered violence and economists warn it could pose dire consequences for Sri Lanka's democratic future, credit rating and financial markets. The new prime minister's proximity to Beijing could also leave Colombo more vulnerable to increased Chinese influence, altering power dynamics around the Indian Ocean.

'A Constitutional Crisis'

With Wickremesinghe refusing to leave office and Rajapaksa officially in power, the country is poised to enter a period of policy paralysis, according to strategists. That doesn't bode well for foreign investment.

There are now "two competing power centers" that could see Sri Lanka enter "a constitutional crisis," said Pratyush Rao, lead analyst for India and South Asia at Control Risks. The Rajapaksa-Sirisena camp are now likely to call for a snap parliamentary election and because Rajapaksa remains a popular figure among Sinhala Buddhists, who account for the majority of the population, he's likely to fare well, Rao said.

The president's support has been dwindling so he may be using Rajapaksa to bolster his government, Rao added.

Sri Lanka's economy is already under duress — foreign exchange reserves have been sliding, pressuring the local currency — amid broader problems in global emerging markets. The latest political turmoil could further weaken international investor confidence.

"Investors will likely view the developments with concern because at best, it will limit the scope for economic policy/reforms, and at worst plunge the country into a prolonged political crisis," said Shailesh Kumar, South Asia director at Eurasia Group.

Sri Lanka's parliament has been suspended until 16 November. By that time, Sirisena will have amassed enough support for Rajapaksa to pass a no-confidence vote when one is eventually held, Kumar continued.

Moody's has already sounded the alarm on the situation.

Rajapaksa being appointed prime minister "significantly heightens policy uncertainty" and could be "credit negative" for Sri Lanka's sovereign rating, Matthew Circosta, Moody's analyst, wrote in a note. "Additionally, the possible social tensions that may unfold in the next few weeks would have a negative impact on the economy, which is already growing slowly."

Amid all these risks, Colombo's ability to refinance external debt in early 2019 at affordable costs has also been thrown into question, Circosta added.

A win for China

Under Rajapaksa's rule, Sri Lanka moved closer to China's orbit and further away from India, South Asia's traditional leading power. With Colombo now in urgent need of foreign capital, Rajapaksa will likely facilitate more Chinese investments.

While Wickremesinghe sought to balance relations with New Delhi and Beijing, Rajapaksa made clear his willingness to accept Chinese money even in the face of unreasonable terms. In the past, Colombo has been forced to sell strategic assets to Beijing, such as the Hambantota port, when it wasn't able to meet liabilities.

While Rajapaksa will likely tap access to Chinese capital to service Sri Lanka's debt, other major foreign players operating in the island nation such as India and Japan are unlikely to experience immediate risks, according to Rao: "The government would not want to alienate these two countries through such moves."

Rajapaksa's appointment could also help the world's second-largest economy notch a win against India as the two superpowers battle for supremacy in the region.

A recent election in the Maldives saw the previous China-backed government lose power to a pro-democracy party, pushing the tropical island closer to New Delhi. So, "while China lost the Maldives to India last month, it has gained back the upper hand in Sri Lanka," said Eurasia's Kumar.

A step back for human rights

Rajapaksa, a former strongman, is credited for ending Sri Lanka's savage civil war in 2009. But he's also under intense criticism for authoritarian rule that involved excessive military power, extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances.

"The current government's failure to bring justice to victims of war crimes under the Rajapaksa government reopens the door for past abusers to return to their terrible practices," Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch said in a statement.

In a televised address Sunday, Sirisena said his life was threatened by an alleged assassination plot involving a member of Wickremesinghe's cabinet, which left him with no choice but to dismiss the prime minister.

But Sirisena's image has been called into question of late amid several eyebrow-raising headlines. Last month, the president raged at Sri Lankan Airlines for serving him nuts that he said weren't suitable for dogs let alone human consumption. The president also recently recalled his ambassador to Austria and other embassy staff for not answering his phone calls.

President Maithripala Sirisena is said to have ordered a gazette to be immediately issued bringing the Attorney General's Department under him. This is a similar tactic used by Mahinda Rajapaksa during his regime during which the department lost all semblance of independence. Despite Sirisena repeatedly criticized the move on the election trail in 2015 he appears to have gone the same way now. 

Rajapaksa’s in shock 

However sources say the Rajapaksa camp is now uneasy following Sirisena’s decision and are concerned regarding the new developments.

Presidential Secretariat also appears to be paying attention to Basil Rajapaksa’s moves to strengthen the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna as opposed to the illegal but new government and working to highlight Mahinda Rajapaksa instead.

he International Democrat Union (IDU) in a statement today (30) stated that the removal of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is clearly 'baseless and illegal' and that is is widely denounced as unconstitutional.

"The International Democrat Union is following the latest developments in Sri Lanka with grave concern. On Friday, October 26, 2018, Sri Lankan President Sirisena removed Prime Minister Wickremesinghe from his position. This move has been widely denounced as unconstitutional. The IDU stands with its member, the United National Party of Sri Lanka, and the country’s rightful Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe. The measures taken by President Sirisena are clearly baseless and illegal."

IDU Chairman Stephen Harper stated: “We are witnessing the breakdown of democracy in Sri Lanka. This is disgraceful in that the government of Prime Minister Wickremesinghe has fought to preserve one of Asia’s oldest democratic systems, to uphold the rule of law, and to fight against corruption. The lawful government of Prime Minister Wickremesinghe must be restored without further delay. The IDU also demands that the Parliament of Sri Lanka be reconvened to allow the democratically elected representatives of the Sri Lankan people to perform their duties.

Only through the constitutional, parliamentary system of Sri Lanka can the country be saved from this perilous situation.”

For the first time in history today (31) the selling rate of a United States Dollar has hit Sri Lankan Rupees 176. Accordingly, the Central Banks daily exchange rates were reported as Buying rate of 1 USD at Rs. 172.3605 and the selling rate as Rs. 176.2547.

British MPs have urged the UK foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt to push for a "robust international response" in response to the political crisis in Sri Lanka following the unconstitutional removal of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

"The UK has been at the forefront of efforts to promote justice and accountability at the UN Human Rights Council. The governments of Gordon Brown and David Cameron kept human rights in Sri Lanka high on the agenda of the international community, but we are increasingly concerned that this focus has waned under Theresa May's ministry," Labour Party MPs, Wes Streeting, Mike Gapes, Siobhain McDonagh and Joan Ryan wrote.

"We urge you to use your good offices to ensure a robust international response to developing events in Sri Lanka and to ensure that human rights in Sri Lanka at the top of the agenda at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva," British MPs said.

The MPs further state that the appointment of Mahinda Rajapaksa as Prime Minister would threaten to set back the progress Sri Lanka has made since his ouster at the last presidential elections.

"This is a man whose ten-year rule of Sri Lanka is associated with authoritarianism, forced disappearances and widespread human rights abuses. We beleive his place is in the dock, answering allegations of war crimes at the Hague, rather than back enjoying the trappings of power in Colombo."