A political reckoning in Sri Lanka as debt crisis grows

By KRUTIKA PATHI and KRISHAN FRANCIS
Associated Press

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Thousands of Sri Lankans have protested outside President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s office in recent weeks, demanding that he and his brother, Mahinda, who is prime minister, quit for leading the island into its worst economic crisis since independence from Britain in 1948. With the island teetering near bankruptcy, the protests highlight the dramatic fall of the Rajapaksas from the most influential political dynasty to a family grasping to retain power. The Rajapaksas had been heroes to many in the Buddhist-Sinhalese majority for ending the country’s 30-year civil war, and remained firmly entrenched at the top of Sri Lankan politics before a revolt by many, including former staunch supporters.