[212][213][214], Minister of Defence and Urban Development, Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development, Minister of Labour and Vocational Training, Alleged war crimes during the final stages of the Sri Lankan Civil War, Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall, alleged war crimes during the final stages of the Sri Lankan Civil War, South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine, "Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resigns", "Proud leader who defended the motherland", https://www.google.com/s/www.thehindu.com/news/international/Rajapaksarsquos-second-term-starts-in-November-2010-Supreme-Court/article16811954.ece/amp/, "Sri Lanka election: Mahinda Rajapaksa concedes he is unlikely to be PM", "Sri Lanka's PM resigns in effort to ease constitutional crisis", "Sri Lanka opposition declares no confidence in government", "More violence reported around the country: Over 100 injured", "Reject The UN War Crimes Report: Mahinda Rajapaksa Tells Govt", "Mahinda Rajapaksa: Sri Lanka's saviour or war criminal? Wickrematunge, editor of the now-defunct Sunday Leader newspaper, was a strong critic of current President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who was a powerful defense official at the time. He was elected as Member of Parliament for Kurunegala District. While my mother tongue is Sinhala, let me elaborate a few thoughts in Tamil. Rajapaksa resigned from the post of prime minister on 15 December 2018. Biography [ edit ] She herself, a Sinhalese Buddhist is married to an ethnic Tamil Hindu , Thirukkumaran Nadesan . He was first sworn in as the president in November 2005 and re-elected for a second time in office in January 2010 and served in this post till January 2015. [42], After 2020 Sri Lankan parliamentary election, Mahinda Rajapaksa was appointed as the Prime Minister while Chamal Rajapaksa and Namal Rajapaksa became Minister of Irrigation and Minister of Youth and Sports respectively in the Second Gotabaya Rajapaksa cabinet. Shiranthi Rajapaksa is the daughter of Commander E. P. Wickremasinghe, of the Sri Lanka Navy. Sri Lanka economic crisis: Embattled PM Mahinda Rajapaksa resigns If it happens, everyone in this country will try to become doctors," opposing the institution. Sri Lankan PM Mahinda Rajapaksa Resigns Amid Massive Clashes, Curfew Now that the Prime Minister has resigned, President Rajapaksa is expected to invite all the political parties in. [211] Thus, critics have accused Rajapaksa of being narcissistic. [7] He was targeted during the 2022 Sri Lankan Protests over the corruption and mismanagement by the Rajapaksa family which led to an economic crisis that brought Sri Lanka to the point of bankruptcy as it defaulted on its loans for the first time in its history since independence. His cousin Udayanga Weeratunga is Sri Lanka's ambassador to Russia. Mahinda Rajapaksa: Sri Lankan PM resigns amid economic crisis In December the Supreme Court ruled that Sirisena could not dissolve Parliament, and Rajapaksa stepped down to avoid further stalemate. A new probe was initiated after Mahinda Rajapaksa lost a presidential election in 2015, but political infighting in the new government prevented a conclusion to the case. (Reuters Photo/File) Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is in hiding, having fled from his own people. In 2019, Ahimsa Wickrematunge filed a lawsuit in a Los Angeles court seeking damages from Gotabaya Rajapaksa for alleged involvement in the killing. Chamal who had joined the Ceylon Police Force as a Sub-inspector, turndown Mrs Bandaranaike's offer in favour of his younger brother and Mahinda Rajapaksa was appointed as SLFP organiser for Beliatta in 1968. The San Francisco-based Center for Justice and Accountability filed the complaint on behalf of Ahimsa Wickrematunge, the daughter of Lasantha, who was allegedly killed by a military-linked hit squad while driving to work on Jan. 8, 2009. He is a member of the Sri Lankan Parliament for the National List and former Minister of Finance (2021-2022). Their support was instrumental in the defeat of the Tamil Tigers, but the concentration of one family in the countrys most powerful posts elicited charges of nepotism from the presidents detractors. Sri Lankan Cabinet resigns amid economic crisis, PM Rajapaksa still in The Rajapaksa Brothers Ruined Sri Lanka's Economy and Undermined the [7], On the 9 May 2022, Rajapaksa loyalists were transported to his residence on buses who were then addressed by Rajapaksa. [14] While Rajapaksa was Prime Minister, he was also in charge of the Ministry of Highways, Ports & Shipping. At the time, the Sri Lankan government was in the midst of ongoing peace talks and a precarious cease-fire agreement with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), better known as the Tamil Tigers, the guerrilla organization that sought to establish an independent Tamil state in northern and eastern Sri Lanka. [22], Mahinda Rajapaksa was chosen by the Sri Lanka Freedom Party to run against Ranil Wickremesinghe, former Prime Minister and Opposition Leader. Addressing the SLPP's Kotte Asana Bala Mandala meeting, the Minister said that it is essential to fulfilling the hopes of the people who voted for Pohottuwa in the last . Rajapaksa had agreed to Chinese terms and was seen as an important ally in China's efforts to tilt influence away from India in South Asia. [48], Following the end of the conflict, a rift emerged between Rajapaksa and Fonseka over reasons which are still disputed. Fonseka was subsequently sentenced to two years in jail for various offences by a court martial. "Medamulana Dynasty": Four Sons and Three Grandsons of Don Alvin Rajapaksa Mahinda Rajapaksa, the eldest of the Rajapaksa brothers, who have held a number of top government roles, served first as prime minister and then as a two-term president. Sri Lankan investigators have located more than $2bn that was secretly transferred to accounts in Dubai by figures close to the administration of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, the . Furthermore, the government stated that the deals would be suspended until the investigations were completed. There has been no progress in the investigation since Gotabaya Rajapaksa was elected president. [25] Over the next three and a half years, Fonseka and Rajapaksa's brother, Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, led the country's armed forces in their battle against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE, or Tamil Tigers), ultimately defeating the Tigers and killing their leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran. [168] Meanwhile, MP Mervyn Silva also filed corruption charges against Mahinda's brothers, Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Basil Rajapaksa. In July 1977, Rajapaksa lost his parliamentary seat in SLFP's landslide defeat in the 1977 general elections, to Dr Ranjit Atapattu who had gained 24,289 votes to Rajapaksa's 17,896. A sudden and draconian ban on the importation of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in 2021 resulted in a food shortage, exacerbating the challenges brought on by a global bottleneck in supply chains. Angry protesters attacked the family's ancestral home in the Hambantota area, and Mahinda has been forced to take refuge on a heavily fortified naval base. A key development project was a new port in his home district of Hambantota, built with aid from China. Wickrematunges assassination came to symbolize alleged government abuses and impunity during the countrys civil war. The Rajapaksa family controlled over 70% of Sri Lanka's budget during their governance. [14][15], In November 1977, Rajapaksa was called to the bar as an attorney at law. The amendment had consequences beyond just term limits, including provisions that increased the president's power to act without oversight, removing an independent advisory council that the president was previously required to consult before appointing people to important non-partisan posts, such as Supreme Court judges and members of the human rights and electoral commissions. Don Alwin Rajapaksa was elected MP for Beliatta and Lakshman Rajapaksa (Don Mathew's son) was elected MP for Hambantota. She had committed suicide on the railway tracks at 19 years. Project Exile: Editor escaped Sri Lanka after husband's murder His cousin Jaliya Wickramasuriya is Sri Lanka's ambassador to the United States. Previously, protesters were attacked by government supporters. [108], In June 2018, The New York Times reported that President Rajapaksa, during the 2015 presidential campaign and elections, received large payments from a Chinese port construction fund that flowed directly to campaign aides and activities. During his leadership, Sri Lanka scored extremely low in the Transparency International Corruption Index. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. A lawyer by profession, he began his political career decades ago when he was first elected to the . Despite questions arising from Rajapaksas possible misuse of state funds for his campaign, independent observers held that no voting fraud had taken place. During the 2005 presidential election, opposition parties accused Rajapaksa of bribing the LTTE to dissuade people from voting in the northern and eastern provinces. The Rajapaksa family owned the Carlton Sports Network, the Carlton Pre-schools and the Carlton Motor Sports Club which have been accused of illegally using state resources[46][47][48], Nama Rajapaksa is the owner of Gowers Corporate Services, HelloCorp, and NR Consultants which have been accused of being used for money laundering and getting lucrative contracts from the state-owned SriLankan Airlines during the Rajapaksa administration. At least two Cabinet ministers have also announced their resignations. Rajapaksa's brother-in-law, Nishantha Wickramasinghe, is the chairman of SriLankan Airlines. In April 2010, Namal Rajapaksa was elected as a Member of Parliament for the Hambantota District, obtaining the highest number of preferential votes in his father's former district. [109], During the final months of the election, the ambassador of China to Sri Lanka had lobbied voters, "even caddies at Colombo's premier golf course", to support Rajapaksa over the opposition, which was threatening to tear up economic agreements with the Chinese government. [98][99] The manifesto pledged to introduce a new constitution within one year of being elected, but not to abolish the executive presidency it would be amended and the "weakness" in the parliamentary system eliminated. The complaint says Wickrematunge was killed a few days before he was to testify in a defamation case filed by Gotabaya Rajapaksa over an article implicating him in a corruption scandal involving the purchase of fighter planes. [4] Rajapaksa was defeated in his bid for a third term in the 2015 presidential election by Maithripala Sirisena, and he left office on 9 January 2015. US Blacklists Sri Lanka Governor Wasantha Karannagoda Over War Killings He is the first person with military background to be elected as President of Sri Lanka and also the first person to be elected President who had not held an elected office prior. Sri Lanka economic crisis: Everything you need to know about all [21][22] The Rajapaksas denied having control over such amounts. The law cannot interfere. Rajapaksa served as labour minister (19942001) and minister of fisheries and aquatic resources (19972001) under Pres. Nationwide protests broke out in March and continued in the weeks ahead. Furthermore, the cessation of aid to the tsunami-damaged LTTE-occupied areas, and the sidelining of the Norwegian facilitators due to their alleged bias were included. [187][188], President Rajapaksa also imposed an unofficial ban on the Tamil version of the Sri Lankan anthem,[189] which has existed since 1948 and has been sung at various events including the 1949 Independence Day. [123] A spokesman for Rajapaksa has denied the allegations as baseless. Human rights groups have accused the brothers of war crimes. [32][33], Following the 2015 presidential election defeat, the Rajapaksa family were accused of misusing public resources during the campaign, including use of the Sri Lankan Air Force in the campaign that cost $17,273.28 (Rs. However, his administration became increasingly associated with strong-arm tactics and other repressive measures against political opponents and civil rights advocates. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) party leader Sirima Bandaranaike offered his father's post of SLFP party organiser for the Beliatta electorate to his older brother Chamal. Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa Resigns in Face of Unrest In April the countrys ministers, including Mahindas brother Basil and son Namal, resigned en masse in an attempt to reshuffle the cabinet and form a unity government, but the move failed to placate the oppositionwhich continued to grow as members of the ruling coalition defectedand Mahindas future as prime minister looked bleak. Nirupama Deepika Rajapaksa (born 13 April 1962) is a Sri Lankan politician, a former member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka and a former deputy minister. Carrying the vote of the Sinhalese majority, Gotabaya won the presidential election. On January 10, 2023, Gotabaya and his brother and former president Mahinda Rajapaksa were sanctioned by Canada for "gross and systematic violations of human rights during the armed conflict in Sri Lanka". The next day, 15 December, Rajapaksa publicly resigned from the post of Prime Minister. Sri Lankan power couple piled up luxury homes, artworks and cash - ICIJ [170] Rajapaksa and his family were the subjects of numerous state resource abuse complaints from organizations and election monitors, including claims of their involvement in fraud, misuse of powers, murder, and money-laundering activities that are said to have taken $5.31 billion (Rs. Sri Lankan PM Mahinda Rajapaksa quits, family home set on fire | World Sri Lanka says Mahinda Rajapaksa officials hid more than $2bn in Dubai Basil. President Rajapaksa has not been seen in public since tens of thousands attempted to storm his private residence in Colombo on March 31. [45] A number of foreign journalists and news teams, such as the UK's Channel Four News, have reported and filmed evidence of targeted shelling of civilians, executions, and atrocities. [210], Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport, Magampura Mahinda Rajapaksa Port, Nelum Pokuna Mahinda Rajapaksa Theatre, and Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium were all high-profile lavish infrastructure projects initiated by Rajapaksa during his administration and named for him. He served as the leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party from 2005 to 2015. 238,000,000,000) worth of assets in foreign countries. The lamentation of this country's innocents should be raised anywhere. The payments were confirmed by documents and checks detailed in a government investigation report obtained by The New York Times. The San Francisco-based Center for Justice and Accountability filed the complaint on behalf of Ahimsa Wickrematunge, the daughter of Lasantha Wickrematunge, who was allegedly killed by a military-linked hit squad while driving to work on Jan. 8, 2009. Despite the huge election campaign led by the UNP, Mahinda Rajapaksa was able to gain a narrow victory, by 190,000 votes. Sri Lanka's crisis began after the coronavirus pandemic. Sri Lanka's Foreign Policy Non-aligned, Both India & China - News18 [6], Rajapaksa became the leader of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna in 2019, splitting the Sri Lanka Freedom Party. Advertisement. The move came as the island was placed under curfew after . Mahinda and Gotabaya Rajapaksa wave to supporters at a party convention in 2019. Rajapaksa was born into a large upper-caste family and was brought up as a Buddhist. On 15 November 2009, Rajapaksa ordered Fonseka to leave his post as Chief of the Defence Staff with immediate effect through a letter from his secretary. At the time, Nishantha Wickramasinghe, a brother-in-law of Rajapaksa, was also Chairman of SriLankan Airlines until Rajapaksa lost the presidential election in 2015. The Fake News Fraud: Funds Collected in Europe Through Falsehood that Tiger Leader Prabhakaran, wife Madhivadhany and Daughter Duvaraka are alive and Require Cash Urgently. He is also known to be the elder brother of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled Sri Lanka during the Sri Lankan crisis in 2022. [196] He served as minister of finance of Sri Lanka from 2021 to 2022 until his resignation amidst the 2022 Sri Lankan anti-government protests Mahinda Rajapaksa's eldest brother, Chamal Rajapaksa, has been an MP since 1989. [10] One of its members, Don David Rajapaksa, held the feudal post of Vidanarachchi in Ihala Valikada Korale. [177][178], Other appointees include his nephew, Shashindra Rajapaksa, who served as the Chief minister of Uva from 2009 to 2015. [207] By 2022 the popularity of the Rajapaksas had declined and during the 2022 Sri Lankan Protests protesters named him "Myna" as an insulting nickname and demanded his resignation alongside the entire Rajapaksa family. Pramod Madhav. [130] The government sought help from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund in locating this hidden wealth to expose the alleged corruption of the previous regime. How Mahinda and Gotabaya Rajapaksa destroyed Sri Lanka - The Washington File photo. The President directly appoints the Prime Minister, a person "who, in the President's opinion, is most likely to command the confidence of Parliament"; this is usually the leader of the party in power. The family's political party Sri Lanka People's Front (known by its Sinhala initials SLPP) got a landslide victory and a clear majority in the parliament. Former government officials have alleged that the family has amassed a multibillion-dollar fortune and hidden part of it in bank accounts in Dubai, Seychelles and St. Martin. 2,278,000) of public funds to travel across the island. [28] Following the closure by the LTTE of the Mavil Aru reservoir supplying water to 15,000 people in government-controlled areas on 21 July 2006,[29] the Sri Lankan military launched an offensive against the LTTE, bringing the entire reservoir under government control. President and Govt Must go Home or do a"U"Turn and Re-Democratize D. A. Rajapaksa, went on to serve as the member of parliament from Beliatta from 1947 to 1965, and served as Cabinet Minister of Agriculture and Land in Wijeyananda Dahanayake's government. At the age of six, he was sent to his father's school Richmond College in Galle. In 2004 Kumaratunga appointed Rajapaksa prime minister, and the following year she announced her endorsement of him as her successor. [86] On nomination day, 8 December 2014, two opposition MPs, Tissa Attanayake and Jayantha Ketagoda, defected to the government to support Rajapaksa. [191] He continued to stand against the Tamil version of the anthem and slammed his successors for removing the ban and singing it again on Independence Day, claiming that the "national anthem should be sung in one language and not two or three languages"; the Pro-Rajapaksa Joint Opposition also boycotted the event. During his time as. By 2010, following the end of the war, the RSF ranking was 158th. In reply, Dr Neville Fernando, the chairman of SAITM, called him an opportunist, as the students to whom Rajapaksa had granted scholarships, were then in their final year.