International

Nine drug smugglers were sentenced to death in Vietnam yesterday for selling methamphetamine and heroin in a country with some of the toughest drug laws in the world. Heroin has long been the drug of choice among users in Vietnam, mostly older men, but synthetic drugs use is on the rise especially among a growing class of hard-partying youth. The sentences handed down yesterday were among the toughest in years and came after a four-long trial in northern Ha Nam province. The ring leaders were convicted for trading 18.5kg (40 pounds) of heroin and 563 grams of methamphetamine in northern Vietnam, according to the state-run Vietnam news agency. Three others were given life in prison, and 10 others were sentenced to between seven to 21 years in jail in connection with the drug ring. “The investigation showed that 22 defendants had illegally traded drugs many times,” Ha Nam people’s court said on its website. Separately, four men were also sentenced to death in northeastern Cao Bang province yesterday for dealing heroin, state media reported. Communist Vietnam has long vowed to tackle “social vices” including drug use, which is prevalent throughout the country. It has some of the harshest punishments in the world, and anyone caught with more than 600 grams (21 ounces) of heroin or more than 20kg of opium can be sentenced to death. Authorities have struggled to contain a growing trend among youth for synthetic drugs such as Ecstasy, methamphetamines or Ketamine. Seven people died after using drugs at an electronic music festival in September in Hanoi, a buttoned-up capital with a reputation for being conservative. Many of the synthetic drugs on the market in Vietnam come from the notorious Golden Triangle region, a lawless borderland region covering parts of Thailand, Myanmar and Lao.

Sri Lanka’s parliament yesterday voted to halt payment of ministers’ salaries and travel expenses, but it remained unclear how the move would impact the disputed government of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse whose ministers boycotted the vote. The South Asian island has been locked in political gridlock for over a month since President Maithripala Sirisena replaced former prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe with Rajapakse, who was then twice sacked by parliament but has refused to resign. Foreign countries have yet to recognise the new government. Yesterday’s motion, which passed 122 to none in the 225-member parliament, followed a similar vote on Thursday to cut the budget to the Prime Minister’s office. Rajapakse loyalists also skipped that vote, arguing the motion was illegal. “The motion to cut down the expenditures of ministers, deputy ministers, and state ministers is passed,” parliament’s Speaker Karu Jayasuriya said. He earlier said he would officially inform ministry secretaries of the decision. The motion specifically was to prohibit top civil servants from paying out salaries and travel expenses. However, one senior civil servant from a government ministry, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it was unclear how such a vote would be applied in practice because there were questions over whether due process had been followed. In a repeat of Thursday’s actions, Rajapakse loyalists denounced the vote and called into question the impartiality of the speaker. “The motion presented today is illegal and we have mentioned it to the speaker too. We will not attend such illegal motions,” Anura Priyadharshana Yapa, a minister in Rajapakse’s disputed government, told reporters before the proceedings started. Later, Rajapakse and Wickremesinghe met in the parliament, sources close to the two men told Reuters. “They spoke about the way forward,” one source said, adding that the impasse was unlikely to break before a court ruling on whether President Sirisena’s November 9 decision to dissolve parliament was constitutional. That verdict is expected on December 7. Separately yesterday, the Appeal Court began a hearing on a petition signed by 122 legislators that challenged Rajapakse’s authority to hold office after he lost two no-confidence votes earlier this month. Rajapakse’s party argues that its government should remain in power because the president never accepted the no-confidence votes. The motions presented on Thursday and yesterday are based on the assumption Rajapakse has been sacked, thus he deems them illegal. Rajapakse presided over a government victory over Tamil rebels in 2009, ending a bloody 26-year civil war.

Sri Lanka’s parliament cut the budget of the Prime Minister’s office yesterday, a move designed to hinder disputed premier Mahinda Rajapakse whose supporters boycotted the vote in the latest twist in a weeks-long political standoff.  Lawmakers opposed to Rajapakse, who has lost two no-confidence votes in parliament, regard his administration as illegitimate and say he should not be able to use government money for his day-to-day expenses. “This means the prime minister will be dysfunctional. We will bring a similar motion tomorrow to cut down the expenditure of all other ministers,” said Ravi Karunanayake, the former finance minister who proposed yesterday’s motion which passed 123 to none in the 225-member parliament.  The vote comes more than a month after President Maithripala Sirisena triggered the crisis by ousting former prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and replacing him with Rajapakse, who was then in turn sacked by parliament. In another development yesterday, the main ethnic minority Tamil party TNA said it would support a coalition led by Wickremesinghe’s party if his government were restored. They previously stood in opposition. That would give Wickremesinghe’s coalition a clear majority in parliament which Rajapakse, at present, cannot muster. Rajapakse was president from 2005-2015, a decade of rule that critics said became increasingly authoritarian and marred by nepotism and corruption.  He presided over a bloody government victory over separatist rebels from the Tamil minority in 2009, ending a 26-year civil war. Rajapakse and his loyalists denounced yesterday’s vote as “illegal” and questioned the impartiality of parliament’s speaker. “Speaker is acting completely illegally and arbitrarily. We are not participating in such illegal meetings,” Rajapakse told reporters in parliament before proceedings started. While the rhetoric remained belligerent from both sides, the atmosphere has cooled since Rajapakse loyalists threw chairs and chilli paste at the speaker to try to disrupt a no-confidence motion almost two weeks ago. The focus is now on the courts, which are next week expected to rule on whether Sirisena’s sacking of Wickremesinghe on Oct 26 and then his dissolution of parliament on Nov 9 were constitutional. The latest political ructions have not led to widespread unrest and violence. Rajapakse is seen as a hero by many among Sri Lanka’s Buddhist majority for ending the war but has been accused by diplomats of human rights abuses, particularly at the end of the conflict, which he denies.

A group of Tamil lawmakers Thursday threw their support behind Sri Lanka's ousted prime minister, cementing his parliamentary majority in a surprise move that emboldens his stake to lead the country. The Tamil National Alliance holds the balance of power in parliament and has emerged as kingmaker in recent weeks, with rival factions jostling for their support as Sri Lanka drifts without a government. The island has been in crisis since October 26 when the president sacked Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister and appointed Mahinda Rajapakse, a charismatic but divisive former leader. Parliament has twice voted against Rajapakse, sparking brawls in the chamber between his supporters and those backing Wickremesinghe, who like his rival has refused to stand down. President Maithripala Sirisena -- who is under pressure to prove his appointee Rajapakse commands support -- says Wickremesinghe, a former ally turned foe, does not enjoy a majority strong enough to form government. The war-era strongman Rajapakse has doubled down and backed by Sirisena, has named a cabinet and assumed duties as head of a disputed government without parliamentary support. The two rivals have been neck and neck trying to cobble together enough backing, negotiating with key legislators and trying to lure across defectors. But in a surprise development Thursday the alliance of Tamils, the island's second-largest ethnic group, endorsed Wickremesinghe, providing him 14 seats and a clear majority in parliament. ‘Normally we would not have taken sides but in this case we had to come out and take a stand in the interest of democracy,’ Tamil legislator Dharmalingam Sithadthan told AFP. As president, Rajapakse was credited with crushing a decades-long Tamil separatist war in 2009. But troops under his command were also accused of killing tens of thousands of Tamil civilians in the process. There was no immediate response to the developments from Sirisena. - 'Rogue government' - The president said at the weekend he would never recognise Wickremesinghe as prime minister -- even if he enjoyed the full support of parliament. Sirisena suspended the legislature and called snap elections after naming Rajapakse prime minister at a late-night swearing in ceremony. The Supreme Court refused to defend his actions, ordering that parliament be reconvened and the elections called off until the legal challenge is heard. The country has teetered on the edge of a full-blown crisis ever since, though there has been no breakout of serious violence. Rival politicians brawled and hurled chilli powder about the chamber during rowdy sessions of parliament two weeks ago. Wickremesinghe's party, backed by the Tamils and other minority parties, voted Thursday to choke off funds to the prime minister's office in another blow for the president and his controversial appointee. ‘We propose to stop any spending because he is not holding the position of prime minister legally,’ said Ravi Karunanayake, a legislator from Wickremesinghe's party told parliament. ‘This is a rogue government and parliament will take back control of finances through this motion.’ It worsens matters for the purported government headed by Rajapakse, which has been unable to present a budget for 2019 and risks entering the new year without parliamentary approval for any new spending. Moody's recently downgraded Sri Lanka's credit rating amid warnings the island could default on its considerable foreign debt. Meanwhile, two MPs defected from the Sirisena-Rajapakse faction on Thursday to Wickremesinghe's camp, dealing a further blow to the ailing government which has been unable to stamp its authority since last month.

Sri Lanka’s highest-ranking military officer was remanded by a court yesterday after weeks evading arrest for allegedly protecting the chief suspect in the murder of 11  people during the civil war. The Colombo Fort magistrate ordered that Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne, the country’s military chief, be held in custody for a week pending investigations into the abduction and murder of the young men between 2008 and 2009. The magistrate denied bail for Wijegunaratne after it emerged he tried to abduct a key witness over the weekend, and sought to have an investigator removed from the case. “I am denying bail because in your position you are able to influence witnesses and disrupt the investigations,” Magistrate Ranga Dassanayake told a packed courthouse. Wijegunaratne, who appeared in full military regalia, has denied any connection to the  murders. Wijegunaratne’s bodyguards earlier shoved journalists trying to photograph the chief of defence staff as he entered the courtroom. Earlier in the day, Wijegunaratne surrendered after weeks of ignoring court summons. Investigators told the court that Wijegunaratne protected the main accused in the high-profile murders, naval intelligence officer Chandana Prasad Hettiarachchi. He was arrested in August over the killings in the closing stages of Sri Lanka’s bloody separatist war that ended in  May 2009. Three warrants for Wijegunaratne’s arrest were issued earlier this month but he ignored them, even travelling to Mexico while investigators were seeking a statement from him. Police believe the 11 victims were killed while in the illegal custody of the navy. Their  bodies were never found. Military figures were accused of abductions and extrajudicial killings during the 37-year war against the Tamil Tiger  separatist movement. Several intelligence officers are facing prosecution over the murder of journalists critical of Mahinda Rajapakse, the former president whose tenure was marred by allegations of war crimes and grave rights abuses. His recent controversial appointment as prime minister by Sri Lanka’s president has plunged the country into crisis, with parliament twice voting against the war-era strongman ruler taking over government. Rajapakse, who has refused to step aside as Sri Lanka drifts in a power vacuum, and several members of his family are being investigated for fraud and murder during his 10-year  presidency. But those inquiries were thrown into doubt after his surprise return to the helm of government in an alliance with President Maithripala Sirisena. Rajapakse lead Sri Lanka as government troops defeated the Tamil insurgency in May 2009, ending years of bitter and brutal fighting. The final days of the offensive were marked by major abuses, according to rights groups. A UN panel has said 40,000 civilians may have been killed in the final stages of the war.

Allies of Sri Lanka’s embattled President Maithripala Sirisena boycotted parliament yesterday as the country drifted into a second month of political turmoil. Sirisena loyalists refused to show up at parliament in Colombo, where last week opposing MPs scuffled and threw objects across the chamber, forcing the legislature to  adjourn. The island has been politically paralysed since October 26 when Sirisena sacked prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and replaced him with Mahinda Rajapakse. Parliament has twice voted against the former president but he has refused to back down. Wickremesinghe, who holds a majority on the floor, has also not stepped aside. The speaker of parliament has not recognised either man – leaving the country adrift with rival factions claiming to command a government. Sirisena allies have accused the speaker of bias. “We will not attend parliament until the speaker agrees to act impartially,” said Nimal de Silva, an MP from Sirisena’s United People’s Freedom Alliance. Their opponents taunted the president, who has ruled out reimposing Wickremesinghe even as Sri Lanka remains locked in a power vacuum. “Usually you see opposition (parties) boycotting,” Eran Wickramaratne, a Wickremesinghe loyalist, told parliament yesterday.  “But in Sri Lanka you have the unique situation where a party which claims to be the government is staying away from parliament.” The ousted prime minister’s United National Party plans to move a motion in parliament on Friday to block any new spending by Sirisena’s administration. Sri Lanka risks entering 2019 without parliament having approved a budget for the year.  Moody’s recently downgraded Sri Lanka’s credit rating amid warnings the island could default on its considerable foreign debt. On Monday, Sri Lanka’s court of appeal accepted a legal challenge against newly appointed Prime Minister Rajapakse and his cabinet. The court accepted the petition filed by 122 legislators against Rajapakse and 48 others who have been named as ministers, state ministers and deputy ministers in the new government appointed by President Sirisena, Xinhua news agency reported. The case is to be taken up for preliminary hearing on Friday. The petitioners are seeking an interim order preventing Rajapakse and his government from exercising any authority of a legitimate cabinet. The legislators who have filed the petition are from ousted prime minister Wickremesinghe’s UNP, the Tamil National Alliance and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna. They argue that a “state of anarchy and chaos” would ensue in the country given that Rajapakse’s cabinet had lost two votes of no-confidence motions and does not command a  majority in parliament.

The Maldives top court overturned a terrorism conviction yesterday against the country’s first democratically elected leader Mohamed Nasheed, who fled into exile after being sentenced to 13 years behind bars. The Supreme Court said Nasheed was wrongfully charged and should not have been convicted in the 2015 trial described by the United Nations as politically motivated. Nasheed went into exile a year later while abroad seeking medical treatment, and was branded a fugitive from justice. “President Nasheed’s entire trial was a politically-motivated sham,” his lawyer, Hisaan Hussein, said after his conviction was quashed. “It is appalling that an innocent man was unjustly forced to spend a year in jail, 35 months in exile, and was prevented from standing for political office.” The opposition icon only returned to the Maldives this month after his political rival Abdulla Yameen, who ruled the Maldives with an iron fist for five years, was beaten in a presidential election. The strongman president jailed or exiled most of his opponents but since he departed office political prisoners have been freed and opponents abroad have returned. Nasheed, the leader of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party, was expected to contest the September poll but was barred on account of his terrorism conviction. His party’s nominee, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, ran and unexpectedly defeated Yameen despite curbs on opposition campaigning. Nasheed risked arrest if he ever returned to the Maldives while Yameen remained in power.  Nasheed was elected president in the Maldives first-ever democratic poll in 2008, ousting an authoritarian president who had ruled the honeymoon islands for 30 years. But he was toppled in what he called a coup in 2012, and found guilty of terrorism three years later. His appeal against his 13-year jail sentence had languished before the courts for years before Yameen’s defeat and the case reopened.

A political impasse in Sri Lanka could be set to drag on longer after President Maithripala Sirisena said yesterday he would not reinstate Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister even if he was able to prove his majority in parliament.  “I will not appoint Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister in my lifetime. Even if they have a majority, I have told them not to propose him as I won’t appoint him as prime minister,” Sirisena told foreign media. He said he replaced Wickremesinghe with pro-China former leader Mahinda Rajapakse because of policy differences and a sharp rise in corruption. Sirisena said he planned to appoint a commission to investigate corruption and malpractice “under Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s government.” A former cabinet spokesman under Wickremesinghe said Sirisena should be ashamed to make these allegations because he was the head of the cabinet under the prime minister Wickremesinghe. “Why didn’t he say this over all those last few years and investigate?” Rajitha Seneratne said to Reuters. Sagala Ratnayaka, former minister in charge of police under Wickremesinghe, said: “If President Sirisena’s wild allegations continue, I will be forced to divulge details on who interfered, when, where and how.” Sri Lanka faces a deepening political crisis with the newly appointed Rajapakse government refusing to resign despite losing two confidence votes. Sirisena has refused to accept the outcome of the votes saying proper parliamentary procedure has not been followed.  Sirisena dissolved parliament and ordered elections to break the deadlock, but the Supreme Court ordered a suspension of that decree earlier this month, as it hears petitions challenging the move as unconstitutional. A verdict is expected on Dec. 7. He expected all problems to end with the Supreme Court ruling, he said. It was not clear how the impasse will end if the court finds his move to dissolve parliament unconstitutional. If it is constitutional, Sirisena can call for a general election. According to the island nation’s constitution, the president has the power to appoint a prime minister who he thinks can command the parliament majority. It was not immediately clear how Sirisena could reject Wickremesinghe if he has the majority. The president said he was ready to appoint anyone from Wickremesinghe’s party as prime minister except Wickremesinghe himself and former army chief Sarath Fonseka who was a minister in the ousted cabinet.  “To appoint a prime minister, I should also like the person and should be able to work with the person,” he said. The Wickremesinghe-led centre-right United National Party though, has so far refused to propose anyone but Wickremesinghe as prime minister.

President Maithripala Sirisena on Sunday reignited the power struggle that has crippled Sri Lanka's government for more than a month, vowing never to reappoint arch-rival Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister. Wickremesinghe's party has a majority in parliament and Sirisena's bid to bring back the country's former strongman Mahinda Rajapakse has already failed. But Sirisena choked back tears in a meeting with foreign correspondents as he accused Wickremesinghe, who he sacked on October 26, of being ‘highly corrupt’. ‘Even if the UNP has the majority I told them not to bring Ranil Wickremesinghe before me, I will not make him prime minister,’ he said, referring to Wickremesinghe's United National Party. ‘Not in my lifetime,’ he added. Sirisena dismissed Wickremesinghe following a host of personality and political clashes since they formed a coalition in 2015. He named Rajapakse as new premier and tried to dissolve parliament but the Supreme Court and legislators blocked the president's moves. Wickremesinghe, who occupies the prime minister's residence, and Rajapakse, who has the premier's official offices, have both refused to back down. But the country officially has no prime minister, heightening international fears about Sri Lanka's stability and looming foreign debt repayments. Sirisena told foreign correspondents at his official residence that he will appoint a commission to investigate corruption under Wickremesinghe since January 2015. ‘He is corrupt. His economic policies are not good for local industries. He pursed an extremely liberal form of government that is not compatible with our culture.’ Sirisena fought back tears as he recalled how he asked Wickremesinghe to step down in February when their respective parties were beaten in local council elections. ‘I told him that we lost the election because his economic policies had failed. I told Ranil in this very room to step down, but he refused,’ Sirisena said. He added that there had been ‘over 100 instances’ of open clashes between the two and that their power struggle had become an open secret in the cabinet. Sri Lanka's parliament meets on November 27 and 29 to discuss a motion by the UNP to cut off government spending. Government finances will stall on January 1 unless a 2019 budget is passed. If the UNP wins the vote, it could force Rajapakse to withdraw his claim to the leadership, and make Sirisena to name a prime minister from the party. ‘If the UNP shows a majority, I believe Mahinda will do the right thing (and stand down),’ said Sirisena, although he reiterated that he would still not reappoint Wickremesinghe. Sirisena insisted that it was not a personality clash but a ‘disagreement over policy.’ Asked if he could constitutionally ignore the leader of the largest single party in parliament, Sirisena said he would rely on tradition. ‘There is a tradition that the person appointed PM should be able to work with the president. I cannot work with Ranil. The UNP will have to bring somebody else.’

Pro-democracy activists participate in a sit-down protest in the capital Colombo yesterday, to demand the restoration of government following the sacking of prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. The island nation has been politically paralysed since October 26 when President Maithripala Sirisena controversially sacked prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and replaced him with former rival Mahinda Rajapakse.

Sri Lanka's largest party warned Tuesday that the island could default on its debt as Moody's slashed its credit rating and a bitter power struggle dragged into a fourth week. The South Asian nation has been gripped by an unprecedented political crisis since the president sacked his prime minister on October 26 and appointed former strongman Mahinda Rajapakse in his place. Ranil Wickremesinghe, the ousted premier and leader of the United National Party -- the largest single party in parliament -- refused to step down, declaring his sacking illegal. President Maithripala Sirisena then dissolved parliament and called snap elections for January 5 -- a decision later suspended by the Supreme Court. The parliament, restored by court order, voted twice to topple Rajapakse last week but he has also refused to step down, leaving Sri Lanka without a government since November 15. Mangala Samaraweera, a member of Wickremesinghe's party who served as finance minister until the chaos broke out, said he was worried the crisis could lead the country into an ‘economic abyss’. ‘If we don't have a budget approved unveiled in the next few weeks, the government will not be able to spend any money from January 1, 2019,’ he told reporters in Colombo. International ratings agency Moody said its decision to downgrade Sri Lanka's credit rating from B1 to B2 reflected external and internal issues, which were ‘exacerbated most recently by a political crisis which seems likely to have a lasting impact on policy even if ostensibly resolved quickly.’ A credit downgrade means Sri Lanka would have to pay more by way of interest on its foreign borrowings, because of a greater risk of default. The political unrest also saw the International Monetary Fund (IMF) suspend a tranche of a $1.5-billion bailout loan agreed to in 2016. Samaraweera said there was a serious risk of the country defaulting on a $1-billion sovereign bond that matures on January 10. ‘We are now in uncharted territory,’ he said. ‘We have never been in a situation where we were unable to meet our foreign debt.’

Sri Lanka’s newly appointed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse, who lost two motions of no-confidence last week, may lose his government’s budget even as he clings to power. Lawmakers opposed to Rajapakse said they intend to remove funding for staff salaries and other costs in a vote on November 29. The opposition, which regards his administration as illegitimate, will also seek approval to slash the government’s overall budget, they said. It was the latest of several new twists yesterday in the political chaos that has embroiled Sri Lanka for the past few weeks. Leaders of political parties backing Rajapakse and President Maithripala Sirisena refused to allow a third motion of no-confidence to be held through name call or electronic voting yesterday. The previous two motions passed through a voice vote but Sirisena said they hadn’t followed the proper procedures. Sirisena appointed Rajapakse last month after firing Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister, setting off the political turmoil on the island off India’s southeast coast. Rajapakse is seen as a close ally of China, though Beijing has denied accusations that it was instrumental in getting him appointed. Dinesh Gunawardene, a Rajapakse loyalist, said Wickremesinghe’s coalition had handed a motion “to suspend all government expenses” to the speaker and the parliament secretary. “According to the previous no-confidence motions, both Rajapakse and his government are out. There is no government, but there are MPs,” M A Sumanthiran, a lawmaker who had voted for the no-confidence motion, said. “The finance of the country is under the control of the parliament. Now we have proposed a motion to stop government finances for the prime minister’s office,” he said. Ananda Kumarasiri, the deputy speaker of the parliament, established a select committee to carry on parliamentary business before adjourning the House to November 23. Unlike last Thursday and Friday there were no physical altercations on the floor of parliament yesterday. On Friday, lawmakers supporting Rajapakse threw books, chilli paste and water bottles at the speaker to try to disrupt the second vote. Parliament Speaker Karu Jayasuriya said in a statement that investigations have begun into Friday’s events, including damage that was done to public property in the melee. The political crisis has hit the economy. Yesterday, the rupee fell to a record low of 177.20 per dollar. Foreign investors have pulled out more than 30bn rupees ($169.5mn) since the crisis unfolded on October 26. Wickremesinghe loyalists allege that Rajapakse’s party is trying to buy lawmakers for as much as $3mn each. Rajapakse loyalists have rejected the allegation. Both Sirisena and many Rajapakse loyalists have said they have the majority in parliament. However, the no-confidence motion against Rajapakse and his government was passed twice by 122 votes in the 225-member parliament. Most foreign countries, including Western nations, have yet to recognise Rajapakse as the prime minister. Last week, eight Western countries stayed away from a meeting with the government to register their protest against Sirisena’s decision to dissolve parliament.

Sri Lanka's newly appointed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, who lost two motions of no confidence last week, may lose his government's budget even as he clings to power. Lawmakers opposed to Rajapaksa said they intend to remove funding for staff salaries and other costs in a vote on Nov. 29. The opposition, which regards his administration as illegitimate, will also seek approval to slash the government's overall budget, they said. It was the latest of several new twists on Monday in the political chaos that has embroiled Sri Lanka for the past few weeks. Leaders of political parties backing Rajapaksa and President Maithripala Sirisena refused to allow a third motion of no confidence to be held through name call or electronic voting on Monday. The previous two motions passed through a voice vote but Sirisena said they hadn't followed the proper procedures. Sirisena appointed Rajapaksa last month after firing Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister, setting off the political turmoil on the island off India's southeast coast. Rajapaksa is seen as a close ally of China, though Beijing has denied accusations that it was instrumental in getting him appointed. Dinesh Gunawardene, a Rajapaksa loyalist, said Wickremesinghe's coalition had handed a motion ‘to suspend all government expenses’ to the speaker and the parliament secretary. ‘According to the previous no confidence motions, both Rajapaksa and his government are out. There is no government, but there are MPs,’ M.A. Sumanthiran, a lawmaker who had voted for the no confidence motion, told Reuters. ‘The finance of the country is under the control of the parliament. Now we have proposed a motion to stop government finances for the prime minister's office,’ he said. Ananda Kumarasiri, the deputy speaker of the parliament, established a select committee to carry on parliamentary business before adjourning the house to Nov. 23. Unlike last Thursday and Friday there were no physical altercations on the floor of parliament on Monday. On Friday, lawmakers supporting Rajapaksa threw books, chili paste and water bottles at the speaker to try to disrupt the second vote. Speaker of Parliament Karu Jayasuriya said in a statement that investigations have begun into Friday's events, including damage that was done to public property in the melee. The political crisis has hit the economy. On Monday, the rupee fell to a record low of 177.20 per dollar. Foreign investors have pulled out more than 30 billion rupees ($169.5 million) since the crisis unfolded on Oct. 26. Wickremesinghe loyalists allege that Rajapaksa's party is trying to buy lawmakers for as much as $3 million each. Rajapaksa loyalists have rejected the allegation. Both Sirisena and many Rajapaksa loyalists have said they have the majority in parliament. However, the no confidence motion against Rajapaksa and his government was passed twice by 122 votes in the 225-member parliament. Most foreign countries, including Western nations, have yet to recognise Rajapaksa as the prime minister. Last week, eight Western countries stayed away from a meeting with the government to register their protest against Sirisena's decision to dissolve parliament.

Sri Lanka's President Maithripala Sirisena on Sunday asked an all-party meeting to hold a third vote on a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, deepening the country's political crisis. Sirisena called the all party leaders' meeting after Rajapaksa, his choice to lead the government, was voted out twice within days by a majority in a no-confidence motion. A lawmaker loyal to Sirisena told reporters that the president rejected the outcome of the second vote held on Friday, which potentially strengthened the hand of Ranil Wickremesinghe who is seeking to return as prime minister. "To decide on the no confidence motion presented against the government, president noted that he wanted a vote with a name call or electronically displayed," Sirisena's office said in a statement. The country's parliament descended into chaos for a third straight day last Friday as lawmakers supporting Rajapaksa threw books, chili paste, water bottles and furniture at the speaker to try to disrupt the no-confidence vote. Sirisena's office said all the party leaders at the Sunday meeting agreed to have a disciplined legislature when proceedings start on Monday. Parliament Speaker Karu Jayasuriya and Anura Kumara Dissanayake, leader of the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peremuna (JVP) party, did not participate in the meeting. "We believe that refusing to accept the formerly adopted no-confidence motion that rejects the appointment of the nominal premiership and coming out with various types of cheap excuses are not appropriate for a President of a country," Dissanayake said in a letter to Sirisena, a copy of which was seen by Reuters. Sirisena late last month removed and replaced Wickremesinghe with Rajapaksa, plunging the island off India's southeast coast into political turmoil. With parliament scheduled to reconvene on Monday, Sirisena appears faced with the choice of either re-appointing Wickremesinghe, whom he has said he will not bring back, or allowing the crisis to fester. Wickremesinghe's party said it was ready for a "floor test" in parliament to prove it had majority support for the ousted prime minister. "Mahinda Rajapaksa should (be) subject to a floor test. The so-called prime minister should show his majority in Parliament and if the speaker's rulings are wrong, you can bring a motion to cancel those motions,” Lakshman Kiriella, a Wickremesinghe loyalist, told reporters after Sunday's meeting.

Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday called crucial talks with political leaders in a bid to end a power struggle with the prime minister he sacked last month. The Indian Ocean nation has been paralysed since October 26 when Sirisena deposed Ranil Wickremesinghe as premier and replaced him with a former rival Mahinda Rajapakse. Wickremesinghe insists he is still prime minister while parliament voted twice last week to reject Rajapakse. “President Sirisena will chair a meeting of representatives of political parties in parliament today,” his office said in a  statement. “The president has called this meeting in order to end the current political unrest and conflict situation and to allow the normal functioning of the parliament.” Brawling erupted in parliament with Rajapakse loyalists smashing furniture, throwing chilli powder and projectiles at rivals in a bid to disrupt a no-confidence motion against the disputed prime minister. After the second vote against Rajapakse on Friday, Wickremesinghe demanded that his government be restored, but there has been no response from Sirisena yet. Wickremesinghe has said Sri Lanka needs “stability” and that he was ready to work with Sirisena despite the personality clash that triggered the  constitutional crisis. After sacking Wickremesinghe on October 26, Sirisena dissolved parliament on November 9, but the Supreme Court suspended his action and restored parliament pending a full hearing into the legality of his  actions. For 19 days, Sri Lanka had two claimants to the prime minister’s post, but on Thursday parliament speaker Karu Jayasuriya held that he would recognise neither as premier. Officially, Sri Lanka no longer has a  government. Legislators say that with the administration at a standstill key sectors such as tourism are  taking a serious battering. Both sides have also warned that a prolonged power vacuum could lead to unrest.

Sri Lanka's President Maithripala Sirisena on Sunday called crucial talks with political leaders in a bid to end a power struggle with the prime minister he sacked last month. The Indian Ocean nation has been paralysed since October 26 when Sirisena deposed Ranil Wickremesinghe as premier and replaced him with a former rival Mahinda Rajapakse. Wickremesinghe insists he is still prime minister while parliament voted twice last week to reject Rajapakse. "President Sirisena will chair a meeting of representatives of political parties in parliament today," his office said in a statement. "The president has called this meeting in order to end the current political unrest and conflict situation and to allow the normal functioning of the parliament." Brawling erupted in parliament with Rajapakse loyalists smashing furniture, throwing chilli powder and projectiles at rivals in a bid to disrupt a no-confidence motion against the disputed prime minister. After the second vote against Rajapakse on Friday, Wickremesinghe demanded that his government be restored, but there has been no response from Sirisena yet. Wickremesinghe has said Sri Lanka needs "stability" and that he was ready to work with Sirisena despite the personality clash that triggered the constitutional crisis. After sacking Wickremesinghe on October 26, Sirisena dissolved parliament on November 9, but the Supreme Court suspended his action and restored parliament pending a full hearing into the legality of his actions. For 19 days, Sri Lanka had two claimants to the prime minister's post, but on Thursday parliament speaker Karu Jayasuriya held that he would recognise neither as premier. Officially, Sri Lanka no longer has a government. Legislators say that with the administration at a stand still key sectors such as tourism are taking a serious battering. Both sides have also warned that a prolonged power vacuum could lead to unrest.

Two top leaders of Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge regime were found guilty of genocide yesterday, in a landmark ruling almost 40 years after the fall of a brutal regime that presided over the deaths of a quarter of the population. The Khmer Rouge’s former head of state Khieu Samphan, 87, and “Brother Number 2” Nuon Chea, 92, are the two most senior living members of the ultra-Maoist group that seized control of Cambodia from 1975-1979. The reign of terror led by “Brother Number 1” Pol Pot left some 2mn Cambodians dead from overwork, starvation and mass executions but yesterday’s ruling was the first to acknowledge a genocide. The defendants were previously handed life sentences in 2014 over the violent and forced evacuation of Phnom Penh in April 1975. But the judgement at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) also found Nuon Chea guilty of genocide against the ethnic Vietnamese and Cham Muslim minority group, among a litany of other crimes. “The chamber finds that Nuon Chea exercised ultimate decision-making power with Pol Pot and... therefore finds Nuon Chea is responsible as a superior for all the crimes,” presiding judge Nil Nonn said. “This includes the crime of genocide by killing members of Cham ethnic and religious group.” Khieu Samphan was also found guilty of genocide against ethnic Vietnamese, though not against the Cham, he added. Both parties were sentenced to “life in prison”, merging the two sentences into a single term, Nil Nonn said. Hundreds of people, including dozens of Cham Muslims and Buddhist monks, were bussed to the tribunal located on the outskirts of Phnom Penh to attend the hearing. The events covered by the verdict span the four years of the Pol Pot regime and include extensive crimes against humanity. “The verdict is essentially the Nuremberg judgement for the ECCC and thus carries very significant weight for Cambodia, international criminal justice, and the annals of history,” said David Scheffer, who served as the UN secretary general’s special expert on the Khmer Rouge trials from 2012 until last month. The revolutionaries who tried to recreate Buddhist-majority Cambodia in line with their vision of an agrarian Marxist utopia attempted to abolish class and religious distinctions by force. The verdict read out by Nil Nonn presented a society where minorities were targeted and killed, Buddhist monks forcibly defrocked and groups of people executed, while men and women were coerced into marriages and forced to have sex to produce children for the regime. The atrocities fell under the additional list of charges, which the two men were found guilty of as well. Los Sat, a 72-year-old Cham Muslim who attended the verdict hearing with his wife, said he had lost “too many” family members under the regime. “I am really satisfied with the sentences,” he said, beaming as he left the court. “They brought suffering to my relatives.” Youk Chhang, head of the Documentation Center of Cambodia – a research organisation that provided the court with evidence – said the verdict will “affirm the collective humanity of the victims and give recognition  to the horrible suffering”.

Sri Lanka’s political crisis escalated yesterday with the sacked prime minister demanding his job back shortly after passing another no-confidence motion against his controversial successor amid unprecedented rioting in parliament. The Indian Ocean nation has been paralysed since October 26 when President Maithripala Sirisena sacked Ranil Wickremesinghe as premier and replaced him with former strongman Mahinda Rajapakse. With a second no-trust vote against Rajapakse yesterday despite raucous scenes that involved his supporters throwing chilli powder at their opponents, Wickremesinghe demanded the restoration of status quo prior to October 26. “Let the status quo come back,” Wickremesinghe told Colombo-based foreign correspondents at his Temple Trees residence where he remained holed up after refusing to accept his sacking three weeks ago. “The country needs stability. That is the main issue.” He said he was also ready to work with Sirisena despite their bitter personality clash that triggered the unprecedented constitutional crisis last month. There was no immediate  comment from Sirisena. Yesterday Speaker Karu Jayasuriya was blocked from taking his chair for almost an hour by a group of legislators backing Rajapakse. Finally, Jayasuriya entered the red-carpeted chamber protected by dozens of unarmed officers and parliamentary staff. Rioting MPs took away the ornate ceremonial chair, but staff carried in an ordinary office chair as a makeshift  replacement. However, rioters grabbed that chair too, breaking it into pieces that were then used as projectiles to attack rivals and police. A former parliament staffer said yesterday’s scenes were never seen before. “We haven’t had a situation where the speaker was prevented from entering the chamber,” former sergeant-at-arms Wijaya Palliyaguruge said. “This is also the first time that the speaker had to come in with  police protection.” British High Commissioner (ambassador) James Dauris echoed international concern over violence in Sri Lanka’s parliament, a legacy from British colonial rule that ended in 1948. “Sri Lankans have again seen deplorable behaviour by some MPs, unbecoming of them and of their noble institution,” Dauris said on Twitter. “No parliament can perform its role when its own members stop it  from doing so.” Standing in a corner with a human shield of khaki-clad constables, the speaker, in his usual black and gold robes, used a wireless microphone to take a voice vote on a revised no-confidence motion against  Rajapakse. Rajapakse lost a similar vote on Wednesday, but refused to step down saying that vote was not taken properly. His party had acknowledged that they did not command a majority in the 225-member assembly despite attempts to engineer defections. President Sirisena, who has the power to appoint a new prime minister, told political parties representing a majority of legislators on Thursday night to submit an amended motion to confirm the toppling of  Rajapakse. On Thursday MPs moved another resolution against Rajapakse, this time to reject his call for snap elections. That vote could not go ahead after parliament descended into chaos, as punches and projectiles flew. Rajapakse himself stayed away from the rioting and walked out of the chamber after the no-trust motion was passed against him. A Rajapakse loyalist was seen throwing chilli powder at rival legislators and police. At least 11 constables and several legislators were taken to the parliament’s medical centre for first aid. Gamini Jayawickrema Perera, a legislator from Wickremesinghe’s party, said he was among those treated after chilli mixed with water was thrown at his face. Leftist lawmaker Vijitha Herath said he suffered a forehead injury when a rival hit him with a hard-cover copy of the constitution that was on the  speaker’s table. “I was also attacked with chilli water,” Herath said. “Usually, chilli powder or water is the favourite weapon of bank  robbers and gangsters.” Another legislator Anura Kumara Dissanayake said he saw a Rajapakse supporter assaulting a parliament employee guarding the speaker’s chamber.

* No PM or ministers after Wednesday's vote: speaker * Lawmakers disrupt parliament * President rejects no confidence vote results * Rajapaksa demands general election Sri Lanka appeared to be politically rudderless on Thursday as the speaker of parliament declared there was no functioning prime minister or cabinet after a no-confidence vote the previous day. His comments came after weeks of political turmoil in the island, off the southeast coast of India, leading to raucous scenes on the floor of parliament on Thursday. Parliament on Wednesday passed the no-confidence motion against recently appointed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and his government with the backing of 122 of the 225 lawmakers in a voice vote, followed by a signed document. But President Maithripala Sirisena, in a letter to Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, said he could not accept the no-confidence vote as it appeared to have ignored the constitution, parliamentary procedure and tradition. ‘Since the no-confidence vote was passed yesterday...and no new prime minister or ministers appointed, today nobody will be accepted as prime minister or any other ministers,’ Jayasuriya told parliament. Sirisena, who triggered the crisis by firing Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister and naming Rajapaksa to the job late last month, dissolved parliament last week and ordered elections to break the deadlock. But the Supreme Court ordered a suspension of that decree on Tuesday until it had heard petitions challenging the move as unconstitutional. Rajapaksa, speaking in parliament, demanded a general election to end the current political crisis. Soon after his speech, Rajapaksa's supporters poured on to the floor of parliament and disrupted proceedings. MPs from both sides gathered around the Speaker's chair, with a lot of shouting and hooting. The turmoil lasted almost 20 minutes after which Jayasuriya, who failed to bring the house to order, left parliament without making any statement. TV footage later showed Rajapaksa supporters pulling away the speaker's microphone, denying him the chance to make a further statement. After a meeting with party leaders, Jayasuriya's office said the parliament would be reconvened on Friday. Allies of Rajapaksa-Sirisena say Wickremesinghe is backed by Western nations, which are interfering in Sri Lankan matters. Rajapaksa is mostly backed by Buddhists, who make up more than 70 percent of Sri Lanka's 21 million population, while Wickremesinghe is backed by a cross-section of the community. Security was beefed up around the parliament and 32 ministries in Colombo on Thursday, police said. Later in the day thousands of Wickremesinghe's party supporters held a protest in the capital against what they described as the ‘fake government’. ‘This president has ignored the constitution. He has to accept the no-confidence vote held yesterday,’ Wickremesinghe told the gathering. ‘We are ready to face both presidential and parliamentary polls, but they should be done in line with the constitution.’ Sirisena has faced international criticism for plunging the country into crisis at a time when the economy is growing at its weakest pace in 16 years. Sirisena has said he fired Wickremesinghe because the prime minister was trying to implement ‘a new, extreme liberal political concept’ and neglecting local people's sentiment. But, sources close to the both leaders have said Sirisena's decision came after Wickremesinghe's party rejected the president's request to back him for second five-year term in the 2020 presidency. They had also split over whether to back Chinese or Indian investors in various projects, the sources said. India and Western countries have requested Sirisena act in line with the constitution while raising concerns over Rajapaksa's close ties with China. Beijing loaned Sri Lanka billions of dollars for infrastructure projects when Rajapaksa was president between 2005-2015, creating a major debt problem for the country.

Sri Lanka’s parliament yesterday voted out the bitterly disputed government of former strongman Mahinda Rajapakse, removing one controversial figure but leaving the country in a power vacuum. The island nation has been in crisis since the president sacked prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on October 26 and replaced him with Rajapakse, who served as president until being voted out three years ago. On Tuesday the Supreme Court overruled the president’s dissolution of parliament and halted preparations for a snap election, in a major boost for the ousted prime minister.  In stormy scenes yesterday, legislators gave their verdict on the two rivals - with a majority in the 225-member assembly supporting a no-confidence motion against Rajapakse. Parliament also passed motions declaring illegal the November 9 proclamations made by President Maithripala Sirisena to enshrine the power shift. The result, however, does not automatically mean that Wickremesinghe, who has refused to leave the prime minister’s residence, has won the constitutional showdown. An aide of Sirisena said that he was most likely to hand over power to Wickremesinghe’s United National Party (UNP) after Rajapakse failed to defeat the no-trust move. A cabinet member loyal to Sirisena, Media Minister Dayasiri Jayasekara said yesterday’s vote was “unethical” as it was rushed despite their protests. However, he said the president would resolve the power vacuum “in a very short time”. Day-to-day administration remains paralysed as the crisis drags on and there are growing fears for the economy and Sri Lanka’s ability to repay its huge foreign debts. Though Wickremesinghe’s UNP is the biggest in parliament, Sirisena retains the power to choose the next prime minister. The UNP leader, who left his bunker at the Temple Trees official residence for the first time in nearly three weeks to go to parliament, still hailed the vote. “This is a victory for the people,” Wickremesinghe told reporters, condemning the president’s actions as “illegal”. He said officials should no longer take orders from the Rajapakse-led “purported  government”. The UNP said that Sirisena must now call on Wickremesinghe to form a new government. UNP deputy leader Sajith Premadasa said: “For me, he is still the prime minister. Today, democracy prevailed.” In a chaotic session, 72-year-old Rajapakse and his legislator son Namal walked out of the red-carpeted chamber just before Speaker Karu Jayasuriya called for a vote. Lawmakers loyal to Rajapakse attempted to grab the mace, the assembly’s symbol of authority, to disrupt the vote, but the speaker pressed ahead. “The ayes have it,” the speaker announced. “I rule that this House does not have confidence in the government (of Rajapakse).” Several Rajapakse ministers came out of parliament accusing the speaker of violating parliamentary norms by holding the crucial vote. “He has no bloody business calling a vote,” Leader of the House Dinesh Gunawardena told reporters. However, shortly after the collapse of Rajapakse’s administration, three of his ministers switched to Wickremesinghe’s side.