On 9 July 2022, remarkable images floated across social media from Colombo, Sri Lanka\u2019s capital. Thousands of people rushed into the presidential palace and chased out former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, forcing him to flee to Singapore. In early May, Gotabaya\u2019s brother Mahinda, also a former president, resigned from his post as prime minister and fled with his family to the Trincomalee naval base. The public\u2019s raw anger toward the Rajapaksa family could no longer be contained, and the tentacles of Rajapaksas, which had ensnared the state for years, were withdrawn.<\/p>\n
Now, almost a month later, residual feelings from the protests remain but have not made any significant impact. Sri Lanka\u2019s new caretaker, President Ranil Wickremesinghe,\u00a0extended\u00a0the state of emergency and ordered security forces to dismantle the Galle Face Green Park protest site (known as Gotagogama). Wickremesinghe\u2019s ascension to the presidency reveals a great deal about both the weakness of the protest movement in this nation of 22 million people and the strength of the Sri Lankan ruling class.<\/p>\n
The post Sri Lankans Seek A World In Which They Can Find Laughter Together<\/a> appeared first on PopularResistance.Org<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n