Displaying items by tag: sri lanka

Sri Lankan police have arrested more than 230 Chinese nationals suspected of executing online scams targeting international banks. They seized 250 computers and 500 mobile phones involved in the fraudulent activities, with investigations continuing into the scale of the financial theft. They were helped by a special team sent from China; the biggest raid, on 12 October, netted 126 Chinese men. China’s crackdown on cybercriminals at home may have driven some to seek illegal activities abroad. The Chinese embassy expressed its readiness to strengthen law enforcement cooperation with Sri Lanka, which has had advanced 5G  telecommunications infrastructure since 2019. In June the police arrested over two hundred suspects, primarily from India, for similar financial fraud operations.

Anura Kumara Dissanayake has been elected as Sri Lanka’s new president, marking a shift in leadership following the country’s worst financial crisis in decades. Dissanayake, 55, from the Marxist-leaning JVP party, won 42.3% of the vote, defeating the incumbent president Ranil Wickremesinghe and opposition leader Sajith Premadasa. Wickremesinghe, whose austerity measures were key to economic recovery, finished third with 17%, while Premadasa secured 32.8%. Dissanayake campaigned as a candidate for change, promising anti-corruption measures, lower taxes, and pro-poor policies. He also pledged to dissolve parliament within 45 days and address the $25 billion debt in consultation with the IMF. His victory comes as Sri Lanka’s economy shows signs of recovery, with inflation dropping and growth expected for the first time in three years. However, the continued high cost of living remains a pressing issue for voters, many of whom hope Dissanayake will bring relief.

Pastor Tony investigated a noise outside his gate and was assaulted by two men with a shovel, demanding he stop his religious activities. He crawled back into the house, then the men began breaking windows and causing other damage. When his son heard the commotion and responded, he too was beaten and then hospitalised for three days. Police promised to arrest the attackers, but six days later they filed charges against the pastor for inciting the attack. Although the false charges were dropped, local officials sealed the family’s home and confiscated church property. The family and church members ask for prayers that they would be strengthened in their faith and be bold witnesses for Christ amid persecution from Buddhists and Hindus.

Sri Lanka is in talks with the International Monetary Fund about a bailout package. IMF officials will visit them this month. The country’s economic meltdown triggered protests, and President Rajapaksa fled the country. Now the former president will return. International Media Ministries (IMM) partner with believers and churches in Sri Lanka and are working to help the country and the church to live regular lives in the midst of upheaval. They are developing Gospel media resources to expand the vision of what Christianity is and spread the Gospel using the ‘Open the Gospels’ project. They also want to put the ‘Heritage’ project into languages that are regionally important. IMM are requesting prayer for God to strengthen and encourage the Sri Lankan Christian community. Pray that IMM partners can access daily life essentials like food and clean water. They are saying, ‘God hasn’t left us; we have hope.’

Sri Lanka’s clergy are struggling to survive during the country’s state of emergency. Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) is providing £390,000 in vital support for priests and churches struggling during the unprecedented economic crisis. It will provide priests with a basic income and subsistence aid for catechists, Sisters and other members of religious orders carrying out essential pastoral work. Bishop Valence Mendis said the local Church is struggling to cover its own costs and finding it difficult to relieve the suffering of everyone turning to them for help. He said, ‘People can afford virtually nothing.’ Bishop Mendia said, ‘The economic situation is very serious. Many are going without medicine and food. People have died in queues while waiting to buy basic goods. Many have lost their jobs, and prices have risen astronomically.’ Inflation soared above 54% last month, food prices are now 80% higher than this time last year.

The prime minister, the president with his family, and his brother the finance minister all fled the country after thousands stormed the president’s residence, demanding their removal for mismanaging the economy and causing Sri Lanka’s financial ruin. The nation hoped these departures would end the family dynasty that has dominated Sri Lanka's politics for two decades. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, speaking from the Maldives, said he would step down by 13 July but his resignation letter did not arrive, causing further clashes between riot police and protesters in which 84 were injured and one killed. A curfew is in place in a bid to ward off any further protests and troops secured the parliament building in armoured personnel carriers. If Mr Rajapaksa resigns as planned, Sri Lankan MPs have agreed to elect a new president on 20 July to serve until 2024. There is concern that if the president does not publicly quit, the people will continue demonstrating and the military will be increasingly involved.

Sri Lanka will soon have 60% inflation. The Prime Minister said the nation is bankrupt and he does not expect a bailout from the International Monetary Fund. He believes he can turn the economy around, but 2023 will be tough with improvements in 2024. People queue for days to get fuel. Sadly a man who had lived in his car for five days queuing for gas died in his car and no one realised it. Things became this bad due to political mismanagement and corruption. As food, fuel, and medicine prices increase, people are escaping by boat to India or Australia. In India, people are kept in refugee camps. Rulers have mismanaged Sri Lanka for 10 to 15 years and borrowed money from China, but up to 30% of it never reached its purpose. People have lost faith in the government and their traditional religions. Meanwhile, Christians meet to pray for economic and spiritual revivals.

We prayed for Sri Lanka in April.l Please continue praying as protesters across the country are torching houses and businesses belonging to various ministers and MPs belonging to the ruling Rajapaksa family. During this week’s violence and looting PM Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned, and a luxury holiday resort owned by his son was torched by a mob. Over 200 people were injured and eight murdered in three days. The protesters want President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Mahinda’s brother, to leave office. He has grossly mismanaged the economy, and they insist he must stand aside. In his first national address since protests began last month, he offered to cede some of the president's power to parliament but ignored calls to resign. Security forces are shooting law-breakers and looters on sight, and thousands of police and riot squads are patrolling the streets with tear gas and water cannons.

Anger over the worst economic crisis in decades drives unrest as hundreds of people defied a curfew and rallied in Sri Lanka’s cities and towns demanding the president steps down. They believe their economic crisis has resulted from the incompetency and impulsiveness of president Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his brothers (prime minister and finance minister) making seriously foolish decisions. The entire Cabinet resigned on 3rd April to try and appease protestors, but protesters won’t stop until the president resigns. Police are arresting hundreds for defying the curfew. India announced $1 billion credit to Sri Lanka to help shore up the sinking economy and keep food and fuel costs down. Sri Lankan doctors intend protesting as hospitals run out of essential drugs.   Meanwhile, a Christian worker said, I’ve never seen people in Sri Lanka praying as much as they are now. Around the clock, pastors and church leaders are gathering. There are many prophetic utterances that a big revival is taking place.’ 

On 17 October Sri Lankan fishermen launched a flotilla of boats from the northeastern fishing town of Mullaittivu to Sri Lanka’s northernmost tip, Point Pedro away. They are demanding that the government does more to protect the nation's prawn-rich northern waters from poaching by Indian fishing trawlers in the narrow Palk Strait which separates the South Asian neighbours. Bottom trawling was banned from Sri Lankan waters in 2017 because it involves dragging heavy nets across the seafloor to catch a large volume of fish, causing severe damage to the marine ecosystem. However, the authorities have failed to stop Indian poaching even though their fishing community has been complaining for years. Mass poaching takes valuable fish stocks away from Sri Lankan fishermen, so they struggle to make ends meet. Palk Strait is a rich fishing ground known for jumbo prawns. Sri Lanka regularly detains large numbers of Indian fishers and seizes their boats, but poaching continues.