[While the detailed breakups are yet to come in, the Jaffna Tamils, as it appears, voted overwhelmingly with quite determination to oust Rajapaksa.]
/II. http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2015/01/09/376085149/sri-lankas-long-time-president-ousted-in-election-defeat Sri Lanka's Longtime President Ousted In Election Defeat JANUARY 09, 2015 9:42 AM ET SCOTT NEUMAN Twitter Sri Lanka's incoming President Maithripala Sirisena waves to supporters as he leaves the election secretariat in Colombo, Sri Lanka on Friday. Sirisena defeated long-time President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Sri Lanka's incoming President Maithripala Sirisena waves to supporters as he leaves the election secretariat in Colombo, Sri Lanka on Friday. Sirisena defeated long-time President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Eranga Jayawardena/AP Updated at 10:40 a.m. ET Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who presided over the end of a prolonged and brutal civil war that divided the country for decades, has suffered a narrow election defeat at the hands of a former ally and Cabinet minister, Maithripala Sirisena. Sirisena, who defected from the ruling party in November to challenge an increasingly unpopular Rajapaksa, won 51.2 percent of the vote in national elections in the island-nation. In a tweet, Rajapaksa, who won 47.5 percent of the vote, promised a peaceful transition of power. Rajapaksa's supporters credit him with ending a quarter-century-long conflict between predominately Hindu ethnic Tamils and the country's majority, and largely Buddhist, Sinhalese. The civil war claimed between 60,000 and 100,000 lives from 1983 to 2009. However, the BBC says that Rajpaksa's critics accuse him of becoming increasingly authoritarian and corrupt. "Mr Sirisena had already received promises of support from Tamil and Muslim leaders before the election. "But the result shows he also picked up a significant portion of the majority Sinhalese vote, most of whom solidly supported Mr Rajapaksa in previous elections." The Associated Press, too, cites Rajapaksa's "unpopularity among this island's ethnic and religious minorities, as well as grumbling among the Sinhalese majority about his growing power," as an explanation for the upset. According to the AP: "Sirisena, 63 and a longtime politician, called on his supporters to remain peaceful in the wake of victory, telling them at a gathering at the Election Commission that they shouldn't 'even hurt anybody's feelings.' "'The honor of this victory is in your peaceful conduct,' he said, thanking Rajapaksa for ensuring the transition had so far gone smoothly." Bloomberg says the election of Sirisena could be a blow to China, which has leaned heavily on its good relations with Rajapaksa in its plans to expand dominance in the region: "The result, considered improbable just two months ago, risks disrupting President Xi Jinping's moves to increase China's presence in the Indian Ocean. China has invested heavily in Sri Lanka over the past decade and supported Rajapaksa in the face of U.S.-led inquiries into human rights abuses allegedly committed during the end of [the] civil war." A White House statement attributed to President Obama says: "Beyond the significance of this election to Sri Lanka, it is also a symbol of hope for those who support democracy all around the world. International and domestic monitors and observers were permitted to do their jobs. Sri Lankans from all segments of society cast their ballots peacefully, and the voice of the people was respected." II. Sri Lanka's President Loses an Election--and China Loses an Ally By Bruce Einhorn <http://www.businessweek.com/authors/449-bruce-einhorn> <https://twitter.com/intent/user?screen_name=bruceeinhorn> January 09, 2015 http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2015-01-09/sri-lankas-president-loses-an-election-and-china-loses-an-ally ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Photographer: Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images Supporters of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on January 8, 2015 in Colombo, Sri Lanka China has spared no effort to make friends with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The island nation has more than $4 billion worth of Chinese-backed investments <http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2014-12/16/content_19099689.htm>, including a $1.4 billion project now under construction of offices, hotels, apartment buildings and shopping centers on reclaimed land in Colombo that is the largest foreign investment in the country's history <http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-09-15/china-maritime-silk-road-proves-boon-for-sri-lanka-as-xi-arrives.html>. The leading provider of loans to Sri Lanka, China is also financing a $1.3 coal power plant and $1 billion highway. For Chinese President Xi Jinping, who visited in September, cozying up to Rajapaksa has been a twofer. Building a Chinese presence in the country helps further Xi's ambitions to build a "maritime Silk Road <http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-09-17/china-seeks-friends-on-the-maritime-silk-road%20>" expanding China's reach in the Indian Ocean. At the same time, China's expansion in the Indian Ocean country has provided a useful way to irritate Sri Lanka's big neighbor and China's regional rival: India. China and India have a longstanding border dispute and China has been eager to take down India a notch by focusing on Sri Lanka and other small countries that have traditionally been in India's sphere of influence. India, for instance, was displeased last year when two Chinese submarines docked at Chinese-funded port <http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-10-30/xi-s-clandestine-submarine-caves-bolster-china-s-maritime-goal.html> terminal in Colombo. Video: What Sri Lanka Election Result Means for Global Economy <http://www.businessweek.com/videos/2015-01-08/what-sri-lanka-election-result-means-for-global-economy> For his part, the Sri Lankan president has been more than happy to cozy up to the Chinese. Criticized by Human Rights Watch and other groups for the government's conduct during the country's civil war against ethnic Tamil separatists, Rajapaksa has counted on support from China, which of course has no patience for foreign do-gooders meddling on issues like human rights. The Sri Lankan leadership has looked to China in part because of "its fear of being taken to task internationally on the issue of war crimes," Jehan Perera, executive director of the National Peace Council of Sri Lanka, a group that promotes ethnic reconciliation, told Bloomberg Television today. "They saw China as a guarantor <http://www.bloomberg.com/video/sri-lanka-s-rajapaksa-defeat-very-unexpected-perera-7ws2beOZQF6l2u3Zp5YHKA.html> that they would not be taken before any UN type of trials." Those pesky voters in Sri Lanka, though, have just gotten in the way of China's plans to use the island as a thorn in the side of India. The news from the island nation shows that when it comes to choosing a reliable ally in Sri Lanka, Xi may have been done in by democracy. Rajapaksa, who called an election two years earlier than necessary, hasjust lost his re-election bid <http://www.bloomberg.com/video/sri-lanka-election-result-what-it-means-for-the-economy-H8gPxKuxSImhy5W%7E%7EkKdPQ.html> to challenger Maithripala Sirisena. Rajapaksa had reason to be confident: He presided over the end of the civil war and the subsequent peace dividend that helped boost economic growth above 7 percent. Sri Lanka's benchmark stock index jumped 23 percent last year. Still, former ally Sirisena was able to capitalize on worries of many Sri Lankans concerned about the incumbent's tilt toward China. "There's a perception that the Chinese are underpinning misgovernance and corruption <http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2015-01-06/china-push-for-indian-ocean-influence-at-risk-as-sri-lanka-votes.html> in the regime," Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, executive director of the Colombo-based Centre for Policy Alternatives, told Bloomberg News before the election. Video: Sri Lanka's Rajapaksa Defeat `Very Unexpected': Perera <http://www.businessweek.com/videos/2015-01-08/sri-lankas-rajapaksa-defeat-very-unexpected-perera> The new president will try to rely less on China, but with Sri Lanka stuck with a junk rating and facing a big budget deficit, the country isn't in a position to turn down Chinese investment. Economic growth has picked up since the end of the civil war in 2009, and Rajapaksa was successful in reducing the budget deficit from a high of 10 percent to GDP then to 5 percent last year. But the government's red ink is Sri Lanka's biggest economic challenge, according to Anushka Shah, an analyst with Moody's, which rates Sri Lanka one notch below investment grade. The defeat of China's ally is sure to complicate Chinese efforts to grow in India's backyard. "India is our first, main concern. But we are not against Chinese investment either. We will maintain good relations with China too. The problem is that in the name of development, some people made colossal money themselves by robbing and crushing this country. That will be stopped immediately," Sirisena said in an interview <http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/discouraged-rajapaksa-to-prepone-presidential-election-sirisena/article1-1304722.aspx#sthash.VicotItV.dpuf> with the /Hindustan Times/. Although the new president insisted "we are not against Chinese investment" and pledged to "maintain good relations with China too," he added a note of caution: "The problem is that in the name of development, some people made colossal money themselves by robbing and crushing this country. That will be stopped immediately." One person no doubt happy to see a change in Colombo is Narendra Modi. The Indian prime minister today said via Twitter that he had already called President-elect Sirisena to say congratulations on the win. "As a close friend & neighbor," Modi posted a message on Twitter in which he "reaffirmed India's continued solidarity & support <https://twitter.com/search?q=sri%20lanka&src=typd> for Sri Lanka's peace, development & prosperity. -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
