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Threads on Threads: An exhibition on textile heritage in Sri Lanka, 

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Threads on Threads: An exhibition on textile heritage in Sri Lanka, 

PRESS RELEASE

South Asia and Europe

COLOMBO (11 July 2022): The European Union (EU) Delegation in Sri Lanka and the Maldives together with the Threads of History Museum presents “Threads on Threads: an exhibition on the textile heritage in Sri Lanka, South Asia and Europe”. The two-week exhibition is an initiative of the EU Cultural Heritage Series. 

Curated by Deshika Van Haght, the exhibition currently underway at Barefoot Gallery, with free walk-in entrance, primarily features Somanas and Chintz textiles, their making and their trade. The exhibition showcases the long standing trade relationship between Sri Lanka, South Asia and Europe.

EU ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Denis Chaibi, said at the opening of the exhibition “Cultural heritage can be an important vector for peace, reconciliation, mutual understanding, intercultural dialogue and sustainable development. I am therefore happy to open the Threads on Threads exhibition that showcase Sri Lanka’s rich heritage and its linkages with Europe.”

Visitors can experience the history of modern day Sri Lanka’s textile heritage though exhibits consisting of 19th and 20th century fabrics made in Sri Lanka and India as well as European cotton textiles made for the Sri Lankan market, as well as text and high-resolution image panels.

These textiles are part of both the tangible and intangible heritage of Sri Lanka. Indeed, the cultural heritage of textiles does not end with the preservation and collection of costumes and other textiles in museums. It also includes living traditions inherited from past generations. 

The exhibition held from the 9th to 24th of July 2022 is showcased at Barefoot Gallery, 704 Galle Road, Colombo 3, from 10.00 am to 6.00 pm each day.

This will be followed by an international conference co-organised by Lanka Decorative Arts and Threads of History Museum scheduled to take place later this year. It will be a free event with pre-registration required. The conference will see art historians, ethnologists, museum curators, and designers from Sri Lanka, South Asia and Europe debating and discussing history of textiles, their preservation, links and influences, contemporary craftsmanship and the challenges of modern entrepreneurship.

Press contacts:

Le-Anne FERNANDO 

Political, Press and Information Section

Delegation of the European Union to Sri Lanka and the Maldives

Email: [email protected]

Tel: + 94 11 2674413-4

Midnight plane to Malé

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Midnight plane to Malé

Sri Lanka’s president flees, leaving the country in chaos

In the end the mighty ex-military man cut a pathetic figure. First Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the official presidential residence before it was taken over (pictured) by tens of thousands of angry Sri Lankans who had come to Colombo on July 9th to chase him from office. Then he spent days in hiding to avoid their wrath. Finally, in the early hours of July 13th, the disgraced president was spirited out of the country on a military jet. Gota, as he is known, flew to Malé, the capital of the Maldives, though there were rumours that he wanted to travel on to another country. As The Economist went to press on July 14th, journalists in the Maldives were reporting that he was on his way to Singapore

Gota’s departure marks the end of his family’s two-decade domination of politics on the island of 22m people. Most Sri Lankans considered it long past time. But it also leaves the country with a political vacuum. Ranil Wickremesinghe, the prime minister who has taken charge in the president’s absence, is deeply unpopular and tainted by his association with the Rajapaksa clan. Calm seems unlikely to be restored while he remains in post.

The situation is complicated by the president’s unwillingness to relinquish power even from without. Gota used his executive powers to commandeer the plane that took him to the Maldives, and did not resign, or make arrangements for his resignation, before fleeing, presumably to avoid losing his immunity from prosecution. (He has been accused of corruption in presiding over Sri Lanka’s economic collapse and of crimes committed during the country’s 26-year civil war, both of which he denies.) He has not spoken in public since leaving his residence. A promise that he would resign by July 13th was relayed through the speaker of Parliament, a political ally. Mr Wickremesinghe had also promised to resign as prime minister once an agreement to form an all-party interim government was in place.

By the morning of July 14th, no resignations had been forthcoming. The previous afternoon Mr Wickremesinghe, now acting as president, imposed a national curfew. The speaker issued a statement that the president had appointed Mr Wickremesinghe to act in his stead while he was overseas, suggesting that Gota was not in fact planning to step down. Even though the speaker later assured the public that he would, the dithering did not go down well with Sri Lankans. Reports that the prime minister had taken over sparked anger on social media and on the streets. Protesters stormed Mr Wickremesinghe’s office and attempted to take over Parliament. At least one person died and dozens were injured in clashes with security forces, who met the protesters with tear gas and batons.

Later in the day, Mr Wickremesinghe said he had asked the speaker to nominate a prime minister who would be “acceptable” to both government and opposition parties. The new prime minister would lead an all-party interim government to run the country until elections can be held. That government would also manage negotiations on a bail-out with the imf, a matter of utmost urgency if the economy is to get back on its feet. Sri Lanka defaulted on its foreign debt in May. It has no foreign currency to pay for imports, resulting in an acute shortage of fuel, food and medicines. Fuel is being rationed to preserve essential services, and people are waiting days in queues at petrol pumps. There is still not enough to transport food to cities.

Yet the political stability needed to make progress on a deal remains elusive. A meeting of party leaders on July 13th failed to yield an agreement on how to form the new government. Unless the president resigns, Parliament cannot elect a new one on July 20th, as had been announced earlier in the week. The old guard’s insistence on clinging to power is radicalising the protest movement, where leftist former militants are becoming worryingly dominant. The Bar Association of Sri Lanka, which supports the protesters, called on them to respect the rule of law and stop their attacks on government buildings, warning of “lawlessness and anarchy”. Unless the impasse is resolved soon, that is what Mr Wickremesinghe may find himself presiding over.

This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Gota goes”

THE ECONOMIST

Ruwan Wijewardena to be appointed as a Member of Parliament

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Ruwan Wijewardena to be appointed as a Member of Parliament

It is reported that UNP Deputy Leader Ruwan Wijewardena is going to be appointed as a Member of Parliament.

According to sources, the appointment will be made next week after Mr. Ranil Wickramasinghe is sworn in as Acting President.

Dinesh Gunawardena to become the next PM?

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Dinesh Gunawardena to become the next PM?

Acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe had informed Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena to propose a person for the post of Prime Minister who both the ruling party and the opposition agree to form an all-party government.

According to political sources, Dinesh Gunawardena’s name will be suggested for that.

It is stated that this proposal will be presented because the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna has the majority power in the Parliament and a person who can work together with Ranil Wickramasinghe should become the Prime Minister.

Dinesh Gunawardena is an oldest friend who studied together at the Royal College of Colombo with Ranil Wickramasinghe.

An announcement from the President’s Office on the resignation letter circulating on social media

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An announcement from the President’s Office on the resignation letter circulating on social media

The President’s Office announces that the letter circulating on social media as the resignation letter of Gotabhaya Rajapaksa is fake.

RW to be sworn in as temporary President of SL tomorrow!

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RW to be sworn in as temporary President of SL tomorrow!

Ranil Wickremesinghe is set to be sworn in as the temporary President of Sri Lanka tomorrow morning. His swearing in is expected to take place after receiving President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s letter of resignation confirming his official stepping down.

Despite reports on Rajapaksa’s willingness to step down from his position as the Head of State, no official declaration has been made to date.

MIAP

Singaporean authorities say they have no intention of providing security to Rajapaksa

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Singaporean authorities say they have no intention of providing security to Rajapaksa

Gotabaya Rajapaksa the Sri Lankan President arrived in Singapore for a private tour, said the Foreign Ministry of the Great Merlin’s Land.

Issuing a statement, the Singaporean Foreign Ministry emphasised that Rajapaksa made no request to provide him security, nor does the Singaporean government intend to provide him so.

Singapore does not approve of requests for asylum, it added.

Following the historic uprising of the citizens of Sri Lanka against the President and the regime, Rajapaksa fled to Maldives and flew to Singapore thereafter on a VA788 flight belonging to Saudi Airlines. He is believed to leave for Saudi Arabia later.

MIAP

Acting President issues extraordinary gazette

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Acting President issues extraordinary gazette

Acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe has issued an extraordinary gazette declaring that several institutes which had previously been under the Ministry of Investment Promotion will be taken under the purview of the Ministry of Defence.

Accordingly, the Board of Investment, the Department of Immigration and Emigration and several other government bodies will be taken under the Ministry of Defence.

These institutes were handed over to the Ministry of Investment Promotion by the order of Gotabaya Rajapaksa as the President after Dhammika Perera the business magnet was sworn in as the Minister in charge of the subject.

MIAP

President’s resignation to be officially announced tomorrow?

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President’s resignation to be officially announced tomorrow?

Following claims on President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s resignation, reports about Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena being informed of the matter meet contradiction with each other. Early reports claimed that the official announcement on the President’s resignation will be made public through the Speaker, but latest coverage claims that he has not yet announced the official resignation of Rajapaksa.

Meanwhile, the Speaker’s Media Secretary issued a statement saying that the Speaker has received President Rajapaksa’s letter of resignation through the Singaporean Ambassador to Sri Lanka.

The statement adds that the President’s resignation will be officially announced by the Speaker tomorrow after confirming the accuracy of the letter.

MIAP

Sri Lanka: Authorities must refrain from use of military to police protests

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Sri Lanka: Authorities must refrain from use of military to police protests

The Sri Lankan authorities must not impose a blanket order authorising use of force during the state of emergency that has been announced and refrain from use of the armed forces to police people’s protest said Amnesty International today following a new order empowering armed forces to maintain law and order in Colombo.

“The recent escalation of the authorities’ response to protests by calling in the armed forces, firing at protestors and excessive use of tear gas which resulted in the death of one person yesterday is deeply worrying,” said Yamini Mishra, Amnesty International’s South Asia Regional Director.

On the morning of 13 July 2022, thousands of protestors started making their way towards the Prime Minister’s office and the Parliament in Colombo. After an angry face-off, protesters breached the gates and took over the Prime Minister’s office. Amnesty International staff present at the protest location confirmed that law enforcement officers fired volleys of teargas against people, including children and journalists some of whom were seen escaping the plumes while coughing and sputtering. Dozens of protesters were injured, and one was reported dead. At Galle Face, helicopters flew low overhead, where a rolling peaceful protest site had been established three months ago in the prolonged agitation over the economic crisis in the country. At another protest near the Parliament later the same day, more than 80 people were reported to be injured and admitted to hospital.

At 3pm the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe delivered a televised address in which he said he had ordered the military to “do whatever is necessary to restore order”. On 14 July 2022, a press release was issued by the army announcing a warning that they will use force to restore law and order in the country.

Any blanket order authorising use of force by armed forces is problematic even during times of emergency. The armed forces should not be involved in the policing of public assemblies, since they are trained to fight against enemies and not to protect and control civilians.

Amnesty calls upon law enforcement agencies to act with restraint to avoid further serious injury and loss of life. They may only use the minimum level of force necessary force to bring a situation under control where doing so is strictly necessary and proportionate. Even in instances where some parts of a protests turn violent, law enforcement must assess the situation on a case-by-case basis with use of force only where absolutely necessary and only against those engaged in violence. It must be strictly proportionate to the situation faced by law enforcement, which means authorities must not cause more harm than they seek to avert.

“At a time when the country is facing a dire economic crisis and protests are growing in scale, authorities must make comprehensive efforts to de-escalate the situation and focus resources on ensuring people can access essential goods and services, in line with international human rights law and standards,” said Yamini Mishra.

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