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News,15 Jul 2022,7 mins

Sri Lanka - an island nation sinking fast

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The Rajapaksa family had ruled the island nation of Sri Lanka for most of the last two decades. But after a series of historic protests, the President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has resigned. His brother Mahinda Rajapaksa stood down as Prime Minister in May. Day after day, thousands of Sri Lankans have occupied both government buildings and the homes of the country's most powerful leaders. This culminated in the storming of the Prime Minister's office in the Sri Lankan capital Columbo and, later, President Rajapaksa’s letter of resignation. The BBC's South Asia Correspondent Rajini Vaidyanathan was there as thousands of ordinary Sri Lankan people broke into the compound. For this episode of 5 Minutes On - she reflects on the dire economic situation which led to the uprising. Image credit: Reuters/Adnan Abidi

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