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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Hannah Ellis-Petersen in Colombo

‘The family took over’: how a feuding ruling dynasty drove Sri Lanka to ruin

Basil Rajapaksa Gotabaya Rajapaksa Mahinda Rajapaksa Sri Lanka Namal Rajapaksa Rajapaksas Udaya Gammanpila United Nations AFPGetty Images Eranga Jayawardena
Soldiers behind barriers hold back protesters
Soldiers in Colombo hold back protesters demanding the resignation of the president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, in May. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

Dilith Jayaweera can still recall the moment he realised Sri Lanka was hurtling, unstoppably, towards financial ruin.

It was around October 2021 and Jayaweera, a Sri Lankan media magnate and close friend of the Sri Lankan president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, had invited Basil Rajapaksa, the president’s younger brother, who was also the finance minister, to join him for dinner.

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