Sri Lanka Economy Crisis USAGM
Metadata
- Sri Lanka Economy Crisis USAGM
- July 24, 2022
- Content Type Package
- Language English
- Transcript/Script English ((PLAYBOOK SLUG: SRI LANKA ECONOMY CRISIS TV HEADLINE: Veteran Politician Takes Control of Sri Lanka’s battered economy TEASER: New government hopes to secure IMF bailout shortly PUBLISHED AT: Sunday, 07/24/2022 at1241p BYLINE: Luke Hunt CONTRIBUTOR: DATELINE: COLOMBO, SRI LANKA VIDEOGRAPHER: Luke Hunt VIDEO EDITOR: David Brown SCRIPT EDITORS: Steve Hirsch, pcd VIDEO SOURCES: VOA original, feed TBD PLATFORMS: WEB x__ TV _x_ RADIO _x_ TRT 3:15 VID APPROVED BY: sv TYPE: TVPKG EDITOR NOTES:)) ((INTRO:)) [[Former prime minister and veteran politician Ranil Wickremesinghe has promised to form an all-party government capable of securing a multibillion-dollar International Monetary Fund bailout after being sworn in as president of Sri Lanka. But his first appointments have only angered protesters further Luke Hunt reports from Colombo.]] ((NARRATOR)) ((VIDEO: Wide shot people on tractor driving to protest site)) ((VIDEO: Wide shot, panning if fuel line)) ((VIDEO: Wide shot, panning protesters in the streets)) ((VIDEO: Medium shot of protesters climbing a tower)) ((VIDEO: Medium protesters at a crossroad)) Sri Lanka has been sorely tested by protesters fed up with hyperinflation and fuel lines stretching for two to three kilometers, with motorists and thousands of tuk-tuk drivers forced to sleep out for days on end. Ration cards have been introduced for fuel distribution but medical supplies remain in short supply, and doctors have warned that people could die as the situation worsens. ((NARRATOR)) ((VIDEO: Wide shot, protesters marching through streets)) ((VIDEO: Medium shot of protesters with banners)) ((VIDEO: Medium shot of protesters with flags and banners)) ((VIDEO: Close-up shot with banners of the president)) ((VIDEO: Close-up shot female protester with banner)) ((VIDEO: Medium shot of protester swimming in the president’s swimming pool)) ((VIDEO: Close-up cut-away of Ganeshan Wignajara)) ((VIDEO: Close-up shot of Ganeshan Wignajara onscreen)) That has been widely blamed on the ousted president who fled the country. Gotabaya Rajapaksa resigned his office from Singapore after hundreds of thousands of protesters marched on the presidential palace where they even swam in the president’s pool. His family had ruled Sri Lanka for 17 years. Ganeshan Wignarjara, a senior fellow at the Institute of South Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore, says Sri Lanka’s drastic plight is due to mismanagement and corruption. (Ganeshan Wignarjara, Institute of South Asian Studies (male in English)) “Growth is at -4 to –6% in 2022, and inflation is between 50 and 70% this year and there is three-quarters of a million poor people that has been created through this crisis.” ((NARRATOR)) ((VIDEO: Wide shot of skyline and protesters outside parliament)) ((VIDEO: Wide shot of ocean Colombo port ((VIEDO: Close-up of Chinese embassy in Colombo)) ((VIDEO: Close-up shot of Ganeshan Wignajara onscreen)) Wignajara also says accusations that China had laid a debt trap were exaggerated, saying that Beijing is ranked third among Sri Lanka’s lenders behind Japan and the Asian Development Bank. (Ganeshan Wignarjara, Institute of South Asian Studies (male in English)) “China gave Sri Lanka $13.2 billion since 2006 for infrastructure projects. These projects have had mixed results; some good projects some bad projects. The total debt burden is something like $7.6 billion. It suggests a rising debt to China but does not indicate that Sri Lanka is yet in a Chinese debt trap.” ((VIDEO: Medium shot of protesters marching on parliament)) ((VIDEO: Medium shot of protesters with signs)) ((VIDEO: Close-up shot, panning of protester camp)) ((VIDEO: agency video of troops breaking up camp)) Wickremesinghe had promised to form an all-party government in a bid to solve the crisis but instead he has promoted close allies of ousted President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to his cabinet. That includes the former home minister and former Rajapaksa school classmate Dinesh Gunawardena who has been named prime minister. Protesters were upset by the appointment and on Friday morning police and army soldiers began forcibly dismantling their tent camp, erected outside the presidential complex, resulting in clashes with protestors and prompting an outcry from human rights groups. ((NARRATOR)) ((VIDEO: Wide shot of graffiti asking where did the money go?)) ((VIDEO: Medium shot of graffiti asking where did the money go?)) ((VIDEO: Medium-up shot Sri Lankan flag fluttering above the ocean)) Protesters and Sri Lankan investigators have claimed that billions of dollars have been siphoned off into offshore bank accounts by associates of the Rajapaksas, leading to calls for an independent investigation into the family’s wealth and an asset recovery program, although that could take years. Members of the Rajapaksa family dispute the charge. ((LUKE HUNT for VOA News, Colombo, Sri Lanka))
- Transcript/Script ((PLAYBOOK SLUG: SRI LANKA ECONOMY CRISIS TV HEADLINE: Veteran Politician Takes Control of Sri Lanka’s battered economy TEASER: New government hopes to secure IMF bailout shortly PUBLISHED AT: Sunday, 07/24/2022 at1241p BYLINE: Luke Hunt CONTRIBUTOR: DATELINE: COLOMBO, SRI LANKA VIDEOGRAPHER: Luke Hunt VIDEO EDITOR: David Brown SCRIPT EDITORS: Steve Hirsch, pcd VIDEO SOURCES: VOA original, feed TBD PLATFORMS: WEB x__ TV _x_ RADIO _x_ TRT 3:15 VID APPROVED BY: sv TYPE: TVPKG EDITOR NOTES:)) ((INTRO:)) [[Former prime minister and veteran politician Ranil Wickremesinghe has promised to form an all-party government capable of securing a multibillion-dollar International Monetary Fund bailout after being sworn in as president of Sri Lanka. But his first appointments have only angered protesters further Luke Hunt reports from Colombo.]] ((NARRATOR)) ((VIDEO: Wide shot people on tractor driving to protest site)) ((VIDEO: Wide shot, panning if fuel line)) ((VIDEO: Wide shot, panning protesters in the streets)) ((VIDEO: Medium shot of protesters climbing a tower)) ((VIDEO: Medium protesters at a crossroad)) Sri Lanka has been sorely tested by protesters fed up with hyperinflation and fuel lines stretching for two to three kilometers, with motorists and thousands of tuk-tuk drivers forced to sleep out for days on end. Ration cards have been introduced for fuel distribution but medical supplies remain in short supply, and doctors have warned that people could die as the situation worsens. ((NARRATOR)) ((VIDEO: Wide shot, protesters marching through streets)) ((VIDEO: Medium shot of protesters with banners)) ((VIDEO: Medium shot of protesters with flags and banners)) ((VIDEO: Close-up shot with banners of the president)) ((VIDEO: Close-up shot female protester with banner)) ((VIDEO: Medium shot of protester swimming in the president’s swimming pool)) ((VIDEO: Close-up cut-away of Ganeshan Wignajara)) ((VIDEO: Close-up shot of Ganeshan Wignajara onscreen)) That has been widely blamed on the ousted president who fled the country. Gotabaya Rajapaksa resigned his office from Singapore after hundreds of thousands of protesters marched on the presidential palace where they even swam in the president’s pool. His family had ruled Sri Lanka for 17 years. Ganeshan Wignarjara, a senior fellow at the Institute of South Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore, says Sri Lanka’s drastic plight is due to mismanagement and corruption. (Ganeshan Wignarjara, Institute of South Asian Studies (male in English)) “Growth is at -4 to –6% in 2022, and inflation is between 50 and 70% this year and there is three-quarters of a million poor people that has been created through this crisis.” ((NARRATOR)) ((VIDEO: Wide shot of skyline and protesters outside parliament)) ((VIDEO: Wide shot of ocean Colombo port ((VIEDO: Close-up of Chinese embassy in Colombo)) ((VIDEO: Close-up shot of Ganeshan Wignajara onscreen)) Wignajara also says accusations that China had laid a debt trap were exaggerated, saying that Beijing is ranked third among Sri Lanka’s lenders behind Japan and the Asian Development Bank. (Ganeshan Wignarjara, Institute of South Asian Studies (male in English)) “China gave Sri Lanka $13.2 billion since 2006 for infrastructure projects. These projects have had mixed results; some good projects some bad projects. The total debt burden is something like $7.6 billion. It suggests a rising debt to China but does not indicate that Sri Lanka is yet in a Chinese debt trap.” ((VIDEO: Medium shot of protesters marching on parliament)) ((VIDEO: Medium shot of protesters with signs)) ((VIDEO: Close-up shot, panning of protester camp)) ((VIDEO: agency video of troops breaking up camp)) Wickremesinghe had promised to form an all-party government in a bid to solve the crisis but instead he has promoted close allies of ousted President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to his cabinet. That includes the former home minister and former Rajapaksa school classmate Dinesh Gunawardena who has been named prime minister. Protesters were upset by the appointment and on Friday morning police and army soldiers began forcibly dismantling their tent camp, erected outside the presidential complex, resulting in clashes with protestors and prompting an outcry from human rights groups. ((NARRATOR)) ((VIDEO: Wide shot of graffiti asking where did the money go?)) ((VIDEO: Medium shot of graffiti asking where did the money go?)) ((VIDEO: Medium-up shot Sri Lankan flag fluttering above the ocean)) Protesters and Sri Lankan investigators have claimed that billions of dollars have been siphoned off into offshore bank accounts by associates of the Rajapaksas, leading to calls for an independent investigation into the family’s wealth and an asset recovery program, although that could take years. Members of the Rajapaksa family dispute the charge. ((LUKE HUNT for VOA News, Colombo, Sri Lanka))
- NewsML Media Topics Arts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
- Network VOA
- Embargo Date July 24, 2022 13:23 EDT
- Byline Luke Hunt
- Brand / Language Service Voice of America