He is the younger brother of the charismatic but controversial Mahinda Rajapaksa, who was president from 2005-15. ‘Terminator’ Rajapaksa storms to victory in Sri Lanka election https://t.co/gDP4zdcknS — Amnon Jakony (@AmnonJakony) November 17, 2019Rajapaksa conducted a nationalist campaign with a promise of security and a vow to crush religious extremism in the Buddhist-majority country following the April 21 suicide bomb attacks blamed on a homegrown jihadi group. During that time, Sri Lanka also borrowed heavily from China for infrastructure projects and even allowed two Chinese submarines to dock in Colombo in 2014, alarming Western countries as well as India. China also offered Sri Lanka "international diplomatic protection" against criticism for its rights record, analyst Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu told AFP. Unlike in 2015 when there were bomb attacks and shootings, this election was relatively peaceful by the standards of Sri Lanka's fiery politics.

Source: Dhaka Tribune November 17, 2019 07:52 UTC