forms of time, ah, with a dimension, we know we won't live forever. and the illusion about time presenting future's past starts april 14th on d. w. you watching t w news asia coming up today, sri lanka is falling apart both economically and politically. it's a crisis years in the making. we look at how the country ended up in the current situation and the way ford plus for many indian students who fled ukraine and are now safely back home after their long journeys. uncertainty remains. we explain why . ah,

i melissa chan, thanks for joining us. sri lanka is facing it's most serious economic and political crisis in decades with protests on the streets and officials resigning and being replaced so quickly. we're not sure how long the next finance minister will stick around, because the new appointee lasted just a day. people are struggling to get the basics from food to fuel. some observers say the poorest may soon face starvation. years of government mismanagement and corruption compounded by the pandemic, has led to this tragedy. troops patrol the streets outside the parliament and colombo lockdown after unprecedented street demonstrations. again, sri lanka, president, go to buy a roger pucks up. once wildly popular is approval ratings have been undermined by people's anger at ramp and inflation as well as food fuel and medicine shortages.

the cupboard panoramic destroy tree like as tourism industry, leading to a lack of foreign exchange for imports. lightning, but again the about it, but again i started a small business recently allow me like it, but it's very difficult to maintain a shadow. there's no gas, there's no kerosene in and that's why people are protesting in the street pump that i need to file of ala good. it is that the abbey is the road. people are suffering a lot. they reached the end of their patience. one can't say how the people will behave, what decision they'll take in ever go to buy a roger packs or is backed by sri lanka is powerful sin holla, buddhist majority who credit him would ending the 26 year long civil war in 2009 the protest threaten one of the most powerful asian political dynasties might in 2020 my hinder roger pox r. one elections to become sri lanka, prime minister, serving under his brother and president,

go to buyer in 2021. another sibling basil was named finance minister tightening the family's grip on power. demonstrators accused the president of mismanaging sri lanka, most painful downturn since independence from britain. in 1948. the protest began last month, but have intensified in the past few days. leading to clashes between protesters and police. in some instances. i i oh, roger puck, so revoked to state of emergency after dozens of law makers walked out of the

ruling coalition. what the troops remain on the streets. there is no certain way i was of 3 rank is worth political crisis for decades. joining us from colombo is america saquina. nothin human rights advocate, and formerly with the human rights commission of sri lanka. thanks for joining the program. i'm occur what's happening and she lanka has been a long time coming. i want to start with the economy. tell us a bit more about how the country ended up, where it is today. yes, as you would have seen right now, facing a hard exchange, prices are due to which we also are facing shortage of fuel gas, which is effecting even the large and 3 small and medium industries. and just generally economic activity we are unable to that will meet all the

payments, which means that we can eat it all, which then i, i comment that it's worth that even in general conflict. and this has been a long time. i mean, because it is part of the prices and our political and economic price is brought on by years old. mismanagement also with this particular government, despite the fact that it was advice to go to the international monetary fund by many experts, refused to do that. and that i think was also part of their campaign slogans. and but they can be coming to power, which is that we will not get there. no, we will see a summer nikki. they also pointed someone to the central bank who economic expert is not qualified to to make the decisions or do it by the

government on the decisions. which is why right now where to point where there is an economic down and a political crisis, which is having an impact on the socio economic a status of so many people from. ready children to day wages to the trade going, what kind of worked in the factories is having an atlas? in fact, i would say on practically nearly all segments of society. now more than 40 members of the legislature left the governing coalition this week. so now you have a minority group running the country, how much is the country, you know, with the legislature a democracy as opposed to the roger pox, a family having most of the power when even now the problem that we have is many of the people who are the should have said that the governing position. i'm that they

are going to function in parliament as independent. but we still don't know whether when it comes to certain issues that they want. in which case probably why that is why the opposition is also afraid to test it with no confidence motion and the opposition is also playing. what seems a waiting game for instance. yesterday they made a decision that today and tomorrow they would be there in parliament where they can on the price is the at the point we know it's going to be knocked down. i'm in a month or 2 that will be a crisis. and only thing on the activity can possibly shut down, but yet i think even the opposition is not putting forward a plan. they are not testing on that. they're being reluctant to take responsibility. so what is being proposed is also what kathy government. but that

also brings into may constitutional questions. the question you asked about, you know, democracy. the fact is, this was in a sense, like total democracy, i would say, i mean it back is all the electoral, a tory carrion it's. i mean back to election, someone is government. that routine is authoritarian and it also functions more. it is the family and the functions through dispensing patronage. so not ideal. what comes next. one comes next is that today in parliament, one of the candidates and you would have known that all the east resigned. i'm say a be appointed, some of them, the minister of foreign affairs, minister finance, and i raise a question that you might off is why you need a minister. i read that this diamond last not for instance the minister of l. i. so the minister mentioned in parliament residency absolutely no reason to

resign. the protests, as you would have seen, are calling all the nation and the protest are getting larger, the crowd is getting and we and because every day they are faced with most shortages diminishing in the summer, then a complete lack of in command of being able to only eat one me a t. so if we do not see the president stepping down back to you, because you could teach the president. but once again, that's the lengthy process of procedure, which we really to lock out time. and while i'm and it's and it's not a very ideal situation that we're facing in something that we'll have to get back to you on over the next few weeks on because i couldn't nothing. thank you so much for joining us. thank you. you may remember the many non ukrainians stuck inside the country when russia

invaded ukraine just over a month ago. many of them were medical students from india. they were eventually able to leave and are mostly back home. but they now face a new dilemma. india does not recognize medical degrees obtained from 2 institutions, so students can't simply transfer to a new school d, w. when they are chaudhry met with 2 such students in delhi. this is how the study is for his medical degree these days. he knows this is not ideal, but he like almost 20000 other students who have returned to india from ukraine, has 2 options. he wasn't the 3rd year of his studies when he had to fly back home just before russia and read it. having invested considerable time and money in his education and ukraine, he is not worried about what's next. when will it be diversity is saying that they

will call us back, wants to war and study to tell them they are conducting online classes. honestly, i don't think you will be that easy because the infrastructure has been badly affected. newer acres crisis also reflects a structural problem within india. mabel emma is an education consultant period, which he says the lack of enough bots and medical schools, kroger and death. deep fee structure is what drives students to other countries. we had been brought him to lawman regularly in every state. not only in delhi, the, if the government want, they can accumulate on these student. they can increase the seats and all these golden gloves come back from ukraine can, is levy accumulate. they can continue this studies over here, but in the basha got them is also a cardio medical student from ukraine. he has come to meet emmett who the can. he lamented the loss of their practical classes which are essential in their field study. took with destroy this, been

a lot of destruction and ukraine. the country has been pushed back 10 to 12 years. it will take at least a year for some normalcy to return to the current situation is such that we're not able to figure anything out. even the government has not done anything for us yet. we have not heard from them. robbie and his parents are worried about to the academy. he hoped a decision on the future of student attorneys if taken sooner than i have money to be put on so that all of there is a rule here that we have to complete our medical degree entirely from one university irrespective of what country we're studying in whatever, but if we transfer to some other university in the middle, our degree won't be considered valid here yet, there should either be an amendment to the school or an exemption for us because it's a war situation with them. but if you want to go through it, hannah, debbie is part of an association founded by students who have come back from ukraine. would then aim to find solutions to that problem. he said that would be great if they could continue to study in india. he is highly motivated,

but the uncertainty over his future ways on his mind. that's it for wednesday, there's more for the region on our website, d, w dot com, forward slash asia. you can follow us on twitter or facebook as well. thanks for watching. see you tomorrow, and good bye bye . what secrets my behind these was. discover new adventures in 360 degrees. and explore fascinating world heritage sites. d w world heritage 360. get the app. now. sometimes a seed is all you need to allowed big ideas to grow. we're bringing environmental conservation to life with learning pass like global ideas. we will show you

how climate change and environmental conservation is taking shape around the world and how we can all make a difference. knowledge grows through sharing. download it now, feel free. ah, off limits no more for the 1st time since it's attack on ukraine, you wants to sanction russia as lucrative energy sector. also on the show. 26000000 people on lock down. we'll get the latest on how people in shanghai are coping with china, drastic response spike in corona virus infections. i'm chris kolber. welcome to the program for the 1st time since it's invasion of ukraine, the e is targeting russia lucrative energy sector. the european commission has proposed

a new sanctions package with an import ban on russian coal and the center of europe and ports about half of the thermal call from mercia, which it uses to generate electricity and fuel power station. because of the blocks heavy dependence on russian energy deliveries. e leaders had been hesitant to include the sector in previous rounds of sanctions. a short while ago i spoke to gary sack man, an expert on energy policy at the brutal thinktank. and i asked them if an import, ben of russian, coal is a real lever to apply pressure on moscow or more of a symbolic move that, that you isn't shying away from targeting this crucial sector. for now, it is more of us and built a bullock exercise in showing that we are now breaking to and going for energy sanctions that will not have.