what's the status of human rights and social justice in what's called the world's largest democracy? we see the ahead. it is the pulpit tour unleash on violet pass and re imagine these teachings or elements to gandhi's legacy store to august 6th on b, w. today on d w, 's asia, a new president for sri lanka, but can the people expect the same old patron politician delano victory missing is sporting as then you leader. he urges the either nation to come together to find a way out of its worst economic crisis in decades. but does he have the ear of protested? and has crisis written, sri lanka got itself into a death trap? some critics blame china's belton road initiative.

ah. i've been physical and welcome to language, have been taken to the streets for months, demanding change. the economy is collapsed, food prices go up a free day. it's hard to get your hands on medicine and you have to line up a days for fuel. however, listened to what this demonstrator has to say. you want to give up, because what the country need these up does it does is some take a different, i mean, you want to get rid of this set up it, buddy taishan. so that's what we are doing well, asked lee to go to buy a roger poxy who fled the country off to mass protests over his handling of the economy is replaced by prime minister because i'm a single in the right. but he's seen as his ally, protesters want both of them out. the don't believe in him this. he's not the

correct choice at this moment. now i'm, it is very well word that i was dead corrupt prisoners. later the, the people of sri lanka has not been given what they deserve, which is peace and all a peace of mind. and the basic necessities being meant there was high, secure he around the parliamentary complex as became a singer, took on his new role. his office said he wants to form a unity government to manage the turmoil. the new president is a familiar face in sri lanka. having served 6 times as prime minister, which in sri lanka is the deputy to the president, he was sworn in and signed himself on as the elected head of state. though in this case, it was parliament we'll elected him amidst the country's turmoil the

grandma single election had been greeted by yet another surge of protests and colombo from the same movement, had pushed out his predecessor as d. w. corresponded when you're a chaudhry explains why dick, for the past you did that be saw been done, it took over as the prime minister of the country and as the acting president after beds and go to baggage bucks are designed. people have been frustrated that took over the pm's office as well and protested, saying that they wanted run into grandma thing not to step down. and now that he has one, they are not happy that grandma single has said he will bring opposition lawmakers into his cabinet, but about a tough line after his election against troublemakers for door lucy to destroy the denton democracy. them then be dealt with the law by the law. by that the, i would like to bring it with you on forget it. ronald dick ramos singer is a lawyer turned politician who won his 1st parliamentary election in 1977. he's considered a technocrat with deep technical understanding of sri lanka,

as economic woes. he says negotiations on an international monetary fund, a bailout are near a deal. but his toughest task may be distancing himself from his ties to the previous government. and convincing those who already want him out, that he should stay. let's analyze this with lawyer activist and former commissioner of the human rights commission of sri lanka. and because that could not done great to have you, he what's going to happen next with the turmoil in your country. well, it's hard to predict because them is and i will become missing. i was sworn as president today. and the fact is he did not win seat to parliament in the general elections in 2020. when he was appointed as prime minister by the previous president to go to bed. roger fox said that was

a lot of opposition and an uproar public up role. when he got was nominated to contest for the position of parliament, which he won with the votes of the previous president's party, all of which showed that he does not have public trust of public legitimacy. and also that he is in a way, a proxy for the raj boxes because they nominated him and their party elected him, which means he's also going to be protecting them and they might just turn out to be more of the same no matter the lack of legitimacy or his links, does he have the ability to, to fix the nation's problems despite that? well, the point is that we are, well, one would be dead. but also the issue is that we must not look to him only as an individual. and there are many who are saying that the other candidates, for instance,

would not have been able to. and i think that one of the problems that trailer has always had is focusing on individuals and making them save years instead of focusing on our institutions and our processes and strengthening them. whoever is in that position. they do need to follow 2nd steps. they need to listen to the experts and they need to keep the national interest at heart. so the best option that we see going forward towards economic recovery in order to have stability is to call for general elections as soon as practically possible is not going to stretch things out even further. i mean, what happens in the meantime? well, for lanka, which is bankrupt, waits for its bailout from the international monetary fund, which is going to take months. well, the international monetary fund has, i just saw it. they've been on today that they plan to complete the negotiations as soon as possible. and also elections has also created

about the fact that we can't afford elections. but once again, i can also be assistance that we can obtain to ward dish. and while we wait for elections to be held, all preparations are being made of mr. vick grimacing. who will be president? which means he should continue with the business of governing in the national interest. and because what happens though, in the mean time with the protests, i'm sure a lot of those demonstrators aren't going to give up yes, ano yesterday and again today, many of them have said that they will not give up because they do not find to him legit. you meant to and that they will continue still back. we have to see how docked progresses. particularly the students who have been at the full find of the protests have said that they will not give up until he designs in that sense to have a president, particularly during such a time of ta mile when the public is suffering. a president who does not seem to also have empathy and who does not have public trust is cause for great concern. so

what we hope, as i said before, is that we can go for gender elections. i can also have a parliament that is different and not in the clutches of the roger boxes that will enable us to move towards economic recovery and stability. they will be closely watching this. i'm sure you will be to form a commissioner of the human rights commission of sri lanka because that's called a not on thank you. is another problem we haven't talked about yet, and that is the tree lanka also needs tourism. it's a huge money spin up. it wants to pump billions of dollars into the economy in 2018, around 5 percent of gross domestic product, but in 2019 a terror attack devastated the sector. then the pandemic shut down everything and who wants to visit the country suffering from what's now become a humanitarian crisis? the people can't even afford to feed themselves. some blame sri lanka is close ties

with china for its economic collapse. beijing extended $12000000000.00 in loans to the government between $22020.00 infrastructure projects like the one behind me. the multi 1000000000 dollar port in humble toyota hometown of recently fled, president, go to buy a roger pox a was a flagship project in china's beltran road initiative when it opened in 2010. 7 years later, the port was seated to chinese control after sri lanka realized he could no longer pay off the loans. a case study in debt trap, diplomacy, beijing, sri lanka, single biggest creditor, accounting for 10 percent of the country's foreign debt. the pandemic soaring energy costs and global food shortages brought about by the ukraine war have left states like pakistan, philippines, and louse struggling to pay their belt and road obligations. china says it will help sri lanka, but it's vague on the details to which one is ready to work with countries and

financial institutions to keep playing a positive role in helping sri lanka over comments, difficulties and easy debt burden populated with china's own economy. under pressure state banks are more eager than ever to collect on belton road death. this a coon and reported from china for years and has closely watched the roll out of this huge silk road project. no one's for sri lanka to sign up to him. anything. but why? if the international monetary fund off his rights of between one and 3 percent, would you sign up to a lending rate of 3 to 6 percent? well, one of the great things about the belton road project for a lot of countries is the fact that these loans come with pretty much no strings attached at china doesn't do the same levels of due diligence that the i m f does. so for example, when the i m f lens money, you have to show that it sustainable that you will be able to pay back usually have to reform yourself as well. that's right. you have to do these sort of things. you have to be transparent and how you do the dealings. china doesn't really care about that. and that's why i mean, even in this particular deal that the i'm been told

a porch is, is in roger boxer. they're in their hometown and shows that, you know, this clearly special in their own interests are being represented here and the i, m f might have had a problem with that for example. so you can sort of see that there's a lot of these different elements at work, but then it's a win win. isn't it full for china or lose lose for sri lanka by, by the sounds of it. what's china going to do about this though? because it could all back fire if, if, if they don't get their money back. that's why. but as we saw the report, john is being quite vague about what they say. they're going to be supportive and, but there aren't really any precedents for them in this. i mean, this is the most severe test that the belgian road initiative has faced sin in the, in the 9 years since it was started. i'm so did remains. it will have to see if they're going to be am, if they're going to really push people. if they're going to start seizing assets, which is what happens in, in sri lanka before with the port. and that will be very serious. it would also be

a big boost for china's regional and strategy of becoming more prominent and of, of increasing its muscle in the region. talking about the region. what about india? one of china's rivals, i, sri lanka, closest neighbor and a big investor as well. yeah, i mean there's a big power play going on between india and china. right now we've seen this in many, in many different areas. and they're professing closeness at the moment because they're part of the bricks, grouping with brazil and russia, that they're all sort of, that they're showing this sort of new closeness. but at the back of it, there's still a lot of regional issues between the 2 indians. just overtaken china is the most populous nation in the world are, is about to this year. and so there's a lot of competitive competition between the 2. and india is not really involved in the, in the belgian road initiative. and it's, it's basically wants to push its own interests. so i think that and we're going to see they've, they've given a lot of money to sri lanka, a lot of support. i think we're going to see more of that. and am china is really

going to have to step up if it wants to, to win with this sir. you know, this cap to capture sri lanka is hearts and minds is going to have to step up its activities that are good at thank you very much and thank you for joining us on d. w. 's asia. i been fizzle, and i'll see you at the same time. same place tomorrow here on the w. bye bye. we got some hot tips for your bucket list. ah, magic corner check. hot spot for food and some great cultural memorials to boot d w travel. all we go a hello guys,

this is the 77 percent. the platform for africa. you to repeat issues and share ideas. you know, on these channels. we are not afraid to debbie gibbs tuffy. young people clearly have the solution. good future loans to the 77 percent every weekend on d w. ah, the moment your pain investors have been waiting for the european central bank has finally jumped and hiked interest rates by more than so we're expecting will it be enough to tackle the euro zones? record inflation and flows. return to node stream won. european import is breathe a sigh of relief, but with reduced volumes of russian gas surging down the pipeline. it is by no

means business as usual. this is data we have business on robots in berlin. welcome to the paragraph. the european central bank makes its move the c b as in saying interest rates for the 1st time in over a decade by not to point 5 percentage points. that's a big arise than, you know, point 25 percentage points at one point anticipated the much awaited move aims to tame record rates of inflation across the euro, and caused by the war in ukraine. and the fallout from the pandemic. the c v is actually the last major central bank to raise rates this year at the beginning of 2022. borrowing rates were largely at the same level in the e, u and the u. s. but since then, the u. s. federal reserve has increased them 3 times in an effort to fight record inflation. that 1st came in march, just after russia invaded ukraine. then the federal reserve made a further to heights in may and june to point 75 percent. then to.