^{File photo. Welagama sits alongside former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa.}

A senior Rajapaksa supporting parliamentarian has admitted that Sri Lanka has become “the laughing stock of the world” as political turmoil in Colombo continues.

<p>US policy on Sri Lanka has over emphasised growing military relations “to the detriment of human rights accountability,” writes J S Tissainayagam in the Asian Correspondent this week.</p> <p>“The policy of western democracies – led by the United States – of over-emphasising military-to-military relations with Sri Lanka to the detriment of human rights accountability, has weakened their hand to play a constructive role in this crisis,” said Tissainayagam.</p> <p>“While Washington, with Europe and India were busy enhancing military relations, they lagged on persuading the Colombo to make good on its promises on human rights and democracy.”</p>

<p>Sri Lanka’s former minister for National Languages and Social Integration has slammed ambassadors from the United States and Britain for meeting with Sri Lanka’s speaker of parliament, reports <a href="http://colombogazette.com/2018/11/08/us-uk-accused-of-interfering-in-sr…">Colombo Gazette</a>.</p> <p>Vasudeva Nanayakkara, who has been appointed by Mahinda Rajapaksa as Minister of National Integration, Reconciliation, and Official Languages, accused the UK and US of “interfering” in Sri Lanka’s affairs.</p>

<p>Sri Lanka's newly appointed foreign minister, Sarath Amunugama reassured India that it would always be "Colombo's first choice" during an interview to <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/exclusive-india-will-always-be-co…">India Today</a> this week.&nbsp;</p> <p>Amunugama, who was appointed by President Sirisena following the sacking of Ranil Wickremesinghe last month and appointment of Mahinda Rajapaksa in his place, said "No Chinese submarine can dock here. Sri Lanka will protect its sovereignty."</p> <p>"Just because we take loan from China, it does not mean we will subscribe to their strategic interests."</p> <p>"We don't want to be dragged into the military and strategic interests of any country."</p>

<p>Journalists and media workers told Al Jazeera they now lived in fear following the return of Rajapaksa to the political scene.&nbsp;</p> <p>Several journalists with Sri Lanka's public media company said they &nbsp;"are thinking of quitting their jobs because of increased government censorship".&nbsp;</p> <p>"We have been taken hostage," a journalist at Lakehouse told the news agency.</p>

<p>The United National Party's (UNP) spokesperson said it was looking at ways of ousting the Sri Lankan president, Maithripala Sirisena.&nbsp;</p> <p>The country was thrown into political turmoil last month after Sirisena sacked the prime minister, UNP leader, Ranil Wickremesinghe and replaced him with Mahinda Rajapaksa.&nbsp;</p> <p>"We feel that President Sirisena neither is nor fit to hold his post considering the way he believes and acts and therefore we are focusing on removing him under the article 38(2) of the constitution," the party’s media spokesman Harin Fernando told Colombo reporters.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was sacked as Sri Lanka's prime minister on October 26, said he would still be willing to work with the president, who appointed Mahinda Rajapaksa as the new premier.&nbsp;</p> <p>Asked by The Hindu whether he would be willing to work with President Sirisena, Wickremesinghe said, "I’ll have no problem working with him, that’s a question you must ask him."&nbsp;</p> <p>"The Constitution doesn’t make provision for personal prejudices,” he added, during an interview with the paper on Tuesday at Temple Trees.&nbsp;</p>

<p>With Sri Lanka's political crisis ongoing, foreign selling and exiting from the Colombo Stock Exchange continued at a staggering rate.&nbsp;</p> <p>Over Rs3 billion was sold on Monday, prompting the UNP's state minister for economic affairs, Harsha de Silva to tweet, "Once again massive dumping of shares by foreign investors from #SriLanka stock market. Over LKR 3 billion today. Where is the confidence the #FakePM said they brought in? #CoupLK @RW_UNP"</p>

<p>Sri Lanka's coalition government did not sufficiently address the issues faced by the Tamil people, the TNA leader R Sampanthan told the new US ambassador, Alaina Teplitz yesterday.&nbsp;</p> <p>Highlighting the issues of political prisoners, disappeared persons, resettlement, military occupation of land and rehabilitation of former cadres Sampanthan told Teplitz that progress had been very slow.&nbsp;</p> <p>A sense of disappointment was present among Tamil people, he added, due to the failure to deliver on these issues.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The US State Department today urged Sri Lankan president, Maithripala Sirisena to "reconvene parliament immediately" warning that the uncertainty was undermining the country's international reputation.&nbsp;</p> <p>"We urge #SriLanka’s President to reconvene parliament immediately to resolve the political crisis. Further delay compounds uncertainty in Sri Lanka, and undermines its international reputation and the aspirations of its people for good governance, stability and prosperity," the US State Department spokesperson, Heather Nauert tweeted.&nbsp;</p> <p>Sri Lanka's parliament was prorogued last month by Sirisena, after he sacked the prime minister and appointed the former president, who oversaw the killing of tens of thousands of Tamils, Mahinda Rajapaksa as the new premier.&nbsp;</p>