Chinese coup d'Etat in Sri Lanka: This is how Beijing play

China is probably behind a Coup d’Etat in Sri Lanka.

Observers told WFTV they believe China has bought over several Members of the Sri Lankan Parliament. This is to help topple popular Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Next week the Sri Lankan Parliament will reconvene. It will be asked to decide on who is the Prime Minister, Wickremesinghe or former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa.

“The Chinese have bought over the MP’s to get Rajapaksa to become the PM. This is a done deal and a dangerous one. It shows how China – a powerful country – can disrupt a small nation with cash,” said an observer.

Rajapaksa is a pro-China political figure. 

But they observers told WFTV the Chinese move would not be possible without the collusion of the Presidency.

President Maithripala Sirisena last Friday named the 72-year-old pro-China  Rajapaksa as PM. But the President does not have constitutional powers to remove the current PM.

“However, the deal is done and when Parliament reconvenes, Rajapaksa may be elected as PM. Members of the Parliament were bought over. The president too perhaps,” said another observer who spoke to WFTV.

After the move, the Parliament may altogether re-instate the curtailed powers of the President. They hope this will legalise his move.

This will be a retroactive move.

Remove the PM first, appoint a new PM illegally and convene the Parliament.

The Parliament will then vote the new PM in and will restore the Presidential powers. They will legalise the illicit PM retroactively.

“It sounds like a China-move all the way. It is a Chinese coup in Sri Lanka,” said an observer.