VICE News
Easter Bombings Have Sri Lankans Voting for an Alleged War Criminal
2019 • E39 Nov 15, 2019 7m
Sri Lankans are voting for a new president on Saturday, and in the wake of the worst terror attack of the year, one of their top priorities is national security. That’s propelled an alleged war-criminal to the front of the race. Many blame the current administration for dropping the ball on valuable intel that could have prevented a string of suicide blasts coordinated by a local Islamist group that killed 259 people in churches and hotels on Easter Sunday. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the leader of the opposition political party, has capitalized on that anger. Leveraging his background as a former defense secretary who ended a civil war, he’s found support through pitching himself as the guy who’ll make Sri Lanka safe again.