copenlu/druid huggingface dataset:
Claim: Before the Aragalaya Gas Prices of Sri Lanka Low and After Aragalaya,Prices Increased !! (Social Media Users, 2024-01-03)
Evidence (2024-01-03): In conclusion, the allegations against President Wickremesinghe and Aragalaya activists for the increase in gas prices are misleading. The timeline of events reveals that the price surge mainly occurred towards the end period of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's tenure, and in the subsequent period, the prices dropped and increased by comparatively smaller margins. Furthermore, understanding the broader context of global and economic factors is essential when evaluating claims related to gas prices in Sri Lanka.
Claim: Before the Aragalaya Gas Prices of Sri Lanka Low and After Aragalaya,Prices Increased !! (Social Media Users, 2024-01-03)
Evidence (2024-05-01): Sri Lanka's Aragalaya protests demonstrated nested sovereignty [...] In March 2022, Sri Lanka witnessed a significant event in its history with the commencement of the 'Aragalaya' (struggle) protests. These demonstrations were a result of a grassroots movement that emerged without any discernible leadership. Interestingly, the entire organization and support for the movement came entirely from the participants themselves.
Claim: Before the Aragalaya Gas Prices of Sri Lanka Low and After Aragalaya,Prices Increased !! (Social Media Users, 2024-01-03)
Evidence (2022-06-14): From a small, localised protest that began in the outskirts of Colombo, the aragalaya, or struggle, has flourished into a small village named GotaGoGama (GGG) complete with a library, first aid centre, cinema, legal aid office, university, recycling centre, community kitchen and art gallery. Vegetables and fruit trees have been planted, indicating that the villagers are there for the long haul. Small tents dot the space, with wooden pallets and thin mattresses that serve as beds. Puppies play in the sand. [...] There are many critics too with reports of drug use, sexual activity, political infiltration and violence as well as a reluctance from people from the North to be involved. Former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa claimed the aragalaya has blood on its hands, referring to the murder of former MP Amarakeerthi Athukorala as well as the counter violence and the destruction houses of ruling party politicians. [...] Within the aragalaya there are various groups, some claiming to be leaders and negotiating with the government while others say they have no leaders, rejecting any idea of compromising their one main demand that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa leave office. But the president has shown no signs of departing and recently reiterated his intention of completing his five year term that ends in November 2024. He has shown no inclination to go along with the 21st Amendment reducing his powers. There is a political stalemate as the country spirals deeper into a seemingly intractable economic meltdown. The multilateral lending institutions are refusing to help without substantial macroeconomic changes.
Claim: Before the Aragalaya Gas Prices of Sri Lanka Low and After Aragalaya,Prices Increased !! (Social Media Users, 2024-01-03)
Evidence (2022-07-21): Notes from the Field: Sri Lanka’s Revolutionary "Aragalaya" [...] Within weeks, the Aragalaya came to be seen as a symbol of unity, creativity, and political enlightenment. Its spirit began to spread nationally, as offshoots of GotaGoGama sprang up in Kandy and Galle. Sri Lankans worldwide have also been inspired by the Aragalaya, and protests have appeared in cities across Australia, Europe, and the United States in support of friends and family back home. [...] After fleeing from the mounting pressure of the Aragalaya, which has now reached its hundredth day, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa submitted his resignation on July 14. While the Aragalaya has now demonstrated the power of peaceful and determined protest, opportunistic factions have emerged within the movement in recent weeks seeking to exploit GotaGoGama for partisan ends rather than to acknowledge past grievances or build deeper unity.
Claim: Before the Aragalaya Gas Prices of Sri Lanka Low and After Aragalaya,Prices Increased !! (Social Media Users, 2024-01-03)
Evidence (2023-06-24): Balangoda Kassaba Thero, a 30-year-old Buddhist monk who was on a Satyagraha campaign during the Aragalaya protests, too, is facing charges. "I was fighting for people’s rights and they arrested me for that. Buddhism preaches peace. But they say even a monk is wrong, although our protests were peaceful," said Kassaba, sipping a cup of coffee at a Colombo cafe. He said that even after Aragalaya, Sri Lankans did not have the freedom to express themselves. "To protest and question the government is our fundamental right. But we are being harassed for it," he said. [...] Aragalaya changed the nature of political protests in Sri Lanka as it helped breach the divide between the Sinhala-majority south and the Tamil-dominated north. People in the south who never bothered to oppose the rulers did not hesitate to question the politicians this time about their broken promises. "During Aragalaya, everyone, including the ultra left and the far right and even those without any political ideology came together," said Chameera Dedduwage, a digital media strategist who works for a leading advertising company in Colombo. [...] Dedduwage said the only change that Aragalaya brought was to Sri Lanka’s political leadership. "Wickremesinghe is someone who is preferred by the upper echelons of the society in Colombo. Apart from that, there is no big change," he said. "The protesters have gone back to look after their own lives."
Claim: Before the Aragalaya Gas Prices of Sri Lanka Low and After Aragalaya,Prices Increased !! (Social Media Users, 2024-01-03)
Evidence (2023-08-14): Attracting massive crowds of diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds from various places alongside local residents, GGG in Colombo slowly but steadily became the epicentre of youth-led anti-government protests that was termed the Aragalaya (lit., ‘Struggle’). Aragalaya is likely to assume the same place in the bilingual Lankan lexicon that the subcontinental term Hartal does, referring as it does to the 1953 August mass uprising (a countrywide demonstration of civil disobedience and strike led by Marxist parties to express public dissatisfaction over the rise in cost of living, especially the cost of rice). To distinguish between the terms Hartal and Aragalaya, the former refers to a dramatic spike, an event, whereas the latter is a continuing process. The introduction of the term Aragalaya to everyday discourses is indicative of how it marked a watershed moment in Sri Lanka’s contemporary political landscape.
Claim: Before the Aragalaya Gas Prices of Sri Lanka Low and After Aragalaya,Prices Increased !! (Social Media Users, 2024-01-03)
Evidence (2022-07-17): The citizens’ rebellion against Mr. Gotabaya exposed the entire Rajapaksa clan’s insatiable thirst for power, and apparent disregard for human life and dignity — something the Tamil and Muslim minorities knew for long. The Aragalaya revealed both, the fragility of power, and the power of protest, as citizens underwent the country’s worst economic crisis post-Independence. [...] The two months since were rather challenging for the Aragalaya. Many were stunned by the events of May 9, days after which Ranil Wickremesinghe was appointed Premier. While he took a seemingly conciliatory approach to the protests, even inviting protesters for talks, there was no let-up in the drastic deterioration of the economy. The government had already defaulted on its $50 billion foreign debt. The country had now run out of dollars to import fuel, while existing credit lines dried up. [...] The Aragalaya is unprecedented in Sri Lanka, in its scale, geographic spread, and impact. It brought together Sri Lankans of all ethnic hues and class locations, who were together in their suffering brought upon by the crisis, and in their shared resolve to oust the man who was responsible for it.
Claim: Before the Aragalaya Gas Prices of Sri Lanka Low and After Aragalaya,Prices Increased !! (Social Media Users, 2024-01-03)
Evidence (2022-07-30): The Aragalaya movement, which has already brought about a sea change in politics, may have only just begun. "We are a bunch of peaceful protesters, looking to change the governing system in Sri Lanka," said Angelo. "Yes, we made Gota go. We are now fighting the system, not the rulers. There should be a systemic change, so that our country belongs to every citizen—be it Sinhala, Tamil or Muslim." [...] In late February, supermarket shelves began running out of essential items. By early March, people were waiting in long queues to buy food and fuel. Power cuts began in late March, and school exams were cancelled because paper was on short supply. As disruptions began affecting livelihoods, people gradually began hitting the streets. Groups were formed and random demonstrations were held. As Gotabaya refused to step down and the government continued to mishandle the economic crisis, the groups coalesced to form the Aragalaya movement. [...] The Aragalaya movement has succeeded in ousting the Rajapaksas from power, but perhaps its greatest success has been in giving the Sinhalese a sense of the Tamil pain. Once, during a protest gathering, a government helicopter flew threateningly low over Gota Go Gama. The huge uproar it caused was followed by a sombre realisation. "That," said Budhi, "is when we understood, and talked among ourselves, about how our fellow citizens in the north would have suffered."
Claim: Before the Aragalaya Gas Prices of Sri Lanka Low and After Aragalaya,Prices Increased !! (Social Media Users, 2024-01-03)
Evidence (2023-10-26): For a time, it appeared that Sri Lanka could ride the wave of transformative political change brought about by the 2022 Aragalaya. Taking its name from the Sinhala word for "struggle," the movement emerged in March 2022, when thousands of people took to the streets over long power cuts; fuel, food, and medicine shortages; and rising prices. For the first time in the country’s history, Sri Lankans from diverse ethnicities, religions, generations, and social classes came together to collectively protest the Gotabaya Rajapaksa-led government, and to demand political change and accountability for economic crimes. [...] More than a year after the protests, where does the country stand? Below are four challenges faced by Sri Lankan society in the post-Aragalaya environment. [...] After the peak of the Aragalaya and amid a deteriorating economy, Sri Lanka has experienced widespread "brain drain," with the exodus of professionals from all sectors. This mass exodus could potentially affect the quality of future political leadership, scholarship, media, and social responsibility in general in Sri Lanka. Lack of skilled leadership may also have financial implications for the country: the IMF debt restructuring program has been put on hold on grounds of underperformance in meeting promised economic and transparency indicators.
Claim: Before the Aragalaya Gas Prices of Sri Lanka Low and After Aragalaya,Prices Increased !! (Social Media Users, 2024-01-03)
Evidence (2024-04-26): The historic ‘new generation peaceful youth ‘aragalaya’ (the public movement seeking the resignation of the previous Government led by then President Gotabaya Rajapaksa)’ at the Galle Face in 2022 that was triggered by the devastating economic and United States Dollar ($) crisis, correctly traced the main root causes of such, and desperately brought to the fore the dire need for reforms under the popular phrase ‘system change’ through slogans such as ‘Gota go home (abolish the Executive Presidency)’, and ‘ditch the 225 (change the electoral system to ensure the entry of country first political professionals)’. [...] With the completion of two years after the ‘aragalaya’, the developing ‘election fever’, precisely symptomises that the traditional politicians are still hell bent on grabbing power for the next five years by hook or by crook through ‘crossover deals’ and dubious alliances. Such steps amply point to the fact that they who are responsible for the present ‘bankruptcy’ are not prepared to put their shoulders to the wheel and are not in the least bothered about the country’s fast accumulating foreign debt, negative terms of trade (imports versus exports) and the need to repay re-structured foreign loan instalments with interest in $s, signalling intermittent ‘bankruptcies’ over the next several decades. In this scenario, they are surely bound to throw the people’s ‘system change’ package to their dustbin.
Claim: Before the Aragalaya Gas Prices of Sri Lanka Low and After Aragalaya,Prices Increased !! (Social Media Users, 2024-01-03)
Evidence (2024-10-05): The 2022 Sri Lankan protests, commonly known as Aragalaya (Sinhala: අරගලය, lit. 'The Struggle'), were a series of mass protests that began in March 2022 against the government of Sri Lanka. The government was heavily criticized for mismanaging the Sri Lankan economy, which led to a subsequent economic crisis involving severe inflation, daily blackouts, and a shortage of fuel, domestic gas, and other essential goods. The protesters' main demand was the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and key officials from the Rajapaksa family. Despite the involvement of several opposition parties, most protesters considered themselves to be apolitical, with many expressing discontent with the parliamentary opposition.[18] Protesters chanted slogans such as "Go Home Gota", "Go Home Rajapaksas",[19][20] and "Aragalayata Jaya Wewa" ("Victory to the struggle").[21] Most protests were organized by the general public,[22][23] with youths playing a major part by carrying out protests at Galle Face Green.[24][25][26][27] [...] - ^ "Galle Stadium surrounded by gas cylinders ahead of SL- Aus test". NewsWire. 27 June 2022. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
Claim: Before the Aragalaya Gas Prices of Sri Lanka Low and After Aragalaya,Prices Increased !! (Social Media Users, 2024-01-03)
Evidence (2024-07-22): In this context, the post aragalaya political scene has evolved as a three way battle between contending forces. On the one hand, President Wickremesinghe is involved in forming a grand alliance hoping to obtain the backing of the SLPP, SLFP, dissidents of the opposition SJB and parties representing minorities. On the other end, the main opposition party SJB and the resurgent left wing populist NPP have launched competitive campaigns to replace President Wickremesinghe. [...] What we see in the aftermath of the aragalaya is the disassociation of these two logics and their evolution in separate paths. This is the third development that deserves our attention. After suspending foreign debt servicing, the Wickremesinghe presidency managed to utilize the foreign reserves to restore the continued supply of essentials albeit at a higher cost. This has created a sense of "normalcy" among certain sections of society particularly the urban middle class sectors. The Wickremesinghe presidency seems to be capitalizing on this sentiment, claiming that it has brought economic stability and recovery. At the same time, the aspiration to see a change coupled with the antipathy towards established politicians and politics also remains a powerful sentiment among the masses.
Claim: Before the Aragalaya Gas Prices of Sri Lanka Low and After Aragalaya,Prices Increased !! (Social Media Users, 2024-01-03)
Evidence (2024-10-07): This was the sentiment of the 2022 popular uprising known as the janatha aragalaya (people’s struggle in Sinhala). Although that movement was short-lived, it contributed immensely to the leap in popularity of the National People’s Power coalition, that the JVP initiated in 2019 to broaden its class base from leftist petit-bourgeois and working-class layers to more conservative classes, paving Dissanayake’s way into the presidency. [...] While the poor, like the rich, no longer queue for essentials of fuel, food and pharmaceuticals, the poor, unlike the rich, have no means to pay for them. There are no electricity cuts after tariffs were raised by 140%; but last year one million households were disconnected from the grid because they cannot afford the bill. Food prices increased three-fold on average, following Russia’s latest invasion of Ukraine and the rupee’s freefall [during] the economic disaster of 2022, increasing food insecurity to 24% of all households. One in every four are below the official poverty line. [...] - remove subsidies on public goods such as fuel for transport and cooking and electricity through market-pricing;
Claim: Before the Aragalaya Gas Prices of Sri Lanka Low and After Aragalaya,Prices Increased !! (Social Media Users, 2024-01-03)
Evidence (2024-01-04): In recent social media posts, allegations have surfaced, targeting President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Aragalaya activists for the current state of gas prices in Sri Lanka. The post implies that the price of an LP gas cylinder (12.5kg) was around Rs.1500 before the Aragalaya period and that after Ranil Wickremasinghe became the president after the protests, the price has now shot up to Rs.4250. [...] In conclusion, the allegations against President Wickremesinghe and Aragalaya activists for the increase in gas prices are misleading. The timeline of events reveals that the price surge mainly occurred towards the end period of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's tenure, and in the subsequent period, the prices dropped and increased by comparatively smaller margins. Furthermore, understanding the broader context of global and economic factors is essential when evaluating claims related to gas prices in Sri Lanka. [...] Title:Misleading Allegations About Gas Price Fluctuations Before & After Aragalaya
Claim: Before the Aragalaya Gas Prices of Sri Lanka Low and After Aragalaya,Prices Increased !! (Social Media Users, 2024-01-03)
Evidence (2024-09-17): [1] Crisis Group interviews, Northern, Central and Western Provinces, March 2024. A national survey conducted soon after the aragalaya had largely disbanded found that more than 80 per cent of Sri Lankans agreed it was a necessary movement that had a positive impact on the country. "The Survey on Aragalaya: Topline Report", Centre for Policy Alternatives, September 2022. [...] Finally, by defanging the aragalaya, retaining the support of the SLPP and postponing elections, Wickremesinghe acquired the political leeway to introduce a series of unpopular austerity measures designed to prevent the country from falling into even more dire financial straits and prepare the ground for final approval of an IMF bailout.[3] In particular, his government took three key steps to reduce the government’s ballooning budget deficit: it increased taxes, removed subsidies that had kept fuel and electricity rates below cost and, in early 2023, imposed a 6 per cent spending cut on all government departments. Wickremesinghe’s policies were assisted by, and built on, a series of policy changes the Central Bank had adopted. While several of the bank’s measures made economic sense, such as no longer printing money to cover state expenses and ceasing to (artificially) prop up the Sri Lankan rupee’s value, in combination they contributed to a spike in prices for basic goods, generating more hardship for poor and working-class Sri Lankans.[4]
Claim: Before the Aragalaya Gas Prices of Sri Lanka Low and After Aragalaya,Prices Increased !! (Social Media Users, 2024-01-03)
Evidence (2022-07-26): The human costs of the crisis only really captured international attention when the massive popular upsurge earlier this month, known as Aragalaya (Sinhalese for "struggle"), led to the peaceful overthrow of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. His family had ruled Sri Lanka with an iron fist, albeit with electoral legitimacy, for more than 15 years, and is now being blamed by both national and international media for the desperate economic mess the country is in. [...] In the period after the 2008 global financial crisis, as low interest rates in advanced economies led to the availability of cheap credit, the Sri Lankan government relied on international sovereign bonds to finance its own spending. Between 2012 and 2020, the debt to GDP ratio doubled to around 80%, with a growing share of this in bonds. The payments due on these debts kept rising in relation to what Sri Lanka could earn from exports and the money sent back home by Sri Lankans working abroad. The disruptions caused by the pandemic and the war in Ukraine made matters much worse, by causing export earnings to fall and sharply increasing the price of essential imports including food and fuel. Foreign exchange reserves plummeted – but the government had to keep paying interest even when it could not import essential fuel.
Claim: Before the Aragalaya Gas Prices of Sri Lanka Low and After Aragalaya,Prices Increased !! (Social Media Users, 2024-01-03)
Evidence (2024-08-19): Since then, Sri Lanka has secured an extended fund facility with the IMF, supported initially by India and now with an "agreement in principle" with India and the Paris Club creditors on a debt treatment plan. During the early recovery phase, people faced price hikes. Recently, prices of electricity, fuel, and cooking gas have decreased, but people are still struggling. Earnings from tourism, a major contributor, amounted to around $328 million in July against $219 million a year ago. However, in a move seen as part of electioneering, the government announced a monthly cost of living allowance of LKR 25,000 for public service employees, effective January 2025.
Claim: Before the Aragalaya Gas Prices of Sri Lanka Low and After Aragalaya,Prices Increased !! (Social Media Users, 2024-01-03)
Evidence (2023-06-16): Sri Lanka 2022: The aragalaya protest movement and the Rajapaksas’ fall from power [...] Indeed, with the approval by Parliament of the 22nd amendment to the Constitution on 21 October, the new executive seemed to be heading in the right direction. However, the Amendment was criticized by the opposition for being too limited. According to this view, the Constitution did not introduce accountability and transparency, and still left excessive powers to the President [ICJ 2022, August 9; Kuruwita 2022, October 26]. Beyond these uncertainties, on the positive side, the Aragalaya movement has been a very important novelty in Sri Lankan politics. For the first time, a transversal political movement has arisen in a country historically crossed by divisions along religious and ethnic lines. The success of a largely young, inclusive and peaceful movement certainly opened hopes for the stabilization of the country.
Claim: Before the Aragalaya Gas Prices of Sri Lanka Low and After Aragalaya,Prices Increased !! (Social Media Users, 2024-01-03)
Evidence (2024-09-20): But Dissanayake’s popularity has been on the rise since the mass protest movement – known as the Aragalaya [Sinhalese for "struggle"] – erupted against then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his brother and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. Both were forced to resign. The 55-year-old Dissanayake played an active role in the protest movement and has been critical of a $2.9 billion bailout deal Wikremesinghe struck with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which has increased the cost of living for Sri Lankans. [...] While some economic indicators have improved under Wickremasinghe, critics say that has come at a cost: IMF loans have meant that taxes and electricity prices have been hiked as part of the deal with the international lender.