In Sri Lanka the government is cracking down on protestors. The Police have gone after the leaders of the aragalaya or the struggle as well as leading trade unionists, civil society activists and others who waged a successful mostly peaceful campaign that ended with the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. But his anointed successor Ranil Wickremesinghe seems intolerant of the dissenters and a widespread hunting down of them is rocking the country.

With me to talk about the current situation and probably what the country may be headed towards is Professor Arjuna Parakrama, head of the Faculty of English at the University of Peradeniya. His academic work includes the study of subaltern or disadvantaged groups in Sri Lanka and the use of English. In addition Prof Parakrama has been active in election monitoring and is a keen observer of Sri Lankan politics for many decades.  He is also a human rights advocate.