The Heat: Sri Lanka & The Global Refugee Crisis

The Heat

The United Nations says more than 100 million people have been displaced around the world.

What’s driving it? And what’s the impact? But first, to another major story in Sri Lanka. A state of emergency has been declared there after President Gota-ba-ya Raja-pak-sa fled the country in a military plane. We begin with a report from CGTN’s Ravinder Bawa. 

Then, the United Nations says more than 100 million people have been forced to leave their homes due to conflict, food insecurity and climate crisis. In the last few weeks, dozens of migrants have died – including 51 found in a locked van in the U.S. and 23 killed crossing the Moroccan-Spanish border. In addition, refugees from parts of Africa, the Middle East and South America have also faced discrimination while seeking asylum. 

Joining the discussion:

  • Thamil Anantha-vinaya-gan is a Human Rights and International Law Academic at the University of Nottingham.
  • Bhavani Fonseka is a Senior Researcher Human Rights Lawyer for the Centre for Policy Alternatives.
  • Kathleen Newland is a Senior Fellow and Co-founder of the Migration Policy Institute.
  • Rafael Bernal Staff Writer at The Hill newspaper.
  • Bonfas Owinga is an assistant professor of political science at Clark Atlanta University.

Sri Lanka’s president steps down after months of protests. We’ll discuss the latest on the crisis in Colombo. And then later, we look at the surge of global refugees.