Sri Lanka's ruling family in fight for survival as crisis worsens

FILE PHOTO: A damaged bust of D.A Rajapaksa, father of former Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, is pictured at a museum, following violent clashes between pro and anti-government factions and police, in Weeraketiya, Sri Lanka, May 11, 2022. REUTERS/Alasdair Pal/File Photo

WEERAKETIYA, Sri Lanka (Reuters) - His beloved villa has been daubed in graffiti by protesters, and a museum dedicated to his father ransacked. Now former Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa is in hiding in a heavily fortified military base, protected by the armed forces.

The reversal of fortunes for the island nation's most powerful politician for decades has been giddying. A scion of the Rajapaksa family beloved by many Sri Lankans for ending a protracted civil war, the 76-year-old is now a pariah.