In Sri Lanka, even Rajapaksa heartland paved with Chinese money is broken

The road to Hambantota may be paved with Chinese money, but its value is up for debate — now more than ever.

Set among the soft, green rice paddies and coconut palms of Sri Lanka’s deep south, Hambantota is best known as the stronghold of the nation’s Rajapaksa clan, who have spent years using borrowed money to build monuments to themselves. The little-used Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport, the often overgrown Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium, and a memorial to the Rajapaksa elders that was burned and destroyed by a furious crowd of protesters on May 9, are testament to that terrible waste.