On November 5

On this day in ...

... 2003 (5 years ago today), in Colombo, Sri Lanka, President Chandrika Kumaratunga declared a state of emergency, thus "giving herself sweeping powers to ban assemblies, detain people without cause and censor news reports" for a period of 10 days. The move came a day after she "suspended the country's Parliament, took control of the powerful Defense, Interior and Media ministries and deployed a small number of troops at key government buildings." Kumaratunga (right) had been President -- the 1st woman to hold that post -- since 1994. She would leave office in 2005, after failing to persuade the Sri Lankan Supreme Court she should be permitted to stay an additional year.

... 1838 (170 years ago today), a 15-year-old alliance known as the United Provinces of Central America began to dissolve when 1 of its members, Honduras (left), withdrew and became an independent republic. (map credit)

Asian Enigma answered

Answer to Asian Enigma above:

c) Philippines

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (below) has served as President since 2001. She is not is not the 1st woman to serve as President of the Philippines, however; Corazon Aquino held the post from 1986 to 1992. Notably, women have governed in 3 of the other Asian countries on this list:

a) Sri Lanka: Sirimavo Banaranaike was Prime Minister 1960-65, 1970-1977, and 1991-2000; her daughter, Chandrika Kumaratunga, Prime Minister in 1994 and then President from 1994 to 2005.

d) Bangladesh: Hasina Wajed, Prime Minister from 1996-2001, and her rival, Khaleda Zia, from 1991-1996 and 2001-2006.

f) South Korea: Han Myeong-Sook served as Prime Minister from April 2006 to March 2007.