Protests across the country, state of emergency declared
The Sri Lankan government has declared a state of emergency in response to widespread protests calling for the president’s resignation.
During the night from Thursday to Friday, hundreds of demonstrators marched towards the home of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to demand his resignation.
AFP
Demonstrations against the government of Sri Lanka multiplied across the country on Friday, after a night of violence in response to a serious economic crisis, and a state of emergency was declared in the evening.
In many towns across Sri Lanka, people again took to the streets with signs calling for the government to leave, according to police and local authorities. “Time to leave Rajapaksas!” could be read on one of the signs carried by the demonstrators in the center of Colombo, the capital, in particular in reference to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his brother, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. “Enough corruption, go home Gota!” shouted another.
State of emergency declared on Friday evening
The government includes three of the president’s brothers, including Mahinda, prime minister, and Basil, finance minister, as well as one of his nephews. On Friday night, the president declared a state of emergency, explaining that public safety dictated the enforcement of tough laws giving security forces sweeping powers to arrest and jail suspects.
During the night from Thursday to Friday, hundreds of demonstrators marched towards the home of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to demand his resignation. In central Nuwara Eliya, protesters blocked the opening of a flower display by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s wife, Shiranti, on Friday, police said. The cities of Galle, Matara and Moratuwa, in the South, but also other cities in the north and the center of the country were disturbed Friday by demonstrations against the government.
The South Asian island is experiencing severe shortages of basic necessities, soaring inflation and crippling power cuts. Many fear that the country, which is going through its worst economic crisis since its independence in 1948, will default on its foreign debt. Two military cars and a police jeep were set on fire overnight from Thursday to Friday. The demonstrators had also thrown bricks at the police and set up a barricade of burning tires on one of the main axes of Colombo.
Exceptional inflation
At least two protesters had been injured by police gunfire – it was not immediately clear whether live or rubber bullets were used. Four other people were injured by a security vehicle. Fifty-three protesters were arrested, according to police. Local media also reported the arrest of five press photographers who were allegedly tortured at the local police station, charges the government promised to investigate.
Seriously short of foreign currency, the island of 22 million people imposed a sweeping import ban in March 2020, leading to severe shortages of basic necessities. Inflation stood at 18.7% in March in Colombo, the sixth consecutive monthly record, with a record rise in food prices, according to the latest official figures. Diesel was not found in all of the island’s service stations, according to the authorities and the media.
For lack of diesel for the generators, the state had to impose a generalized power cut on Thursday for 13 hours, the longest ever recorded. Several public hospitals have stopped surgical operations for lack of medicines.
“Arab Spring”
“Thursday night’s protest was led by extremist forces calling for an Arab Spring,” the office of the presidency said in a brief statement, a reference to anti-government protests that rocked Arab countries more than a decade ago. in response to corruption and economic stagnation.
Transport Minister Dilum Amunugama claimed “terrorists” were behind the unrest. The overnight curfew was lifted early Friday morning, but the police and military presence was stepped up in Colombo, where the charred wreckage of a bus still blocked the road leading to the president’s residence. Heightened security measures had been taken across the country after calls for nationwide protests on Friday. Posts on social media urged people to protest peacefully outside their homes. Videos of the night’s protest shared on social media, whose authenticity AFP has verified, showed men and women demanding the resignation of the presidential clan.
Sri Lanka’s difficult situation has been made worse by the Covid-19 pandemic which has torpedoed tourism and remittances. Many economists also say it has been exacerbated by government mismanagement and years of accumulated borrowing. The government has said it is seeking help from the International Monetary Fund while requesting additional loans from India and China.
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