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Sri Lanka clamped a countrywide 36-hour curfew until Monday in addition to a state of emergency declared by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa as it attempted to prevent more unrest after protesters took to the streets, blaming the government for an economic crisis that has left the import-dependent nation with little money to buy food and fuel.
The government’s information head Mohan Samaranayake said in a statement that the curfew is being imposed under powers vested with the president. Gotabaya assumed emergency powers on midnight Friday amid widespread calls for public protests throughout the country on Sunday as anger over shortages of essential foods, fuel and long power cuts boiled over this week into calls for his resignation. Amidst the unrest and violence, Sri Lanka’s former president Maithripala Sirisena’s Freedom Party called on Gotabaya to form an all-party government to tide over the worst economic crisis in the nation and said it may leave the alliance if its request was ignored. India stepped in to help its southern neighbour.
Indian traders started loading 40,000 tonnes of rice for prompt shipment to Sri Lanka in the first major food aid since Colombo secured a credit line from New Delhi. The shipments comes before a key festival in Sri Lanka and could help Colombo bring down rice prices, which have doubled in a year, adding fuel to the unrest. “Rice loading has started in southern ports,” said BV Krishna Rao, managing director of Pattabhi Agro Foods (Andhra Pradesh), which is supplying rice to Sri Lanka State Trading (General) Corp under the Indian Credit Facility Agreement.
A consignment of 40,000 metric tonnes of diesel from India reached Sri Lanka on Saturday, the fourth such assistance from India. Officials of the state fuel entity, Ceylon Electricity Board, said Indian diesel supplies would ease the power cuts. The outages effective Saturday are over 8. 5 hours. Sri Lanka faces huge debt obligations and dwindling foreign reserves, and its struggle to pay for imports has caused a lack of basic supplies. People wait in long lines for gas, and there’s not enough fuel to operate power plants. On Thursday, angry crowds demonstrated along the roads leading to Gotabaya’s private residence on the outskirts of Colombo and stoned two army buses that police we- re using to block their path.
The protesters set a bus on fire. The president’s office blamed “organised extremists” within the thousands of protesters for the violence. Senior police spokesperson Ajith Rohana said 24 police personnel and several civilians were injured. Around $132,000 of public property was damaged and the suspects will be charged, he said. The Sri Lankan defence ministry rejected social media speculation that Indian troops had arrived in the island nation to help maintain law and order. The Indian high commission also issued a statement categorically dismissing the reports.
The emergency declaration gives Gotabaya powers to preserve public order, suppress mutiny, riot or civil disturbances or for the maintenance of essential supplies. The president can authorise detentions, seizure of property and searching of premises. He can also change or suspend any law except the constitution.
The government’s information head Mohan Samaranayake said in a statement that the curfew is being imposed under powers vested with the president. Gotabaya assumed emergency powers on midnight Friday amid widespread calls for public protests throughout the country on Sunday as anger over shortages of essential foods, fuel and long power cuts boiled over this week into calls for his resignation. Amidst the unrest and violence, Sri Lanka’s former president Maithripala Sirisena’s Freedom Party called on Gotabaya to form an all-party government to tide over the worst economic crisis in the nation and said it may leave the alliance if its request was ignored. India stepped in to help its southern neighbour.
Indian traders started loading 40,000 tonnes of rice for prompt shipment to Sri Lanka in the first major food aid since Colombo secured a credit line from New Delhi. The shipments comes before a key festival in Sri Lanka and could help Colombo bring down rice prices, which have doubled in a year, adding fuel to the unrest. “Rice loading has started in southern ports,” said BV Krishna Rao, managing director of Pattabhi Agro Foods (Andhra Pradesh), which is supplying rice to Sri Lanka State Trading (General) Corp under the Indian Credit Facility Agreement.
A consignment of 40,000 metric tonnes of diesel from India reached Sri Lanka on Saturday, the fourth such assistance from India. Officials of the state fuel entity, Ceylon Electricity Board, said Indian diesel supplies would ease the power cuts. The outages effective Saturday are over 8. 5 hours. Sri Lanka faces huge debt obligations and dwindling foreign reserves, and its struggle to pay for imports has caused a lack of basic supplies. People wait in long lines for gas, and there’s not enough fuel to operate power plants. On Thursday, angry crowds demonstrated along the roads leading to Gotabaya’s private residence on the outskirts of Colombo and stoned two army buses that police we- re using to block their path.
The protesters set a bus on fire. The president’s office blamed “organised extremists” within the thousands of protesters for the violence. Senior police spokesperson Ajith Rohana said 24 police personnel and several civilians were injured. Around $132,000 of public property was damaged and the suspects will be charged, he said. The Sri Lankan defence ministry rejected social media speculation that Indian troops had arrived in the island nation to help maintain law and order. The Indian high commission also issued a statement categorically dismissing the reports.
The emergency declaration gives Gotabaya powers to preserve public order, suppress mutiny, riot or civil disturbances or for the maintenance of essential supplies. The president can authorise detentions, seizure of property and searching of premises. He can also change or suspend any law except the constitution.
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