Sri lankan protests

COLOMBO: Armed troops in Sri Lanka blocked a Sunday (Apr 3) opposition march that defied a weekend curfew to protest the island nation's worsening economic ...

The streets of the capital stayed largely empty on Sunday, apart from the opposition protest and long lines of vehicles queued for fuel at service stations. Fellow SJB legislator Eran Wickramaratne condemned the state of emergency declaration and the presence of troops on city streets. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa imposed a state of emergency on Friday, the day after a crowd attempted to storm his home in the capital Colombo, and a nationwide curfew is in effect until Monday morning.

Armed troops in Sri Lanka blocked a Sunday opposition protest march staged in defiance of an emergency curfew to protest the island nation's worsening ...

Hundreds of lawyers have volunteered to represent any anti-government protesters arrested by the authorities. Armed troops in Sri Lanka blocked a Sunday opposition protest march staged in defiance of an emergency curfew to protest the island nation's worsening economic crisis, after authorities imposed a social media blackout to contain public dissent. Armed troops in Sri Lanka blocked a Sunday opposition protest march staged in defiance of an emergency curfew to protest the island nation's worsening economic crisis, after authorities imposed a social media blackout to contain public dissent. Army soldiers stand guard at a checkpoint after authorities imposed a weekend curfew to contain protests over an economic crisis in Colombo, Sri Lanka on on April 3, 2022. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa imposed a state of emergency on Friday, the day after a crowd attempted to storm his home in the capital Colombo, and a nationwide curfew is in effect until Monday morning. Army soldiers stand guard at a checkpoint after authorities imposed a weekend curfew to contain protests over an economic crisis in Colombo, Sri Lanka on on April 3, 2022.

Hundreds of students in Kandy defied a weekend curfew imposed by the government to protest against Sri Lanka's worsening economic crisis.

It has also marked a sharp turnaround in political support for Mr Rajapaksa, who swept to power in 2019 promising stability. In his defence, Mr Rajapaksa has said that the state of emergency was needed to protect public order and maintain essential supplies and services. "The social media block is temporary and imposed due to special instructions given by the Defence Ministry, the country's Telecommunications Regulatory Commission said.

Soldiers manned checkpoints in Colombo to enforce a curfew imposed to curb public outrage triggered by an economic crisis.

"This is unacceptable," said opposition leader Eran Wickramaratne leaning over the barricades. "These students have come out in defiance of the curfew and police have fired tear gas to disperse them," said Kiriella, from the opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya party. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared a state of emergency on Friday as the Indian Ocean island nation grapples with rising prices, shortages of essentials and rolling power cuts.

Sri Lanka Economic Crisis Live Updates: The protest was organised by social media activists against the ongoing economic crisis and hardships heaped on ...

A total of 664 people were arrested in the Western Province on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan government on Sunday lifted the ban it had imposed on social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram after declaring a nationwide public emergency and effecting a 36-hour curfew. Sri Lanka Economic Crisis Live Updates: Over 600 people were arrested in Sri Lanka’s Western Province on Sunday for violating the curfew and trying to stage an anti-government rally to protest the country’s worst economic crisis.

Colombo [Sri Lanka], April 3 (ANI): Sri Lanka continued to witness protests across the country with people breaking the government-imposed curfew across the ...

I urge the authorities to think more progressively and reconsider this decision,” tweeted Namal Rajapaksa. The availability of VPN, just like I’m using now, makes such bans completely useless. Ahead of the planned protest for Sunday, the island nation had imposed a nationwide curfew starting at 6 pm in the evening on Saturday till morning 6 am on Monday (April 4) following unrest in the country with protests outside the residence of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa amid the ongoing economic crisis in the Island country.

Sri Lankan army soldiers stand guard preventing opposition protesters enter the Independence square during a curfew in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sunday, April 3, ...

The crisis has hit people from all walks of life. Sri Lanka faces huge debt obligations and dwindling foreign reserves, and its struggle to pay for imports has caused a lack of basic supplies. Under the decree, the president can authorize detentions, seizure of property and search of premises.

COLOMBO: Opposition lawmakers and thousands of people angered by the government's handling of Sri Lanka's worst economic crisis on Sunday marched to denounce ...

Last month, China said it was considering a request for a $2.5 billion loan, and India extended a $1 billion credit line to Sri Lanka for imports of food, medicines and other essentials. Protesters also point to mismanagement — Sri Lanka has immense foreign debt after borrowing heavily on projects that don’t earn money. Armed troops had a tense confrontation with a crowd protesting a worsening economic crisis. Sri Lanka is under a nationwide curfew until Monday morning after Rajapaksa assumed emergency powers at midnight Friday. More protests were taking place throughout the country on Sunday as anger over people waiting in long lines for essential foods, fuel and hours-long rotating power cuts boiled over. Also Read Apparently due to growing criticism, access to social media was later restored.

State of emergency imposed on Friday with country facing severe shortages of food, fuel and other essentials.

Diesel shortages have sparked outrage across Sri Lanka in recent days, causing protests at empty pumps, and electricity utilities have imposed 13-hour blackouts to conserve fuel. A junior party has also hinted it may leave the ruling coalition within a week. Private media outlets reported that the chief of Sri Lanka’s internet regulator resigned after the ban order went into effect. “I will never condone the blocking of social media,” said Namal, the country’s sport minister. “They should know we are still a democracy.” “We can’t allow a military takeover,” he said.

Earlier, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), Sri Lanka's main opposition alliance, denounced a social media blackout aimed at quelling intensifying public demonstrations and said it was time for the government to resign. "President Rajapaksa better realise ...

Eran Wickramaratne, another SLB lawmaker, condemned the state of emergency declaration and the presence of troops on city streets. It came with the country under a state of emergency imposed after a crowd attempted to storm the president's home in the capital Colombo, and a nationwide curfew in effect until Monday morning. COLOMBO (AFP) - Sri Lanka's entire cabinet aside from the president and his sibling prime minister resigned from their posts Sunday (April 3) as the ruling political clan seeks to resolve a mounting economic crisis, with a social media blackout failing to halt another day of anti-government demonstrations.

All 26 cabinet ministers aside from the president and the prime minister quit as unrest over the country's worst financial crisis in decades continues.

A critical lack of foreign currency has left Sri Lanka struggling to service its ballooning $51bn foreign debt, with the pandemic torpedoing vital revenue from tourism and remittances. Solidarity protests were staged elsewhere in the world over the weekend, including in the Australian city of Melbourne, home to a large Sri Lankan diaspora. It came with the country under a state of emergency imposed after a crowd attempted to storm the president’s home in the capital Colombo, and a nationwide curfew in effect until Monday morning. Troops armed with automatic assault rifles moved to stop a protest by opposition lawmakers and hundreds of their supporters attempting to march to the capital’s Independence Square. The move clears the way for the president to appoint a new cabinet on Monday – and some of those stepping down may be reappointed. Sri Lanka’s entire cabinet aside from the president and his sibling prime minister resigned from their posts on Sunday as the ruling political clan seeks to resolve a mounting economic crisis, with a social media blackout failing to halt another day of anti-government demonstrations.

COLOMBO (AFP) - Sri Lanka's entire Cabinet aside from the president and his sibling prime minister resigned from their posts Sunday (April 3) as the ruling ...

Eran Wickramaratne, another SLB lawmaker, condemned the state of emergency declaration and the presence of troops on city streets. It came with the country under a state of emergency imposed after a crowd attempted to storm the president's home in the capital Colombo, and a nationwide curfew in effect until Monday morning. COLOMBO (AFP) - Sri Lanka's entire Cabinet aside from the president and his sibling prime minister resigned from their posts Sunday (April 3) as the ruling political clan seeks to resolve a mounting economic crisis, with a social media blackout failing to halt another day of anti-government demonstrations.

The enraged public has been demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The government declared a state of emergency after an angry mob ...

More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world.

Ali Sabry to be new finance minister, replacing Gotabaya Rajapaksa's brother Basil as cracks emerge in ruling coalition.

“In the context of all cabinet ministers resigning, I have today submitted my resignation as Governor,” he said on Twitter. The country’s expenditure has exceeded its income under successive governments while its production of tradable goods and services has been inadequate. Ali Sabry to be the new finance minister, replacing Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s brother Basil as cracks emerge in ruling coalition. Ali Sabry to be the new finance minister, replacing Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s brother Basil as cracks emerge in ruling coalition. It said Justice Minister Ali Sabry would be the new finance minister, replacing Gotabaya’s brother Basil Rajapaksa, who was due to visit the United States this month for talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a loan programme. Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has dropped his brother as finance minister after calling for a unity government as protests against an economic crisis persist and cracks emerge in the ruling coalition.

Opposition lawmakers and thousands of people angered by the government's handling of Sri Lanka's worst economic crisis on Sunday marched to denounce the ...

President Rajapaksa said last month that he would seek help from the International Monetary Fund and other agencies and countries on deferring loan repayments. Protesters also point to mismanagement — Sri Lanka has immense foreign debt after borrowing heavily on projects that don’t earn money. Under the decree, the president can authorize detentions, seizure of property and search of premises. Why are you protecting a government like this?” He can also change or suspend any law except the constitution. Apparently due to growing criticism, access to social media was later restored.

Many Sri Lanka cabinet ministers have resigned or intend to do so, as protesters in the capital defy curfew orders amid the country's worst economic crisis ...

He said he hoped this would help the administration "establish stability," and that he remained "committed to my voters, my party and the people of Hambantota," where he is a lawmaker.He also criticized an apparent social media blackout, saying he would "never condone" such a move and urging authorities to "reconsider".Education Minister Dinesh Gunawardena told local media late on Sunday that he and other ministers had "handed our letters of resignation to the prime minister." "The president and the prime minister will discuss and take relevant decisions," he said, without clarifying how many ministers had offered to quit.The Minister of Justice has also resigned, with several other cabinet ministers signaling their intention to follow suit.In a statement released by the presidential media team on Monday, President Rajapaksa didn't directly address the resignations, only urging all parties to "work together for the sake of all the citizens and future generations." "The current crisis is a result of several economic factors and global developments," the statement read. Here's what it's like for people on the ground On Monday, the governor of the Central Bank, Ajith Nivard Cabraal, became the latest major figure to submit his resignation, following a wave that started over the weekend.On Sunday evening, Minister of Youth and Sports Namal Rajapaksa announced on Twitter that he had informed the presidential office of his resignation "with immediate effect." Some people have even died waiting.Demonstrators had protested peacefully for weeks, with some calling on the President to resign, before the protests turned violent last Thursday in an escalation of the crisis.And the latest resignations are not the only sign that there could be worse to come for Sri Lanka. National consumer price inflation has almost tripled, from 6.2% in September to 17.5% in February, according to the country's central bank. A string of cabinet ministers and the central bank governor have resigned in Sri Lanka, as protesters in the capital defy curfew orders amid the country's worst economic crisis in decades.The Minister of Justice and the Minister of Youth and Sports, who is also the President's nephew, are among those either to have resigned or signaled their intention to do so.The moves follow weeks of turmoil in which a foreign exchange crisis in the island nation has forced a currency devaluation and sent the cost of basic goods such as food, medicine, and fuel soaring.

NEW DELHI — Faced with a mounting economic crisis and turmoil within his own cabinet, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa invited opposition leaders on ...

Agricultural production soon collapsed, and shortages in food supply led to inflation and a greater reliance on imports. On Monday, protests continued to erupt across the country from Independence Square in Colombo to the southern city of Tangalle, where police fought off crowds gathering outside Mahinda Rajapaksa’s home. The Rajapaksa family and its political party won decisively in 2019 elections, and Gotabaya Rajapaksa, as president, appointed his brothers and nephews to key ministries, including finance, agriculture, education and sports. The economic meltdown and turmoil on Sri Lanka’s streets are a challenge to a family that has ruled Sri Lanka for much of the past two decades. “We will only form a government with the blessings of the public.” Rajapaksa said he would reshuffle his cabinet and fire his brother and finance minister, Basil Rajapaksa, while he negotiated with other parties to form a new government.

Sri Lankan bonds slumped, leading losses among developing countries on Monday, after protests spurred by soaring inflation and lengthy power cuts led to a ...

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka's sports minister and the president's nephew, Namal Rajapaksa, has resigned from his position amid growing public outrage ...

You may click on “Your Choices” below to learn about and use cookie management tools to limit use of cookies when you visit NPR’s sites. If you click “Agree and Continue” below, you acknowledge that your cookie choices in those tools will be respected and that you otherwise agree to the use of cookies on NPR’s sites. NPR’s sites use cookies, similar tracking and storage technologies, and information about the device you use to access our sites (together, “cookies”) to enhance your viewing, listening and user experience, personalize content, personalize messages from NPR’s sponsors, provide social media features, and analyze NPR’s traffic.

Sri Lanka's street protests over soaring inflation and lengthy power cuts have shaken President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's hold on power, with government ...

But with a meager US$2 billion in foreign exchange reserves and US$7 billion in debt payments due this year, restoring the country’s economic health remains an uphill battle. On Mar 31, protesters clashed with police outside Rajapaksa’s private home after a crowd surged past the barricades, screaming for him to step down. Making matters worse was Rajapaksa’s pivot last year to organic farming with a ban on chemical fertilizers that triggered farmer protests and saw production of critical tea and rice crops decline.