police in Sri Lankan capital lifted curfew on Friday after the protests in which dozens of people They were arrested and a number of police officers were injured near home of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa over treat it of Economic crisis.
hundreds of Protesters gathered near Rajapaksa’s residence in A suburb of Colombo late on Thursday before the police disperse them with A Reuters witness said tear gas and water cannons.
“We have arrested 54 people people over turbulence last night. many of vehicles of the army and police at the hands of the demonstrators, including two buses, one “A police jeep and several motorbikes,” police spokesman Nihal Tldwa told Reuters.
The Sri Lankan capital was under heavy guard on Friday after hundreds of Protesters tried to storm the president’s residence home in a night of violence.
The South Asian country is experiencing severe shortages of necessities, sharp price rise and cripple power cuts in Its most painful decline since independence in 1948. Many fear it will default on her debts.
Thursday night’s unrest witnessed hundreds of peoplecrowded by unknown social media march activists on President Gotabaya home He demands his resignation.
they set two military Buses and a police jeep were set on fire and bricks were thrown attack Officers are barricaded main The road to Colombo with Burnt tires.
One person was seriously injured, and police said five of their officers were injured in Administration battles. forty five people They were arrested.
Security forces fired into the crowd and used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the protesters. It was not immediately clear if they used live rounds or rubber bullets.
Rajapaksa office Friday said that the protesters wanted To create the ‘Arab Spring’ – a reference to anti-government protests in The response to corruption and economic stagnation that has gripped the Middle East over ten years ago.
He added, “Thursday night’s protest was led by a call from extremist forces for Arab Spring to create instability in Our country “President office He said in Brief statement.
Rajapaksa was not in home During the protest, according to official sources.
a live broadcast by private the television network He stopped abruptly after what reporters said was pressure from government.
But the shared videos on social media The French news agency (AFP) showed its authenticity men And the women Chanting “go crazy, crazy home” and demand all the members of The powerful Rajapaksa family step down.
President elder brother Serve Mahinda prime minister While the youngest Basil is money minister. biggest brother and his nephew also He held cabinet positions.
Sri Lanka’s predicament has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has torpedoed tourism and remittances.
many economists also He says it was exacerbated by government Mismanagement and years of accumulated borrowing.
Standard inflation
The latest official Data released on Friday showed that inflation in Colombo hit 18.7% in March 6th in a row monthly record. food prices also rose record 30.1%.
Colombo imposed a broad import ban in March 2020 in Trying to provide the foreign exchange needed to pay off nearly $7 billion this year to serve $51 billion in Debts.
Diesel shortage sparked outrage across Sri Lanka in Recent days, but the protests were in various Cities weren’t targeting any big boss.
But on Officials and media reports.
The state electricity company said it imposed 13 hours power It cut from Thursday – the longest ever – because it didn’t have diesel on it for Generators.
several states-run Hospitals stopped performing surgeries like they did run out of Essential life-saving medicines.
The government She said she was seeking an IMF bailout while asking for more loans from India and China.
International Monetary Fund spokesman Jerry Rice told reporters in Washington on Thursday that such conversations should begin “in Coming days,” with Sri Lanka Finance minister is expected in The capital of the United States.
