A state of emergency has been declared in Sri Lanka following violent protests outside the president's residence.
Protesters set up barricades and set fire to vehicles near the private residence of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in Colombo on Thursday. Since then, the army has been deployed and is now empowered to arrest suspects without a warrant.
It should be noted that Sri Lanka is facing a major economic crisis which is partly due to the depletion of foreign exchange reserves.
With a population of over 20 million in the Indian Ocean, the country is facing massive power outages, fuel shortages, food shortages and medicines, which has led to a sharp rise in public anger against the government.
It is to be noted that the protest started peacefully outside the house of President Rajapaksa on Thursday, but the participants said that the police fired tear gas, water cannon and beat the people present there after which the situation became violent. And protesters had responded to the police during protest.
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| Burnt vehicles represent violent incidents |
A mob clashed with police during an attempt to attack the president's home, after which 45 people were arrested and one person was seriously injured.
The curfew, which was imposed on Thursday night, was lifted on Friday morning, but the police and army presence in the city has been increased. A burnt bus is still parked in the middle of the road leading to President Rajapaksa's house.
What happened on Thursday?
Thousands marched on the home of Sri Lankan President Rajapaksa on Thursday night, demanding his resignation due to the ongoing economic crisis in the country. The protesters included several unidentified social media workers.
Protesters set fire to tires and blocked the capital's main highway. Violent protests erupted, with protesters setting fire to two army buses and a jeep and hurling stones at police.
Security forces used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowd. It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post.
AFP news agency quoted official sources as saying that Rajapaksa was not at home at the time of the incident but that top military officials had discussed ways to deal with the crisis.
A private TV network was broadcasting the demonstration live, which was immediately stopped. Journalists say this is due to government pressure.
In videos shared on social media, men and women chanted slogans against President Rajapaksa and his family, and demanded that all members of the powerful Rajapaksa family resign.
"I am not a burden to this government," said Jagat Liang, a retired banker and one of the protesters. I am financially sound. But my wealth is of no use. I have a lot of money but it is of no use. I can't buy anything from them, I can't buy oil at the petrol pump, I can't refill my cylinder when my house runs out of gas. I think this is the darkest time in this country. We can't do anything with our money. Our leaders are killing us without killing us.
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| Both the president and the prime minister are from the same family and are brothers. |
Powerful Raj Paksha family
The Rajapaksa family is considered very powerful in Sri Lanka. Gotabhaya Rajapaksa's elder brother Mahinda Rajapaksa is the Prime Minister of the country and he has been the President of the country.
His younger brother Basel is the finance minister. The eldest brother Chamal is the Minister of Agriculture while his nephew Namal is the Minister of Sports.
How did the situation get here?
The Kood 19 epidemic is believed to be responsible for Sri Lanka's dire economic situation as it has severely affected its tourism sector. At the same time, many economists say that such a bad situation has arisen due to mismanagement of the government and persistent borrowing.
Sri Lanka banned imports in March 2020 to save foreign exchange and saved 51 51 billion to pay off foreign debts.
At the same time, there has been a flurry of diesel shortages in Sri Lanka in recent days. Demonstrations have taken place in many cities of the country but no protests have been seen against any of the major leaders.
According to officials and media reports, diesel was not available at all petrol pumps in the country on Thursday. The country's state-owned power company had said it was going to carry out 13-hour power outages from Thursday because it did not have diesel for generators and this was going to be the longest power outage in history.
At the same time, the country's public transport has come to a standstill as diesel is used as fuel in most buses and commercial vehicles which is not available in the country.
"We are extracting oil from buses parked in the garage so that it can be used in moving buses," said Transport Minister Dalam Amunogama.
On the other hand, one third of the country's electricity comes from hydropower plants, but the country's reserves have reached dangerously low levels. Many government hospitals have stopped surgery because they do not have life-saving drugs.
The Sri Lankan government says it has asked the International Monetary Fund for a bailout package and has asked for more loans from India and China.
International Monetary Fund spokesman Gary Rice told reporters in Washington on Thursday that such talks should begin "in the coming days." Sri Lanka's finance minister is said to be arriving in the US capital for talks.
However, President Rajapaksa said that the decision to declare a state of emergency was taken to ensure public safety, protection of public order and restoration of essential services.
Hina Singer Hamdi, the UN special envoy to the country, in a tweet called on all groups to show restraint.
The demonstrations mark a major shift in the popularity of President Rajapaksa, who came to power in 2019 with a landslide victory and promised stability and a "strong hand" to rule the country.
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