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| Thousands strike in Sri Lanka over anti-presidential protests (File Photo: Reuters) |
An indefinite curfew was imposed in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo on Friday and the army has been alerted ahead of a scheduled rally demanding the removal of President Gotabhaya Raja Pakse.
"A complete curfew will be in place in Colombo and its suburbs from 9pm until further notice, and residents are urged to stay indoors."
The curfew comes as thousands of anti-government protesters entered the capital on Friday ahead of Saturday's rally to press for the resignation of President Gotabaya Paxa over the country's worst economic crisis.
There is a severe shortage of basic necessities at the moment, and its 22 million people have been suffering from inflation and prolonged power outages since the beginning of this year.
So that they can be pressured to resign due to economic mismanagement.
Thousands of soldiers armed with rifles were dispatched to help police guard the official residence of President Gotabaya Raja Pakse in Colombo, which anti-government protesters vowed to storm on Saturday.
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| Sri Lanka is short of food due to the economic crisis (File Photo: Reuters) |
A senior defense official told AFP that "an operation involving about 20,000 soldiers, police and women was launched on Friday afternoon."
"After at least three judges refused to annul Saturday's protest, more troops from the provinces have been called to the capital, Colombo," he said.
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