Ten injured in Sri Lanka protests, security forces 'fire into crowd': 10 updates
The protests heated up on Thursday after hundreds of protesters tried to storm the home of Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in the capital Colombo, demanding his resignation.
Sri Lanka is witnessing protests over the government's handling of the country's economic crisis, which is said to be the worst since independence. The protests heated up on Thursday after hundreds of protesters tried to storm the home of Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in the capital Colombo, demanding his resignation. Police resorted to the use of tear gas and water cannons to quell the protests. While Rajapaksa was not at home at the time of protests, a video shared on social media showed men and women shouting "lunatic, lunatic go home" and demanding that all members of the powerful Rajapaksa family step down, reported news agency AFP.
Here are the top five points from the protests:
1) Diesel -- the main fuel for buses and commercial vehicles -- was unavailable at stations across the island on Thursday, according to officials and media reports -- crippling public transport. Owners of private buses -- which account for two-thirds of the country's fleet -- said they were already out of oil and that even skeleton services might not be possible after Friday.
2) The state electricity monopoly said it had enforced a 12-hour power cut from Thursday -- the longest ever -- because they did not have diesel for generators. The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) said, "areas in the 20 power zones from 'A' to 'S' will experience a power disruption of 12 hours on four occasions from 4.00 am (local time) to midnight subject to a maximum of four hours for each interruption".
3) A curfew put in place overnight was lifted early Friday morning, but police and military presence was beefed up around the city, where the burnt-out wreckage of a bus was still blocking the road to President Rajapaksa's house.
4) As many as ten people, including journalists, were injured following protests outside the residence of the Sri Lankan President. Citing Daily Mirror, ANI reported that six people had been admitted to the Colombo National Hospital after sustaining injuries following clashes between protestors and police in Mirihana, while another four patients were admitted to the Colombo South Teaching Hospital in Kalubowila.
5) Another report in AP said at least one person was severely injured in the leg when police fired tear gas cannisters directly at protesters to stop their attack on the bus.
6) During the protest which erupted outside the President's residence, security forces fired into the crowd and used tear gas and water cannon to disperse the demonstrators. It was not immediately clear if they used live rounds or rubber bullets.
7) Security forces have also been deployed across the Sri Lankan capital on Friday after protesters tried to storm the president's home in anger at the nation's worst economic crisis since independence.
8) The International Monetary Fund has said it will initiate discussions with Sri Lankan authorities on a possible loan program in the coming days, as the Asian country seeks to stave off a severe economic crisis.
9) Sri Lanka's predicament was exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Many economists also blame government mismanagement including tax cuts and years of budget deficits. Colombo imposed a broad import ban in March 2020 in a bid to save foreign currency needed to service its $51 billion in foreign debt. The government has said it is seeking a bailout from the International Monetary Fund while asking for more loans from India and China.
(With inputs from Reuters, AFP, AP)