Colombo: Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Tuesday extended the nationwide curfew until Wednesday morning amid ongoing protests over economic and political crises.
“I direct all to refrain from using any public highway, railroad, public park, public recreation area, or other public land, or the shoreline from 7 p.m.
May 9 through 7 a.m. May 11,” Sputnik quoted the executive order as saying. The developments come as nationwide anti-government protests have increased in recent days, leading to increased incidents of clashes. ,
Clashes in Colombo that took place on Monday killed seven people and injured 231, of whom 218 were hospitalized, Sputnik reported, citing Sri Lankan media.
Earlier, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s residence in the North West province city of Kurunegala was torched hours after the leader offered his resignation to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa as the country navigates a war with intensified civil society amid a crippling economy.
Crisis.Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis since independence, with food and fuel shortages, sky-high prices and power outages affecting many citizens, prompting mass protests against the government’s handling of the situation.
The recession has been attributed to foreign exchange shortages caused by a drop in tourism during the COVID19 pandemic, as well as reckless economic policies, such as the government’s decision last year to ban chemical fertilizers to push Sri Lanka’s agriculture to ‘100 Percent Bio”.
Due to a severe foreign exchange shortage, Sri Lanka recently defaulted on all of its foreign debt of approximately US$51 billion.