Economic crisis in Sri Lanka: President declares state of emergency

April 1: Following violent protests over the country’s worst economic crisis in decades, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared a nationwide public emergency late on Friday.  The development came a day after hundreds of Sri Lankans tried to storm Rajapaksa’s residence. In a Sri Lankan government gazette notification, Rajapaksa said the decision was taken in the interests of public security, the protection of public order, and to ensure the maintenance of supplies and essential services.

On Thursday protesters shouted slogans, directing their ire against what they perceive as the Rajapaksa regime’s gross mismanagement that has exacerbated Sri Lanka’s foreign-exchange woes. They also demanded President Rajapaksa’s resignation. As of now 45 people have been arrested. Five policemen were injured while a police bus, a Jeep and two motorcycles were burnt. The protesters had also caused damage to a police water cannon truck.

Following this, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa invoked the tough laws allowing the military to arrest and detain suspects for long periods without trial as demonstrations calling for his ouster spread across the South Asian nation. The nation of 22 million is facing severe shortages of essentials, sharp price rises and crippling power cuts in its most painful downturn since independence from Britain in 1948. Since January, India has provided nearly USD 2.5 billion credit lines and currency swaps to Sri Lanka to get food, medicine, and fuel.