The latest restrictions come after the government imposed a nationwide curfew on Saturday as protests against the government’s handling of the financial crisis escalated. The curfew will last until 6 am (0030 GMT) on Monday. read more “The blocking of social media is temporary and was imposed due to special instructions given by the Ministry of Defense. It was imposed in the interest of the country and the people to keep calm,” Telecommunications Regulatory Commission chairman Jayantha de Silva told Reuters. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register NetBlocks said real-time network data showed Sri Lanka had imposed a nationwide blackout on social media, restricting access to platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube and Instagram as it was announced. state of emergency amid widespread protests. The country’s Minister of Youth and Sports Namal Rajapaksa, who is also a nephew of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, tweeted that he “would never forgive the blocking of social media”. “The availability of the VPN, just as I use it now, makes such bans completely useless. I urge the authorities to think more progressively and reconsider this decision.” President Rajapaksa declared a state of emergency on Friday, raising fears of a crackdown on protesters as the country faces rising prices, shortages of basic necessities and power outages. Emergency authorities in the past have allowed the military to arrest and detain suspects without warrants, but the terms of the current powers are not yet clear. It also marked a sharp shift in political support for President Rajapaksa, who came to power in 2019 promising stability. About two dozen opposition leaders stopped at police roadblocks on the way to Independence Square, some shouting “Gota (Gotabaya) Go Home”. “This is unacceptable,” said opposition leader Eran Vikramaradne, leaning over the roadblocks. “This is democracy.” Nihal Thalduwa, a senior police chief, said 664 people violating curfews had been arrested by police in the Western Province, the country’s most populous district including Colombo. Critics say the roots of the crisis, the worst in decades, lie in the financial mismanagement of successive governments that have created and sustained a twin deficit – a budget deficit alongside a current account deficit. However, the current crisis has been accelerated by the deep tax cuts promised by Rajapaksa during a 2019 election campaign launched months before the COVID-19 pandemic, which wiped out parts of Sri Lanka’s economy. At Columbus Pettah Government Bus Stand, Painter Issuru Saparamadu said he was desperately looking for a way home to Chilaw, about 70 miles away. With public transport halted by the curfew, Saparamandu said he spent the night sleeping on the street after working all week in Colombo. “I can not go back now. I’m stuck,” he said. “I am very disappointed”. Sri Lankan-based Western and Asian diplomats have said they are monitoring the situation and expecting the government to allow citizens to demonstrate peacefully. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Writes Rupam Jain. Edited by: Jacqueline Wong Our role models: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
