Armed soldiers faced crowds of protesters, while the police launched tear gas and water cannons to hundreds of students who were trying to penetrate the barricades. Groups of people, including children, gathered along the streets as anger over basic food shortages, fuel shortages and major power outages continued to rise. Image: Sri Lankan police set up roadblocks. Photo: AP It comes after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared a nationwide state of emergency, imposed a nationwide traffic ban and banned social media platforms. Internet users could not access Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, WhatsApp and a number of other platforms for almost 15 hours. However, the blackout on social media was later lifted after growing criticism. The sites have been used to stage protests demanding that Rajapaksa resign, with many blaming him for the country’s deepening economic woes. Image: People demanded the resignation of the country’s president. Photo: AP The president is exercising emergency powers by provoking the opposition to protest He has been accused by protesters of abusing his power following emergency checks, which enable him to protect public order, quell insurgency, riots or political disobedience, or to maintain basic supplies. The president can also approve bookings, foreclosures and site searches. Read more: Why is Sri Lanka facing an economic crisis? In an apparent move to defy the order, opposition politicians marched on the central square of the country’s capital, Colombo. Shouting slogans and holding placards reading “Stop the repression” and “You must go home”, the protesters were met by roadblocks set up by armed soldiers and police. Within the Sri Lankan government, the Minister of Sports and the President’s nephew, Namal Rajapaksa, have already resigned and the entire cabinet has handed over letters to the Prime Minister offering their resignations. “I have informed the secretary-general of my resignation from all portfolios with immediate effect …,” Namal Rajapaksa wrote on Twitter, saying he hoped his decision would help President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is his father, to establish stability for the people and the government. Image: Officers used water cannons and tear gas on protesters. Photo: AP The European Union (EU) has urged the Sri Lankan government to safeguard the “democratic rights of all persons, including the right to freedom of assembly and association and the peaceful resolution of the conflict”. US Ambassador Julie Chung said she was monitoring the situation “closely” and hoped the “coming days would bring restraint” as well as “much-needed economic stability”. What is the situation in Sri Lanka? The country is facing huge debt obligations and shrinking foreign exchange reserves. As a result, it has struggled to pay for imports and now faces a shortage of basic supplies. People have to wait in long lines for gas and the electricity is cut off for several hours a day because there is not enough fuel to run the power plants. Image: Protesters block a highway. Photo: AP In addition, dry weather has reduced the country’s hydroelectric capacity. The Sir Lanka economy has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the government estimating a loss of $ 14 billion (10 10.7 billion) over the past two years. However, its economic woes have been blamed on successive governments failing to diversify exports, instead of relying on traditional sources of cash such as tea, clothing and tourism, and on a culture of consuming imported goods.
