Sri Lanka news

Sri Lankan police imposed a curfew on Monday after clashes between rival political camps, as anger builds over the island's worst economic crisis since ...

"What we want is for the president and his family to go," Kumudesh said in a statement. The defence ministry said in a statement on Sunday that anti-government demonstrators were behaving in a "provocative and threatening manner" and disrupting essential services. On Friday, the government imposed a state of emergency granting the military sweeping powers to arrest and detain people after trade unions brought the country to a virtual standstill hoping to pressure the Rajapaksas to step down.

Sri Lanka is on the brink of bankruptcy and now facing its worst economic crisis since independence, with acute shortages of food, fuel and other essentials.

Protests soon broke out across the country, fuelled by a further shortage of life-saving medicines. But it was told its progress would depend on negotiations on debt restructuring with creditors. The capital was placed under curfew and a state of emergency was declared the following day. Sri Lanka is on the brink of bankruptcy and now facing its worst economic crisis since independence, with acute shortages of food, fuel and other essentials. In a country where limes cost 240% more than they did last year, and with a looming economic and food crisis, protests continue to play out between those demanding the government resign and those in support of it. What's happening in Sri Lanka? Country facing worst economic crisis and on the brink of bankruptcy

Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned on Monday, following weeks of protests against his government.

Dozens of paramilitary troops with riot shields and helmets were deployed to keep both groups apart after the initial clashes. "Strongly condemn the violent acts taking place by those inciting & participating, irrespective of political allegiances," President Rajapaksa said in a tweet. We are struggling to keep our businesses afloat." Armed troops have been deployed in Colombo, according to CNN team on the ground. "A few moments ago, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa sent his letter of resignation to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa," the statement said. A nationwide curfew was imposed after clashes broke out between supporters of the ruling party and anti-government demonstrators in the capital city Colombo, the police said Monday. The restrictions were announced shortly before Rajapaksa announced his resignation.

Mahinda Rajapaksa stepped down on Monday as clashes escalated after his supporters attacked anti-government demonstrators and the government deployed military ...

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has tendered his resignation amid an economic crisis and violent protests against he and his brother, ...

The prime minister's resignation also came hours after some of his supporters attacked peaceful protesters who had been camped out in front of government offices. He previously served as president for a decade, and prime minister twice. Despite the curfew, protesters rallied late into the night at Colombo's Galle Face seafront, cheering Mahinda Rajapaksa's resignation and calling for his brother Gotabaya to do the same. But President Gotabaya Rajapaksa remains in power, and has repeatedly refused to step down. The Rajapaksa brothers have been the focus of nationwide protests for several weeks. Local media published an undated copy of what's purported to be his resignation letter.

The prime minister has quit and his younger brother, who is the president, is also under pressure to go as the country grapples with its worst economic ...

Police used tear gas and a water cannon at the protest site, but not forcefully enough to control the mob. The residences of MPs Sanath Nishantha and Ramesh Pathirana were set ablaze. And the houses of at least two mayors were also set on fire, according to police sources. The prime minister has quit and his younger brother, who is the president, is also under pressure to go as the country grapples with its worst economic crisis in decades. An MP in Sri Lanka's ruling party has died after a stand-off with anti-government protesters and the homes of a number of other politicians have been set on fire as violence escalated in the country. The prime minister has quit and his younger brother, who is the president, is also under pressure to go as the country grapples with its worst economic crisis in decades.

The south Asian country is the first to buckle under economic pressures compounded by Russia's war on Ukraine, but it won't be the last.

The pandemic and the war had nothing to do with these countries, but have led to a huge increase in borrowing.” The war in Ukraine has led to investors seeking out the haven of the US dollar, pushing down the value of emerging market currencies. “But these are systemic issues and currently there is no way of dealing with them systemically.” Sub-Saharan African countries being carefully watched include Ghana, Kenya, South Africa and Ethiopia. Argentina recently signed a $45bn debt deal with the IMF, but other Latin American countries at risk include El Salvador and Peru. A team from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) this week started work with officials in Colombo over a bailout that will include a tough package of reforms as well as financial support. The departure of Sri Lanka’s prime minister, Mahinda Rajapaksa, follows weeks of protest and a deepening crisis.

Clashes broke out in Sri Lanka on May 9, 2022, after government supporters attacked peaceful anti-government protest sites in Colombo.

“In recent weeks, thousands of Sri Lankans have peacefully protested against corruption and called for accountable governance and respect for human rights,” Ganguly said. The latest state of emergency was imposed on May 6, but the government did not immediately publish the emergency regulations laying out the special powers assumed. Over 150 people have been reported injured and at least five dead in different incidents, including the attack on Galle Face Green, and the government has imposed a nationwide curfew. In Nittambuwa, 50 kilometers from Colombo, police said that Amarakeerthi Athukorala, a government member of parliament, opened fire on protesters blocking his car, wounding one and killing another, then fatally shot himself. (New York) – Clashes broke out in Sri Lanka on May 9, 2022 after government supporters attacked peaceful anti-government protest sites in Colombo, the capital, and elsewhere, Human Rights Watch said today. Witness accounts and video footage show government supporters attacking the protesters with clubs and other weapons and setting fire to tents.

Mahinda Rajapaksa rescued in a pre-dawn military operation after day of protests in which five people were killed.

The resignation is the latest concession made by the Rajapaksas in the face of protracted anger and protests. However, Monday marked a violent shift in the demonstrations when hundreds of pro-government supporters gathered outside the prime minister’s residence in Colombo and urged Mahinda Rajapaksa not to resign. Other members of the Rajapaksa family who had previously held seats in the cabinet have also stepped down, with the president the only remaining member of the political family still in power. Turmoil began to engulf the country on Monday after violence at a major protest site in Colombo, where pro-government supporters attacked demonstrators and police responded with teargas and water cannon. Therefore, I have tendered my resignation so the next steps can be taken in accordance with the constitution,” he wrote. According to police, another ruling party politician opened fire on protesters in the southern town of Weeraketiya, killing two and wounding five.

Sri Lanka deployed thousands of troops and police Tuesday to enforce a curfew after five people were killed in the worst violence in weeks of protests over ...

Aside from following his brother in resigning, he could appoint a caretaker government -- before then quitting -- deploy the military and police to suppress the protests, or try to wait for them to "die down naturally", Bery told AFP. Under Sri Lanka's political system, even with a new unity government, the president will have the power to appoint and fire ministers as well as judges, and enjoy immunity from prosecution. US Ambassador Julie Chung tweeted that Washington condemned "the violence against peaceful protestors" and called on the Sri Lankan "government to conduct a full investigation, including the arrest & prosecution of anyone who incited violence". "We were hit, the media were hit, women and children were hit," one witness told AFP, asking not to be named. "After a pre-dawn operation, the former PM and his family were evacuated to safety by the army," a top security official told AFP. "At least 10 petrol bombs were thrown into the compound." He had to be rescued in a pre-dawn operation by the military Tuesday after thousands of anti-government protesters stormed his official residence in Colombo overnight, with police firing tear gas and warning shots to keep back the crowd.

Sri Lanka's outgoing Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa was rescued in a pre-dawn military operation Tuesday, hours after his resignation, as violent clashes ...

The government was recently thrown into disarray when ministers stepped down en masse. "(I) strongly condemn the violent acts taking place by those inciting and participating, irrespective of political allegiances," he wrote. Following the chaotic scenes, the government brought in an island-wide curfew, and soon afterwards the Prime Minister, 76, resigned. Dozens of homes were torched across the country amid the violence, according to witnesses CNN spoke to. Some people have died waiting. "It is vitally important for the security forces to fully respect the right to peaceful assembly, and for those responsible for violence to be held to account," Ganguly said.

Troops are on the streets across Sri Lanka after a night of anti-government unrest fuelled by an economic crisis.

You can also get in touch in the following ways: Following Mahinda Rajapaksa's resignation, protesters attempted to breach the inner compound of Temple Trees where he was staying along with several loyalists, and set fire to a bus outside the home. Elsewhere in Colombo, tensions remained high. Many protesters are still calling for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, brother of Mahinda, to leave office. Men armed with sticks and rods had established road blocks on the routes leading to and from the airport, and police and security forces - usually a common sight in the area - were nowhere to be seen, reports the BBC's Anbarasan Ethirajan. As the night went on, mobs of protesters across the country torched houses belonging to the Rajapaksas, various ministers and MPs. This included a house turned into a controversial museum by the Rajapaksas in the family's ancestral village in Hambantota in southern Sri Lanka.