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Sri Lankan President asks opposition to join government, as a protest: 10 points

April 4, 2022
Bharat Times

Sri Lanka crisis: South Asian nation facing acute shortage of food, fuel

Colombo:
Sri Lanka Crisis: A new Sri Lankan cabinet is expected to be sworn in today as part of the government’s effort to deal with public anger against the ongoing economic difficulties.

Here are the top 10 updates to this big story

  1. Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Monday invited the opposition to join a unity government as protests demand his resignation over a worsening economic crisis that has spread across the island. “The president invites all political parties in parliament to accept cabinet positions and join the effort to resolve the national crisis,” his office said in a statement.

  2. Sri Lanka’s president appointed Ali Sabri on Monday as the country’s finance minister, as a new team of ministers took office following protests over the worsening economic crisis, the presidential office said.

  3. Sri Lankan central bank governor Ajit Nivard Cabral said on Monday that he has submitted his resignation in the context of the resignation of all cabinet ministers. Mr Cabral announced his resignation in a Twitter post.

  4. Sri Lanka’s stock exchange was halted trading seconds after it opened on Monday, when the blue-chip index fell 5.92 per cent following massive cabinet resignations in the face of an economic crisis.

  5. Barring President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his elder brother Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, all 26 cabinet ministers submitted resignation letters at a meeting late last night.

  6. Internet service providers were ordered to block access to social media platforms including Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, but the blackout did not stop several smaller demonstrations across Sri Lanka. Social media restrictions lifted In the second half of Sunday.

  7. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa imposed a state of emergency on Friday after a mob attempted to storm his home in the capital Colombo, and a nationwide curfew was in place until this morning. At least 664 people have been arrested for violating the curfew, officials said.

  8. Western diplomats in Colombo have expressed concern over the use of emergency laws that allow the military to arrest and detain suspects, and said they are monitoring developments closely.

  9. A significant foreign exchange crunch has left Sri Lanka struggling to service a $51 billion foreign debt, with the COVID-19 pandemic torpedoing significant revenues from tourism and remittances.

  10. In the most painful recession since independence from Britain in 1948, the South Asian country is facing severe shortages of food, fuel and other essentials. bailout