New Delhi: Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared a state of emergency from midnight on Friday amid nationwide protests in which the massive economic crisis has crippled the island nation.
A spokesman for the president said he called for tougher laws to “ensure public order” after trade unions went on a nationwide strike on Friday demanding his resignation over the worsening economic crisis.
The announcement came hours after student activists threatened to lay siege to Parliament.
Thousands of student activists of the Inter University Students Federation (IUSF) had blocked the main access road to the parliamentary complex since Thursday and staged a protest for nearly 24 hours.
Meanwhile, trade unions have launched an island-wide strike to demand the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his government over its inability to deal with the economic downturn that has caused unprecedented hardship to the public.
Sri Lanka’s government is facing a wave of protests across the country, with increasingly furious people demanding their resignation.
All trade unions of health, postal, port and other government services have joined the strike. However, several ruling party trade unions have refused to join.
Sri Lanka has been going through a period of unprecedented economic turmoil since independence from Britain in 1948. The crisis is partly due to a lack of foreign exchange, which means the country cannot pay for imports of staple foods and fuels. Leading to sharp shortages and very high prices.
Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets across Sri Lanka since April 9, as the government ran out of money for vital imports; The prices of essential commodities have skyrocketed and there is a severe shortage in the supply of fuel, medicines and electricity.
Despite mounting pressure, President Rajapaksa and his older brother and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa have refused to step down.
On Thursday, he won a crucial election in parliament when his candidate won the race for the vice president’s post.
A spokesman for the president said he called for tougher laws to “ensure public order” after trade unions went on a nationwide strike on Friday demanding his resignation over the worsening economic crisis.
The announcement came hours after student activists threatened to lay siege to Parliament.
Thousands of student activists of the Inter University Students Federation (IUSF) had blocked the main access road to the parliamentary complex since Thursday and staged a protest for nearly 24 hours.
Meanwhile, trade unions have launched an island-wide strike to demand the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his government over its inability to deal with the economic downturn that has caused unprecedented hardship to the public.
Sri Lanka’s government is facing a wave of protests across the country, with increasingly furious people demanding their resignation.
All trade unions of health, postal, port and other government services have joined the strike. However, several ruling party trade unions have refused to join.
Sri Lanka has been going through a period of unprecedented economic turmoil since independence from Britain in 1948. The crisis is partly due to a lack of foreign exchange, which means the country cannot pay for imports of staple foods and fuels. Leading to sharp shortages and very high prices.
Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets across Sri Lanka since April 9, as the government ran out of money for vital imports; The prices of essential commodities have skyrocketed and there is a severe shortage in the supply of fuel, medicines and electricity.
Despite mounting pressure, President Rajapaksa and his older brother and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa have refused to step down.
On Thursday, he won a crucial election in parliament when his candidate won the race for the vice president’s post.