After mass protests – Sri Lanka: several ministers resign

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Several ministers have resigned in the crisis-ravaged South Asian island of Sri Lanka. At least four department heads have resigned with more to follow, a government spokesman said on Sunday. Amid protests over the country’s severe economic crisis, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa announced his resignation on Saturday, July 13.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe also agreed to leave his post. Furious protesters stormed the presidential office and palace and set fire to the prime minister’s private residence on Saturday night (video above, image below). Both politicians had previously been brought to safety.

Dozens injured in Colombo . protests
Hundreds of protesters continued to occupy the presidential building on Sunday. There were no other incidents, police said. Three suspects have been arrested in connection with the fire at the prime minister’s house. Tens of thousands of people in the capital Colombo demanded the resignation of the political leadership during Saturday’s protests. At least 95 people were injured, a hospital spokeswoman said.

The island nation south of India with its approximately 22 million inhabitants is experiencing its worst economic crisis in decades. The protestors’ anger has been directed at, among other things, a lack of fuel, gas for cooking, as well as medicines and food, which have been around for months, as well as high inflation and power cuts for hours on end.

Tourist revenues have collapsed due to Corona
One reason for this is that tourism revenues, which are important to Sri Lanka, have collapsed in the wake of the corona pandemic. The heavily indebted country lacks the money to import important goods. The government has asked the International Monetary Fund and several countries such as India, China and Russia for help.

The UN Emergency Relief Office (OCHA) warned in June that the economic crisis could exacerbate a looming hunger crisis in Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon). The former British colony had been on a good development path for ten years and did not need humanitarian aid from the UN.

Source: Krone

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