The prime minister also imposes a curfew in the capital to contain protesters in what is the country’s worst economic crisis in decades
The crisis into which Sri Lanka has sunk is getting worse. On Wednesday, the prime minister, who is acting as interim president after the president’s flight Tuesday night, declared a state of emergency in the country and an indefinite curfew in the western province, where the capital Colombo is located.
“We need a curfew to bring the situation under control,” a police official told AFP, adding that the order was given to put down the demonstrations that disrupt the functioning of the state.
The measures are intended to contain the crowd, which took to the streets after learning of the president’s flight. Gotabaya Rajapaksa left the country on a military plane on Tuesday evening for the nearby Maldives archipelago. Rajapaksa, 73, was traveling with his wife and two security officers. His escape puts an end to a family dynasty that has dominated Sri Lanka for the past two decades. His brother, former finance minister Basil Rajapaksa, has also left the country.
Police have had to go to great lengths to stop protesters marching to the prime minister’s office, even using tear gas. The population is demanding that both the president and prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, officially resign, as they promised to do last week. Parliament will elect a new president on the 20th.
Last Saturday, a mob took over the presidential palace. Sri Lanka, located south of India, is bankrupt and embroiled in its worst economic crisis in decades. For months, the population has faced power cuts and rationing of basic necessities, such as gasoline, food and medicine.
Now rampant inflation has made shopping baskets more expensive and the supply of many foodstuffs has fallen short of demand.
The president enjoys immunity from trial while in charge of the country. Several analysts insist that his flight could be related to the idea of avoiding a possible arrest by the new government.
Source: La Verdad
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