In Sri Lanka, the state of emergency will be lifted on Thursday after a month. New president Ranil Wickremesinghe sees no need to expand the scheme, his office said. Months of protests had previously led to the overthrow of incumbent President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
The new president aims for a government of all parties and is already cracking down on protesters. More than 150 people have been arrested since he took office, according to media reports. The protests have since subsided, partly because Wickremesinghe has managed to absorb the petrol shortage a bit. A few days ago, the last people cleared the main protest camp near the president’s office in Colombo.
Sri Lanka is heavily indebted and experiencing its worst economic crisis in decades. The president of the country with 22 million inhabitants therefore hopes for help from the International Monetary Fund. This is subject to the condition that China, as one of the largest lenders, agrees to restructure Sri Lanka’s loans. As the island nation is unable to repay its debts, the Beijing-financed port was leased to China in 2017.
India helps with food
Recently, neighboring India has provided aid, including food, fuel, medicine and gas for cooking. The former Sri Lankan president and his family are accused of plagued the state with years of mismanagement and corruption.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
