Sri Lanka’s Defense Ministry has ordered state armed forces to shoot at people who damage property or endanger life. Earlier on, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa called for an end to violence and acts of revenge against other citizens on Twitter.
The island state to the east of India, which is home to 22 million people, is currently experiencing its worst economic crisis in decades. It leads to massive protests from residents who lack fuel, food and medicine.
The heavily indebted Sri Lanka lacks the money to import consumer goods. The government is not repaying its debts for the time being and wants to restructure them. The country is in talks with the International Monetary Fund and hopes for more financial help from China and India.
Violence despite curfew
Violence keeps happening. Government supporters and opponents clashed several times earlier this week. So far, more than 250 people have been injured and seven people have been killed. Dozens of homes belonging to Presidential Party politicians were set on fire.
The government has dispatched thousands of army, navy and air force personnel to patrol the streets of the capital Colombo and elsewhere, as reported by the broadcaster Al-Arabiya. A curfew will apply until Thursday, with exceptions only for people in indispensable professions, such as in the health sector, in telecommunications, in the media or in export, according to the President’s office. Government troops and police patrol the streets.
Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is a brother of the President, resigned on Monday. All ministers also lost their posts with this step. So far, no successor to Rajapaksa has been announced. Members of parliament are to appoint a new prime minister, who is then to form a new cabinet that can govern on an interim basis.
The prime minister fled to a naval base on Tuesday. Protesters called for his arrest. They accused him of organizing attacks on anti-government protesters.