In the grip of a historic economic crisis, Sri Lanka will devote meager gas reserves to crematoriums and priority industries, the Prime Minister announced after the arrival of a new shipment on Tuesday, June 14. Cremations had to be canceled for lack of fuel.
Whereas Sri Lanka is going through a serious economic crisisthe Prime Minister announced on Tuesday that a new shipment of gas would be dedicated to supplying crematoria, hospitals and hotels.
” We will supply large consumers, i.e. hotels, hospitals and crematoriums Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said in a video statement to the press late Tuesday evening.
Ranil Wickremesinghe said another shipment was expected in two weeks, this time to supply households. Sri Lanka is going through the worst economic crisis since its independence and is facing severe shortages of fuel, food and medicine.
According to Ranil Wickremesinghe, Sri Lanka will only be able to meet 50% of its usual fuel demand over the next four months.
The government plans to unveil a rationing system in July.
The prime minister added that an IMF delegation was expected in Sri Lanka next Monday to continue talks on its emergency bailout request. The government says it needs $6 billion to keep the economy afloat.
The country, which has already defaulted on its $51 billion foreign debt, lacks the foreign currency needed to finance essential import commodities.
Cremations canceled for lack of gas
The island of 22 million inhabitants, neighboring India, has lived for many months to the rhythm of daily power outages, long queues in front of fuel stations, food rationing and a record inflation.
Mortuary services have not escaped the rise in prices. A one-day funeral service, which cost 380,000 rupees (1,800 euros) in December, is now more than double that.
The majority of the population of Sri Lanka belongs to the Buddhist church, whose faithful are traditionally cremated, while the Christian and Muslim minorities opt for burial.
According to the local press, several Buddhist cemeteries located outside the capital Colombo had to cancel cremations for lack of gas and offered bereaved families to bury the deceased.
Last year, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, the government was criticized for suspending burials of the dead Muslims, forcing their relatives to cremate them.
(with AFP)