Armed troops with broad powers to arrest suspects were deployed to Sri Lanka this Saturday, April 2, hours after the president declared a state of emergency due to escalating protests against him. A 36-hour curfew was also announced.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared a state of emergency on Friday evening, the day after hundreds of demonstrators attempted to break into his home to protest shortages of food, fuel and medicine.
The Head of State justified his decision by ” protection of public order and the maintenance of supplies and services essential to the life of the community “. Soldiers equipped with automatic weapons had previously been deployed to control crowds at gas stations and elsewhere, but there were more of them this Saturday.
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In normal times, the army cannot act alone and must content itself with supporting the police, but with a state of emergency, it can intervene alone, in particular to arrest civilians. The country of 22 million people is facing severe shortages of essential goods, a sharp rise in prices and long power cuts, in its worst economic crisis since its independence in 1948.
Collapse of tourism
Tourism and remittances from the diaspora, vital for the economy, have collapsed during the pandemic and the authorities have imposed a wide ban on imports in an attempt to save foreign currency. Travel specialists believe that the state of emergency will dash hopes for a revival in the tourism sector, such a situation usually triggering a rise in insurance rates.
We feel that leaders don’t see our problems, that they don’t understand what ordinary people are going through.
Jeevani Fernando, a resident of Colombo
Many economists say the crisis has also been exacerbated by government mismanagement, mounting debt and ill-advised tax cuts.
A curfew began at 6 p.m. local time and will remain in effect until Monday morning, in particular to prevent the escalation of the demonstrations. Large rallies were planned for Sunday, with activists encouraging people on social media to demonstrate outside their homes.
(With AFP)