Sri Lanka: Protests near president's house turn violent
Angered by a worsening economic situation, thousands took to the streets of the capital Colombo. Here is a summary of what Sri Lankans have been going through.
Firing tear gas at the protesters
Thousands of protesters gathered outside President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's house in the capital Colombo Thursday night demanding his resignation. They blame the president for long power outages and lack of essential goods. Police used tear gas to scatter the crowd and arrested about 50 people. It was the latest development in Sri Lanka’s current economic crisis — its worst in decades.
No money to buy the essentials
Sri Lanka is struggling with crippling foreign debt. In the past two years the country's foreign exchange reserves fell 70%, according to Reuters news agency. The southeast Asian nation of 22 million has been unable to pay for fuel shipments or buy what it needs from other countries.Gas shortages have disrupted daily life on the island with bus drivers unable to afford fuel and passengers fares.
Long blackouts
The worsening economic situation has led to a spike in fuel prices, with petrol costs almost doubling over the past four months. Since the country produces most of its electricity using imported fossil fuels, the government has had to impose power cuts. On Thursday, electricity lines across the country were switched off for 13 hours, forcing the hospitals to halt routine surgeries.
Long fuel lines
The blackouts are expected to grow longer in duration and soon stretch 16 hours a day, with authorities even turning off street lights. People must wait in long lines for hours before they can buy petrol or have their cooking gas canisters refilled. Several elderly people have died waiting in long lines for fuel on hot days. Medicine and essential food items have also become hard to find.
Government blames COVID-19's effect on tourism
Some officials, including Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga, have said the current situation is the result of COVID-19's blow to the tourism industry, one of Sri Lanka's main sources of income. But critics say that the government's tax cuts have put increased pressure on the country's public finances, triggering a spiraling economic crisis.
The president's nepotism
In addition, some independent politicians and protesters cite President Rajapaksa’s nepotism as one of the main causes for the current situation. The Rajapaksas have been one of the most influential families in the country for at least two decades. The current president has been widely criticized for appointing his brothers as ministers and giving other key positions to relatives.
Rising tensions
Supply shortages added to public anger, which has simmered for weeks. Since earlier this month a series of large demonstrations have been taking place across the country. On Tuesday, the president deployed the army to gas stations to oversee fuel distribution. The situation grew more tense last night when the demonstration turned violent, leading to an overnight curfew.