A protest by hundreds of people who tried to storm the home of Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has turned violent, with at least one man critically injured, as residents criticized the government’s handling of the country’s crippling economic crisis.
Security forces fired into the crowd – it was not immediately clear whether they were using live ammunition or rubber bullets – and used tear gas and water cannon to disperse protesters demanding Rajapaksa’s resignation.
Protesters set fire to an army bus parked across the street leading to Rajapaksa’s home in Colombo’s Mirihana neighborhood and a police vehicle. They also brought down a neighbor’s wall and attacked officers and troops with bricks.
Official sources told AFP that Rajapaksa was not at home during the unrest but military officials held a meeting to discuss the crisis.
The capital was placed under an indefinite curfew in the wake of the violence. Four hours after the protest began, the area remained closed to vehicles.
People shout slogans outside the President’s private residence in Colombo during a protest against the current economic crisis. Photo: Chamila Karunarathne/EPA“I can’t go home because our area is barricaded,” a resident told AFP. “People are screaming for the resignation of the President and his family.”
The South Asian nation of 22 million people is in its worst downturn since independence, triggered by an acute shortage of foreign exchange to pay for even its most essential imports.
Diesel – the main fuel for buses and commercial vehicles – was unavailable at petrol stations across the island on Thursday, officials and media reports said – shutting down public transport.
The rally had been called by social media activists who were not immediately identified, but their anger was directed at Rajapaksa and his family.
A live broadcast of the demonstration by a private TV station was abruptly halted after journalists said it was due to government pressure.
However, videos shared on social media showed men and women shouting “crazy madmen go home” and demanding that all members of the powerful Rajapaksa family resign.
The president’s older brother, Mahinda, serves as prime minister, while the youngest – Basil – holds the portfolio of finance. Eldest brother Chamal is Minister of Agriculture while nephew Namal holds the Cabinet post for Sports.
Diesel shortages had sparked outrage across Sri Lanka in recent days, but protests have so far taken place in cities ahead of Thursday’s events and have not been aimed at a top leader.
“We siphon fuel from buses that are in the garage for repairs and use that diesel to run serviceable vehicles,” Transport Minister Dilum Amunugama said.
Owners of private buses – which make up two-thirds of the country’s fleet – said they were already running out of oil and might not even be able to do skeleton services after Friday.
The state power monopoly said it enforced a 13-hour power outage from Thursday – the longest on record – because they ran out of diesel for generators.
Reservoirs, which cover more than a third of the electricity requirement via hydroelectric power plants, were also at a dangerously low level.
Power rationing also hit cellphone base stations, affecting call quality, operators said, adding that their backup generators were also diesel-free.
Several state hospitals have stopped performing surgeries due to running out of life-saving drugs.
The government has said it is seeking a bailout from the International Monetary Fund while asking for more loans from India and China.
IMF spokesman Gerry Rice told reporters in Washington on Thursday that such talks should begin “in the coming days,” with Sri Lanka’s finance minister expected in the US capital.