Sri Lanka’s president has declared a state of emergency and given sweeping powers to the security forces a day after hundreds tried to storm his home in anger at an unprecedented economic crisis.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Friday invoked the strict laws that allowed the military to arrest suspects and detain them for extended periods without trial as demonstrations calling for his resignation spread across the South Asian nation.
The state of emergency was declared to “protect public order and to maintain supplies and services essential to the life of the community,” he said in a proclamation.
The nation of 22 million people is facing serious shortages of basic necessities, soaring prices and crippling power outages in its most painful downturn since independence from Britain in 1948.
The police again imposed a night curfew in the western province, which also includes the capital Colombo, on Friday and extended the no-go zone from the previous night.
Earlier in the evening, dozens of rights activists carried handwritten placards and oil lamps into the capital while demonstrating at a busy intersection.
“Time to leave Rajapaksas,” read one poster. “No more corruption, go home Gota,” said another – referring to the president.
In the highland city of Nuwara Eliya, activists blocked the opening of a flower exhibition by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s wife, Shiranthi, police said.
Anti-government protests also erupted in the southern cities of Galle, Matara and Moratuwa, and similar demonstrations were reported from the northern and central regions. All held up traffic on the main roads.
Hundreds of people demanded his resignation during the riots in front of the president’s private home on Thursday evening.
People chanted “Crazy, crazy, go home” before police fired tear gas and used water cannons.
The crowd turned violent and set fire to two military buses, a police jeep, two patrol motorcycles and a tricycle. They also threw stones at the officers.
At least two protesters were injured. Police said 53 protesters were arrested, but local media organizations said five news photographers were also being held at a local police station and tortured, a charge the government will investigate.
“intelligence failure”
Two government ministers said a serious intelligence blackout on Thursday put the lives of the president and his wife at risk.
“Both the President and his wife were at home when the protests took place,” Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella told reporters in Colombo, dismissing previous claims that she was absent at the time.
“We had information about a demonstration, but nothing indicated that it could become violent. This is a major intelligence failure.”
Transport Minister Dilum Amunugama said “terrorists” were behind the riots.
Rajapaksa’s office said Friday the protesters wanted to create an “Arab Spring” – a reference to anti-government protests in response to corruption and economic stagnation that swept the Middle East more than 10 years ago.
One of the president’s brothers, Mahinda, serves as prime minister, while the youngest, Basil, is finance minister. His eldest brother and nephew also hold cabinet posts.
Sri Lanka’s predicament has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has torpedoed tourism and remittances.
Many economists also say the crisis has been exacerbated by government mismanagement and years of accumulated borrowing.
record inflation
The latest official data released on Friday showed that inflation in Colombo hit 18.7 percent in March, the sixth straight monthly record. Food prices rose a record 30.1 percent.
Colombo imposed a sweeping import ban in March 2020 to save foreign exchange needed to repay nearly $7 billion this year to service its $51 billion debt.
Diesel shortages have sparked outrage across Sri Lanka in recent days, prompting protests over empty petrol pumps.
The state power monopoly said it was enforcing a daily 13-hour power outage starting Thursday – the longest ever – because it ran out of diesel for generators.
Several state hospitals, facing shortages of life-saving medicines, have suspended routine surgeries.
The government has said it is seeking a bailout from the International Monetary Fund while asking for more loans from India and China.