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Sri Lanka is sinking deeper and deeper into an economic crisis. The country does not have enough money to import gas and oil and the import of other, so-called “non-essential” goods is therefore limited. This situation has already led to a shortage of paper, preventing millions of students from taking their exams. On Friday, we learned that some newspapers will no longer appear or will have fewer pages.
One of the country’s largest publishers, Upali, has announced it is suspending the Saturday edition of two newspapers, including the popular “The Island”. Only an online edition will appear, he said.
Other newspapers limit the number of pages. Some weeklies only appear once a month.
Earlier, it was learned that the students’ exams had been postponed due to lack of paper. Official documents are also less likely to be printed.
Sri Lanka is facing a severe economic crisis. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the country hardly receives any tourists, one of its main sources of income. The Sri Lankan government cannot afford to import enough gas and oil, so there are only a few hours of electricity a day. There are also long queues at gas stations.
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