[Colombo, 2nd Archyde.com]–Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has declared a crisis all over the country on the night of the 1st, when violent protests are taking place due to the economic crisis.
Hundreds of demonstrators, police and troops clashed outside the president’s private residence near the capital Colombo on the 31st. Police arrested 53 people. On the 1st, the government issued a stay-at-home order in and around the capital to curb demonstrations that occur in various places.
Sri Lanka, an island nation in the Indian Ocean with a population of 22 million, has been hit by the global epidemic of the new coronavirus, both in tourism in major industries and in remittances by migrants abroad. In addition, the tax cuts promised by President Rajapaksa in the 2019 election have hit the public finances directly.
Due to a shortage of daily necessities, soaring prices, and a shortage of foreign currency, fuel cannot be imported, and rolling blackouts are being implemented for 13 hours a day.