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| Protesters chanted slogans and burned signs on the roads at Thursday's demonstration. On Friday morning, police arrested 45 people although no charges have been made against them yet. (Photo by= EPA) |
[아시아뉴스통신=레악카나 기자] Sri Lankan police-imposed curfew and fired tear gas at demonstrators protesting dire food, fuel and power shortages outside the president's house. Agitated protesters stormed through barricades, and were accused of setting fire to a bus on Thursday night, BBC reported.
President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa blamed the events on "extremist elements". Sri Lanka is in the midst of a foreign exchange crisis that has crippled its economy. Faced with 13-hour power cuts, a lack of fuel, essential food items and medicines, public anger has reached a new high. The protest outside the President's house began peacefully, but participants say things turned violent after police fired tear gas, water cannons and also beat people present. Protesters retaliated against the police by pelting them with stones. On Friday morning, police arrested 45 people although no charges have been made against them yet.
The demonstrations mark a massive turnaround in popularity for Mr Rajapaksa who swept into power with a majority win in 2019, promising stability and a "strong hand" to rule the country. News reports that the president and his ministers are exempt from the power cuts, along with opulent displays of wealth by family members, have only increased anger. In the more immediate term, a government refusal to let the Sri Lankan rupee depreciate also took a massive toll on its foreign reserves.
