A Sri Lankan man shouts anti government slogans during a protest outside Sri Lankan president’s private residence on the outskirts of Colombo
Photo : AP
Sri Lanka news
- The anti-government protests over economic crisis continued on Monday. Thousands of people held protests in front of the houses of several former ministers today. A group of protesters in Kalutara staged protests in front of the Kalutara Public Meeting Office of former Minister Rohitha Abeygunawardena. The police used tear gas to disperse the crowd, news agency ANI reported citing Colombo Page.
- India is supplying fuel under USD 500 million credit line to Sri Lanka. Under the package, India was scheduled to supply 31,500 MT aviation fuel; 80,000 MT diesel and 73,000 MT petrol. Delivery of aviation fuel was scheduled by March third week, while 41,000 MT diesel and 37,000 MT petrol were delivered by the fourth week of March. The rest delivery was scheduled by April first week.
- India has announced another USD 1 billion as a credit to Sri Lanka. This will help the struggling country to keep its food prices and fuel costs under check.
- Sri Lanka’s ruling party secretary general said: “India is our neighbour and it has always helped us. This time also India is helping us and we are depending on it.”
- Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), ruling party , today said the government is going to survive the current crisis and President Rajapaksa won’t resign as has been demanded by the Opposition. SLPP Secretary General Sagara Kariyawasam said his party leaders met the ruling party MPs and it was a successful meeting. “Everyone has expressed their own opinion, Rajapaksa is not going to resign,” he said.
- Sri Lanka’s two main opposition parties, the SJB and the JVP, have rejected the President’s request to form an all-party interim government. The President should resign, Sajith Premdasa, LoP in Sri Lankan Parliament, said while peaking to ANI.
- Former Test captain Mahela Jayawardene has backed ongoing protests over economic crisis in the country. He said Sri Lanka’s leadership had lost the public’s confidence. “True leaders own up to mistakes. There is massive urgency here to protect the people of our country united in their suffering. These problems are man-made and can be fixed by the right, qualified people,” Jayawardene wrote on Twitter.
- People protested at Viharamahadevi Park amid economic crisis and raised slogans against Sri Lankan PM
Mahinda Rajapaksa . - Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa sacked brother and finance minister Basil Rajapaksa amidst economic crisis, an official said.
- Hours after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa invited the opposition to join a unity government, new ministers were appointed in Sri Lanka. Ali Sabry was appointed as new finance minister,
Dinesh Gunawardena as Education Minister, Prof GL Peiris Foreign Affairs Minister while the Highways portfolio went to Johnston Fernando. - Sri Lankan Opposition leader Sajith Premdasa appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to help his country in the time of crisis. “Please try and help Sri Lanka to the maximum possible extent. This is our motherland, we need to save our motherland,” Premadasa said in his appeal to the Indian PM.
- President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has extended an invitation to all political parties to join cabinet and accept ministerial posts to resolve the national crisis. “The president invites all political parties in parliament to accept cabinet posts and join the effort to seek solutions to the national crisis,” Rajapaksa’s office stated in a statement.
- The Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) Ajith Nivard Cabraal has tendered his resignation. “In the context of all Cabinet Ministers resigning, I have today submitted my resignation as Governor, @CBSL to HE President Gotabaya Rajapaksa,” Cabraal Tweeted.
- The economic crisis in Sri Lanka has led to huge shortage of fuel across the country. Long queues were seen at fuel filling stations in Colombo.
- Trading halted on Sri Lanka stock exchange after 5.9 per cent plunge.
- The 36-hour long curfew that was imposed on Sri Lanka was lifted today Monday morning at 6 am. However, the country still remains under the effect of a state of emergency.
- Experts said the ministers resigned amid huge public pressure over the incumbent government’s alleged “mishandling” of the economic crisis.
- The people of Sri Lanka have been vociferously calling for Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s resignation.
- Thousands of people have been gathering on the streets to protest against the government’s poor handling of the economic crisis.
- People have been facing long hours of power outages and scarcity of essentials.
- On Sunday, Lankan troops were deployed to stop a protest by Opposition lawmakers as hundreds of their supporters attempted to march to the capital’s Independence Square.
- As Sri Lanka undergoes one of the worst crisis, a number of former and current cricketers, including Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, and Wanindu Hasaranga expressed their concern over the situation.
- “Sri Lankans are going through one of the toughest times imaginable. It is heartbreaking to see the despair of people and families as they struggle to make it through the day; and each day for them gets harder. The people are raising their voices and asking for what is needed: a solution. While some are reacting in resentment and anger to that voice, others are trying to take undue advantage of it. The right choice is to listen to the people, put aside destructive personal and political agendas and act in the best interests of Sri Lanka. The people are not an enemy. Sri Lanka is its people. Time is fast running out, the people and their future must be protected and provided for,” Sangakkara stated on Instagram.
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