Sri Lanka curfew nationwide

Sri Lankan police said the nationwide curfew will be in effect from 6pm today to 6am on February 4. Security officials on the night of April 1 imposed a curfew in areas in Western province, southwest of the country, including the capital Colombo.

The announcement came a day after Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared a state of emergency due to widespread protests demanding his ouster. The state of emergency allows the Sri Lankan military to detain suspects for long periods without trial.

The nation of 22 million people is facing severe shortages of basic necessities, soaring prices and power outages during its worst recession since independence from Britain in 1948.

The wave of protests over fuel shortages and inflation in the past few weeks in Sri Lanka escalated into violence on the night of March 31 in Colombo, when protesters tried to attack the presidential residence and demand the resignation of Rajapaksa. Police fired tear gas and used water cannon to disperse the crowd.

The mob then turned violent, setting fire to two military vehicles, a police jeep, two patrol motorcycles and a tricycle. They also threw bricks at law enforcement. At least two protesters were injured, while 53 were arrested. Dozens of activists on the evening of April 1, carrying handwritten banners and oil lamps, joined a protest at a busy intersection in the capital, calling for the president’s resignation.

Anti-government protests also took place in the southern towns of Galle, Matara and Moratuwa, and the northern and central regions, causing traffic jams on major roads.

President Rajapaksa’s office said the protesters wanted to create an “Arab Spring”, a reference to anti-government protests that took place in the Middle East more than a decade ago.

Sri Lankan media reported that pumping stations across the island had no more diesel to sell to residents. The private bus system on the island nation has warned to stop operating because it is about to run out of diesel fuel. The National Electricity Corporation had to cut power for 13 hours on March 31 due to insufficient fuel to operate the generator, and the amount of water in the hydroelectric reservoir was at an alarming level.

The power outages also affected mobile base stations and communications in Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, some state-run hospitals have had to suspend surgery plans due to insufficient medicine.

Vu Anh (According to AFP)