Lanka's defence ministry asks people to assist in managing economic crisis

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared a public emergency for the second time in two months as protests against spiraling inflation and discontent with the government escalated.

The declaration, made in an extraordinary gazette late Friday, gives Rajapaksa sweeping powers to suspend laws, detain people and seize property as a 24-hour general strike by workers ground the country to a near halt. 

Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa criticized the emergency declaration, saying it “runs counter to seeking any solution to the crisis.” 

US and European envoys tweeted calls for the restoration of citizens’ right to protest peacefully.

Trade unions have joined protesters in demanding that