Business Standard

Sri Lanka cancels leave of security forces amid second emergency in 5 weeks

The crisis-hit Sri Lanka on Friday declared a state of emergency after the crippling strike and protest over the external debt for the second time in five weeks.

The Securities & Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka on April 16 abruptly ordered the stock exchange to be halted for a week, citing the need to give investors time to digest the country’s economic conditions

Protests in Sri Lanka

ANI Asia

Sri Lanka on Saturday cancelled the leave of security forces with immediate effect after the declaration of a state of emergency in the island nation.

The Ministry of Defence divulged the information about the cancellation of the leaves, reported Daily Mirror.

The crisis-hit Sri Lanka on Friday declared a state of emergency after the crippling strike and protest over the external debt for the second time in five weeks.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defence said that some protesters have begun to disregard law and order, disrupting the work of the police and security forces.

The Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Public Security have informed the public to act as responsible citizens with utmost intelligence and patience during this difficult period to maintain law and order in the country.

 

"It must be stated that we all respect the democratic right of the people of Sri Lanka to peacefully express their agitations and protests within the democratic framework," the Defence Ministry said.

Sri Lanka is struggling with acute food and electricity shortages, forcing the country to seek help from its neighbours. The recession is attributed to foreign exchange shortages caused by a clampdown on tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic. The country is unable to buy sufficient fuel and gas, while the people are being deprived of basic amenities as well.

The economic situation has led to huge protests with demands for the resignation of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Topics : sri lanka

Don't miss the most important news and views of the day. Get them on our Telegram channel

First Published: May 08 2022 | 7:21 AM IST

Explore News