Protesters burn leaders’ homes overnight after Sri Lanka’s economy collapses
Since Monday local time (May 9), domestic violence in Sri Lanka has escalated one after another. As of now, according to foreign media reports, five people have been killed and more than 190 injured, and the island-wide curfew has been extended to the morning of Wednesday (11th).
Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa announced via social media that he had handed in his resignation to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on the same day, amid massive protests against the government’s ineffective response to the economic crisis .
Sri Lankan President (left) and Prime Minister (right), two brothers
However, the prime minister’s resignation did not succeed in pacifying the protesters’ anger. On the night of the 9th, passionate demonstrators tried to storm the Prime Minister’s residence, where the Prime Minister was hiding. Images of the raging fire were posted on social media after the homes of the prime minister and several ministers were set ablaze by rioters late in the night.
Prime Minister’s home on fire
Since last month, demonstrations in Sri Lanka have been escalating due to soaring domestic prices and continuous power outages.
Many demonstrators called on Prime Minister Mahinda’s brother, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, to step down. During the daytime on the 9th, protesters and government supporters clashed violently in front of the President’s residence in “Temple Trees”, and then at the previous main protest site, “Galle Face Green” (Galle Face Green) There was an even more intense confrontation.
Demonstrators protesting the president’s resignation
Police and riot squads were deployed in advance at the demonstration site, and after government supporters broke through the cordon and attacked protesters with sticks, police fired tear gas and water cannons at the front. According to Sri Lankan police, angry demonstrators retaliated by attacking government supporters and targeting a ruling party lawmaker: The thugs swarmed the lawmaker’s car and shot and killed him. killed the two of them and then committed suicide.
As night fell, crowds of demonstrators were mobilized across the country. They attacked the home of the Rajapaksa family, the current prime minister and the president, whose ancestral village in southern Sri Lanka was not spared: a house in the village had been converted into a family museum by the Rajapaksa caused great controversy.
The homes of the Prime Minister, government ministers and MPs were all attacked. Videos posted on social media showed the houses engulfed in flames while the crowd cheered. According to reports, the area near the presidential residence was also involved in the fire.
The house of government minister Sanas Nisanta was also set on fire
Currently, Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis since independence from Britain in 1948. The country’s foreign exchange reserves have almost completely dried up. As an island country, Sri Lanka’s internal supply is heavily dependent on imports, so the pressure caused by the shortage of foreign exchange is extremely high. Necessities such as food, medicine and fuel have become so expensive that people are spending up to 30% more on food than they did a year ago. The cost of living is becoming more and more unaffordable, and people are outraged. In early April, doctors in Sri Lanka warned that severe power outages and drug shortages could lead to a “catastrophic increase” in the death toll. Many hospitals have suspended routine operations and laboratory tests, forcing doctors and nurses to protest; doctors in rural areas are even forced to suture wounds in the dark.
The Sri Lankan government has blamed the crisis on the new crown epidemic – the country’s largest source of foreign exchange earnings, tourism, has been nearly killed by the epidemic in the past two years. But many analysts say the country’s longstanding economic mismanagement may be to blame for the collapse.
A few days ago, the Sri Lankan government has requested 3 billion yuan in emergency financial assistance from the international community. The World Bank has agreed to provide it with a $600 million loan, and India has also pledged $1.9 billion.
Sri Lanka’s geographical location
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