AGL 40.15 Increased By ▲ 0.15 (0.38%)
AIRLINK 130.85 Increased By ▲ 1.32 (1.02%)
BOP 6.87 Increased By ▲ 0.19 (2.84%)
CNERGY 4.52 Decreased By ▼ -0.11 (-2.38%)
DCL 8.84 Decreased By ▼ -0.10 (-1.12%)
DFML 41.99 Increased By ▲ 0.30 (0.72%)
DGKC 83.51 Decreased By ▼ -0.26 (-0.31%)
FCCL 32.94 Increased By ▲ 0.17 (0.52%)
FFBL 76.50 Increased By ▲ 1.03 (1.36%)
FFL 11.88 Increased By ▲ 0.41 (3.57%)
HUBC 110.35 Decreased By ▼ -0.20 (-0.18%)
HUMNL 14.30 Decreased By ▼ -0.26 (-1.79%)
KEL 5.46 Increased By ▲ 0.07 (1.3%)
KOSM 8.19 Decreased By ▼ -0.21 (-2.5%)
MLCF 38.98 Decreased By ▼ -0.81 (-2.04%)
NBP 64.52 Increased By ▲ 4.23 (7.02%)
OGDC 197.90 Decreased By ▼ -1.76 (-0.88%)
PAEL 25.96 Decreased By ▼ -0.69 (-2.59%)
PIBTL 7.65 Decreased By ▼ -0.01 (-0.13%)
PPL 156.97 Decreased By ▼ -0.95 (-0.6%)
PRL 26.08 Decreased By ▼ -0.65 (-2.43%)
PTC 17.95 Decreased By ▼ -0.51 (-2.76%)
SEARL 81.50 Decreased By ▼ -0.94 (-1.14%)
TELE 8.08 Decreased By ▼ -0.23 (-2.77%)
TOMCL 34.35 Decreased By ▼ -0.16 (-0.46%)
TPLP 8.80 Decreased By ▼ -0.26 (-2.87%)
TREET 16.85 Decreased By ▼ -0.62 (-3.55%)
TRG 58.92 Decreased By ▼ -2.40 (-3.91%)
UNITY 27.70 Increased By ▲ 0.27 (0.98%)
WTL 1.45 Increased By ▲ 0.07 (5.07%)
BR100 10,618 Increased By 211.3 (2.03%)
BR30 31,685 Decreased By -28.1 (-0.09%)
KSE100 98,985 Increased By 1656.2 (1.7%)
KSE30 30,828 Increased By 635.8 (2.11%)

COLOMBO: US and European diplomats Saturday urged Sri Lanka’s beleaguered president to repeal a state of emergency imposed after a general strike brought the bankrupt country to a halt.

Months of blackouts and acute shortages of food, fuel, and medicines have caused widespread suffering across the South Asian island nation, which is enduring its worst-ever economic downturn. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared a fresh state of emergency on Friday after weeks of protests demanding his government step down over its mismanagement of the crisis.

US ambassador Julie Chung said she was “concerned” by the second state of emergency in as many months, adding that Sri Lanka’s deepening economic crisis and political gridlock needed long-term solutions.

“The State of Emergency won’t help do that,” Chung said on Twitter.

The European Union said the ordinance “could have a counterproductive effect” and noted that a month of anti-government protests had so far been peaceful.

A spokesman for Rajapaksa said the state of emergency was imposed to “ensure public order” after Friday’s general strike brought public transport and economic activity to a halt.

Sri Lanka president declares state of emergency amid unrest

The measure gives sweeping detention powers to the military and allows the president to make laws without parliamentary approval.

Rajapaksa declared an earlier state of emergency on April 1, a day after thousands of protesters attempted to storm his home in the capital Colombo.

It was allowed to lapse days later, but protests have since escalated and spread to every corner of the island.

Thousands have been camped outside Rajapaksa’s seafront office for nearly a month to demand his resignation.

Police fired a barrage of tear gas and water cannon on Friday in an effort to disperse student protesters who were blockading parliament.

The government said in a Saturday statement that Sri Lanka was facing its “worst economic crisis and political instability ever”.

“The state of emergency was declared to ensure political stability which is a vital condition in overcoming the current socio-economic crisis,” the statement added.

Comments

Comments are closed.