Lanka Crisis : Sri Lanka govt declares another emergency in a month
Sri Lanka is suffering with acute food and electricity shortages, forcing the country to seek help from its neighbours. Another emergency had already been declared on Apr 1, this year.
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Colombo, May 7: Sri Lanka that is in an official economic and energy crisis since more than a month, has declared a state of emergency on Friday (May 6). The announcement followed crippling strike and protest over the external debt.
Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa today declared a state of emergency citing "public security and protection of public order and for the maintenance of supplies and services essential to the life of the community." The emergency came into effect from the midnight of May 6. The emergency comes after massive protests across the island nation demanding the resignation of President Rajapaksa and the entire govt over the economic crisis in Lanka.
Initially, another emergency had already been declared on Apr 1, this year. Earlier, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in a special meeting requested Lanka PM Mahinda Rajapaksa to step down from his power as a solution to the ongoing political crisis in Lanka. In the meeting, President Rajapaksa also mentioned that if the new govt is capable of coming up with an effective solution to the ongoing crisis then his blessings are with the new govt.
Trade unions staged a nationwide strike demanding his resignation over the crisis. Over 2,000 trade unions participated in today's (May 7) nationwide hartal and strike against the President, Prime Minister and the govt.
Sri Lanka is suffering with acute food and electricity shortages, forcing the country to seek help from its neighbours. The island nation is unable to buy sufficient fuel and gas while the people are being deprived of basic amenities as well.
