Sri Lanka PM’s Son Resigns As Minister Amid Economic Crisis: 10 Points

Namal Rajapaksa, the eldest son of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, has resigned because the Youth and Sports activities Minister. Earlier right now, he had urged the federal government to rethink the curbs on social media, mentioning that such bans are “utterly ineffective”. The ban was later eliminated.

Earlier on Sunday, college students protested outdoors the Peradeniya College in opposition to the financial disaster. Cops used tear gasoline and water cannon to attempt to disperse the protesters, who’re defying a weekend curfew imposed by the federal government.

Greater than 100 folks joined the march by Opposition leaders in capital Colombo earlier than it was stopped close to the house of opposition chief Sajith Premadasa by a big group of police and troopers carrying assault rifles.

The Sri Lankan authorities on Saturday blocked entry to all social media platforms, together with Fb, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp and YouTube, in its newest bid to quell protests in opposition to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

“The social media block is non permanent and imposed as a consequence of particular directions given by the Defence Ministry, the nation’s Telecommunications Regulatory Fee stated. “It was imposed within the pursuits of the nation and other people to keep up calm,” Jayantha de Silva, the Fee’s Chairman, informed Reuters.

The curfew, which started on Saturday 6pm, has been imposed until  Monday 6 am – a interval that covers deliberate mass anti-government protests in opposition to worsening shortages of gas, meals and medicines. A minimum of 664 folks have beeen arrested for violating the curfew, officers stated.

The curfew and state of emergency within the near-bankrupt nation got here as social media posts referred to as for protests on Sunday. “Don’t be deterred by tear gasoline, very quickly they are going to run out of {dollars} to re-stock,” stated one publish encouraging folks to exhibit even when police try to interrupt up gatherings.

The robust legal guidelines enable the army to arrest and detain suspects for lengthy intervals with out trial. In his defence, Mr Rajapaksa has stated that the state of emergency was wanted to guard public order and keep important provides and companies.

“#GoHomeRajapaksas” and “#GotaGoHome” have been trending for days on Twitter and Fb within the island nation, which is battling extreme shortages of necessities, sharp value rises and crippling energy cuts in its most painful downturn since independence from Britain in 1948.

The continued disaster – the results of financial mismanagement by successive governments – has been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has hit tourism and remittances. It has additionally marked a pointy turnaround in political assist for Mr Rajapaksa, who swept to energy in 2019 promising stability.