Sri Lanka: President Gotabaya Rajapaksa revokes State of Emergency
Colombo (Sri Lanka), April 6: As Sri Lanka continues to struggle with nationwide protests over the severe economic crisis, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa issued a notification revoking the proclamation declaring the State of Emergency in the island nation.
According to a report by Daily Mirror, the State of Emergency has been revoked from midnight of April 5, 2022. President Rajapaksa had earlier announced an emergency in the island nation to ensure "public security and maintenance of public order."
Protests against the government continue in the country as people demand solutions to the ongoing economic crisis.
Meanwhile, an emergency health situation has been declared in Sri Lanka on Wednesday due to a severe shortage of medicines.
For the unversed, Sri Lanka has been battling a severe economic crisis with food and fuel scarcity affecting a large number of the people. The economy of the island nation has been in a free fall since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Sri Lanka is also suffering a foreign exchange shortage, which has hampered the country's ability to import food and fuel, resulting in power outages. Sri Lanka was forced to seek aid from friendly countries due to a shortage of essential goods.
On Sunday, 26 Sri Lankan cabinet ministers resigned en masse amid mounting public outrage over the government's handling of the country's economic crisis. According to the Daily Mirror, all 26 of them signed a general letter consenting to resign, paving the way for a new Cabinet to be formed.
Moreover, the United States on Tuesday expressed deep concerns over the economic situation in Sri Lanka and urged authorities in the island nation to exercise restraint while avoiding social media blackouts.
"We are deeply concerned about the economic situation in Sri Lanka. All have the right to peacefully protest and voice their views. We urge authorities to exercise restraint and to avoid social media blackouts and arrests under the Prevention of Terrorism Act in response," read a tweet by US State Department spokesperson Ned Price.
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-PTC News
