Berliner Boersenzeitung - Sri Lanka steps up security as anger over economic crisis boils over

EUR -
AED 4.293743
AFN 80.911162
ALL 97.783064
AMD 448.784581
ANG 2.092139
AOA 1071.963126
ARS 1468.362845
AUD 1.77632
AWG 2.107102
AZN 1.987413
BAM 1.954862
BBD 2.359767
BDT 142.111786
BGN 1.954862
BHD 0.440589
BIF 3482.228512
BMD 1.168989
BND 1.495482
BOB 8.093115
BRL 6.509626
BSD 1.168739
BTN 100.189908
BWP 15.60351
BYN 3.824664
BYR 22912.182033
BZD 2.347573
CAD 1.599603
CDF 3373.701668
CHF 0.930825
CLF 0.028933
CLP 1110.277061
CNY 8.379955
CNH 8.383708
COP 4691.643348
CRC 589.417077
CUC 1.168989
CUP 30.978205
CVE 110.212098
CZK 24.663208
DJF 208.120101
DKK 7.461891
DOP 70.376219
DZD 151.699184
EGP 57.882959
ERN 17.534833
ETB 161.015012
FJD 2.621165
FKP 0.865556
GBP 0.865806
GEL 3.167949
GGP 0.865556
GHS 12.154166
GIP 0.865556
GMD 83.583861
GNF 10140.132683
GTQ 8.977691
GYD 244.512633
HKD 9.176393
HNL 30.572325
HRK 7.54056
HTG 153.396369
HUF 400.094038
IDR 18971.520521
ILS 3.893322
IMP 0.865556
INR 100.329058
IQD 1530.965129
IRR 49229.041804
ISK 142.394872
JEP 0.865556
JMD 186.890292
JOD 0.828888
JPY 171.996813
KES 150.998626
KGS 102.228303
KHR 4685.750815
KMF 492.319316
KPW 1052.089992
KRW 1608.983375
KWD 0.357465
KYD 0.973933
KZT 610.636891
LAK 25186.910152
LBP 104715.635948
LKR 351.461297
LRD 234.327522
LSL 20.840197
LTL 3.45172
LVL 0.70711
LYD 6.313969
MAD 10.526647
MDL 19.786502
MGA 5177.514766
MKD 61.505477
MMK 2454.33277
MNT 4192.162352
MOP 9.449864
MRU 46.490684
MUR 53.141857
MVR 17.997683
MWK 2026.527256
MXN 21.809595
MYR 4.969362
MZN 74.768303
NAD 20.840197
NGN 1788.891847
NIO 43.009355
NOK 11.84101
NPR 160.304053
NZD 1.944502
OMR 0.449474
PAB 1.168739
PEN 4.144211
PGK 4.831681
PHP 66.026824
PKR 332.349471
PLN 4.264877
PYG 9057.65228
QAR 4.260655
RON 5.077849
RSD 117.093794
RUB 91.26865
RWF 1688.789372
SAR 4.384296
SBD 9.733571
SCR 16.480089
SDG 701.971099
SEK 11.17973
SGD 1.496323
SHP 0.918642
SLE 26.297188
SLL 24513.116917
SOS 667.879414
SRD 43.495148
STD 24195.709621
SVC 10.226091
SYP 15199.024107
SZL 20.846993
THB 37.852156
TJS 11.295478
TMT 4.103151
TND 3.419359
TOP 2.737893
TRY 46.99955
TTD 7.940189
TWD 34.167149
TZS 3029.846208
UAH 48.828962
UGX 4188.989263
USD 1.168989
UYU 47.257316
UZS 14765.912285
VES 133.578629
VND 30527.560087
VUV 139.867093
WST 3.045814
XAF 655.642288
XAG 0.030335
XAU 0.000347
XCD 3.159251
XDR 0.815409
XOF 655.642288
XPF 119.331742
YER 282.719428
ZAR 20.971543
ZMK 10522.306496
ZMW 27.055013
ZWL 376.413942
  • CMSC

    0.0900

    22.314

    +0.4%

  • CMSD

    0.0250

    22.285

    +0.11%

  • RBGPF

    0.0000

    69.04

    0%

  • SCS

    0.0400

    10.74

    +0.37%

  • RELX

    0.0300

    53

    +0.06%

  • RIO

    -0.1400

    59.33

    -0.24%

  • GSK

    0.1300

    41.45

    +0.31%

  • NGG

    0.2700

    71.48

    +0.38%

  • BP

    0.1750

    30.4

    +0.58%

  • BTI

    0.7150

    48.215

    +1.48%

  • BCC

    0.7900

    91.02

    +0.87%

  • JRI

    0.0200

    13.13

    +0.15%

  • VOD

    0.0100

    9.85

    +0.1%

  • BCE

    -0.0600

    22.445

    -0.27%

  • RYCEF

    0.1000

    12

    +0.83%

  • AZN

    -0.1200

    73.71

    -0.16%

Sri Lanka steps up security as anger over economic crisis boils over
Sri Lanka steps up security as anger over economic crisis boils over

Sri Lanka steps up security as anger over economic crisis boils over

Sri Lanka was under heavy security on Friday after hundreds of protesters tried to storm the president's home in a night of violence and anger at the unprecedented economic crisis.

Text size:

The South Asian nation is grappling with severe shortages of essentials, sharp price rises and crippling power cuts in its most painful downturn since independence in 1948. Many fear it will default on its foreign debts.

Thursday night's unrest outside Gotabaya Rajapaksa's private home in the capital saw hundreds of men and women, rallied by unidentified social media activists, demand he step down.

"Gota, go home," shouted a young woman as she marched to the president's home before clashes erupted with heavily armed police commandos and troops.

"We want our country back," shouted another woman, while others chanted "lunatic, lunatic, go home."

As police fired tear gas and water cannon, the crowd turned violent, setting ablaze two military buses, a police jeep, two patrol motorcycles and a three-wheeler. They also threw bricks at officers.

At least two protesters were wounded in police firing but it was not clear whether officers used live ammunition or rubber bullets. Four people were injured when a security vehicle ran over them.

Police said 53 protesters were arrested, but local media organisations said five news photographers were also detained and tortured at a local police station, a charge the government said it will investigate.

Elsewhere, another group of protesters barricaded a main road into Colombo with burning tyres.

An overnight curfew was lifted early Friday morning, but the police and military presence was beefed up around the city, with the burnt-out wreckage of a bus still blocking the road to Rajapaksa's house.

Officials said security had been stepped up across the country as there were calls for nationwide protests later Friday. Social media posts called on people to demonstrate peacefully outside their homes.

- 'Terrorists' -

Two government ministers said a major intelligence failure had placed the lives of the president and his wife in danger.

"Both the president and his wife were at their home when the protests were going on," Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella told reporters in Colombo, discounting earlier claims that they were away at the time.

"We had information of a demonstration, but nothing suggesting that it could turn violent. This is a major intelligence failure."

Transport Minister Dilum Amunugama said "terrorists" were behind the unrest.

Rajapaksa's office said Friday that the protesters wanted to create an "Arab Spring" -- a reference to anti-government protests in response to corruption and economic stagnation that gripped the Middle East over a decade ago.

"The Thursday night protest was led by extremist forces calling for an Arab Spring to create instability in our country," the president's office said in a brief statement.

Videos shared on social media verified as genuine by AFP showed men and women shouting anti-Rajapaksa slogans and demanding that all members of the powerful Rajapaksa family step down.

There were claims on social media that another powerful member of the ruling family was prevented from attending a flower show in the central hills on Friday after spectators began booing.

The president's elder brother Mahinda serves as prime minister while the youngest, Basil, is finance minister. His eldest brother and nephew also hold cabinet positions.

Sri Lanka's predicament has been compounded by the Covid-19 pandemic, which torpedoed tourism and remittances.

Many economists also say the crisis has been exacerbated by government mismanagement and years of accumulated borrowing.

- Record inflation -

The latest official data released Friday showed inflation in Colombo hit 18.7 percent in March, the sixth consecutive monthly record. Food prices soared a record 30.1 percent.

Colombo imposed a broad ban on imports in March 2020 in a bid to save foreign currency needed to repay nearly $7.0 billion this year to service its $51 billion debt.

Diesel shortages have sparked outrage across Sri Lanka in recent days, with protests kicking off in a number of towns but not aimed at any top leader.

Since Thursday diesel has been unavailable at stations across the island, according to officials and media reports.

The state electricity monopoly said it was enforcing a daily 13-hour power cut from Thursday -- the longest ever -- because it did not have diesel for generators.

Several state-run hospitals have stopped carrying out surgeries as they have run out of essential medicines.

The government has said it is seeking a bailout from the International Monetary Fund while asking for more loans from India and China.

IMF spokesman Gerry Rice told reporters in Washington on Thursday that talks should begin "in the coming days", with Sri Lanka's finance minister expected in the US capital.

(P.Werner--BBZ)