Lanka burning

Gotabaya gives shooting order against protesters; Mahinda and kin go into hiding at naval base

Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Defence on Tuesday ordered the Army, the Air Force and the Navy personnel to open fire on anyone looting public property or causing harm to others amidst violent protests in the island nation over the unprecedented economic crisis. The order came after embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa urged people to stop “violence and acts of revenge” and vowed to address the political and economic crisis facing the nation. Amid growing unrest,  former prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa stayed put at a naval base on Tuesday. As the former PM and his family were flown to the naval base in Trincomalee, demonstrators surrounded the premises, too. The death toll rose to eight in the violence that erupted after supporters Mahinda Rajapaksa attacked anti-government protesters on Monday.

A security personnel walks past a burned vehicle near ex-PM Mahinda Rajapaksa’s official residence, in Colombo on Tuesday

Sri Lanka gave emergency powers on Tuesday to its military and police to detain people without warrants, after a day of clashes that killed seven people and injured more than 200, in violence that prompted Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to resign.  As the Indian Ocean nation battles its worst economic crisis in history, thousands of protesters had defied curfew to attack government figures, setting ablaze homes, shops and businesses belonging to ruling party lawmakers and provincial politicians.

A burnt car at a square a day after govt supporters, anti-govt protesters clashed in Colombo, on Tuesday. Pic/AFP

Despite sporadic reports of unrest, the situation calmed by Tuesday, said police spokesman Nihal Thalduwa, adding that about 200 people had also been injured in violence that led to an islandwide curfew.  The government of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the younger brother of the prime minister, outlined broad powers for the military and police to detain and question people without arrest warrants. The military can detain people for up to 24 hours before handing them to police, while private property can be searched by force, including private vehicles, the government said in a gazette notification on Tuesday.

Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned as Lankan PM on Monday amid a wave of unprecedented protests across the country. File pic

“Any person arrested by a police officer shall be taken to the nearest police station,” it said, fixing a 24-hour deadline for the armed forces to do the same. Some analysts expressed concern over the potential for abuse of the emergency measures. “In a situation where there is both a state of emergency and curfew who can monitor to ensure these regulations are not abused?” said Bhavani Fonseka, of the Centre for Policy Alternatives think tank in Colombo. Sri Lanka’s economic crisis follows the COVID pandemic that crippled its tourism earnings.

Burnt buses near Mahinda Rajapaksa’s official residence in Colombo on Tuesday

Mob targets top cop near PM’s residence

A top Sri Lankan police officer was on Tuesday assaulted by a mob of protesters who also set fire to his vehicle near the prime minister’s official residence in the capital Colombo. Senior Deputy Inspector-General Deshabandu Tennakoon, the highest-ranking officer in Colombo, was rushed to emergency treatment and has returned home, reports said.

Convene Parliament: Speaker to President

Sri Lankan Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana has requested that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa convene the House as soon as possible to discuss the current situation, which includes unprecedented violence and widespread protest against the government over the country’s worst economic crisis in decades, a media report said.

Security personnel near the wreckage of a vehicle that was set afire on Monday, in the capital on Tuesday. Pics/AFP

Tweet talk

Mahela Jayawardene, Lankan ex-cricketer 

This is how they attacked a female protester in front of police officers... shame on you @PodujanaParty and government of SL for using violence

Niroshan Dickwella, Lankan cricketer

I am disappointed to even think we have such leadership in our country. My heart is with everyone standing United for this cause

200
No. of protesters wounded on Monday

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