Twenty-four people have also been injured, on spontaneous events, denouncing acute oil shortages and rising prices.
Le Monde with AFP
A man was killed, Tuesday, by the Sri Lankan police on the sidelines of a new anti-supermication protest, while the island passes through, for several weeks, its most serious economic crisis since its independence in 1948. Four people were also injured during these events, officials announced.
The police fired real bullets against a group that blocked a highway in Rambukkana, in the center of the country, to protest against acute oil shortages and high prices, reported hospital managers and the hospital. police. “A man died of bullet wounds,” said AFP a head of the hospital, by phone.
Sixteen other protesters were injured, of whom eight had to be urgently operated, while eight policemen were also injured.
Spontaneous events throughout the island
In Sri Lanka, huge manifestations called for the resignation of the government that is preparing to negotiate an urgent bailout with the International Monetary Fund, which it seeks to get three to $ 4 billion. The country announced, on April 12, to lack its external debt of $ 51 billion. The government needs dollars, in order to finance its fuel imports, among other essential products.
Tuesdays, spontaneous events have erupted throughout the island where, according to the police and local authorities, tens of thousands of angry motorists have burned tires and blocked roads to protest the fuel shortage and rising prices. The main fuel distributor of the country, Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) increased its tariffs of 64.2%, and the private distributor Lanka IOC, which represents a third of the fuel market, 35%.
These protests of motorists took place in parallel with that which took place in Colombo, for the e day in a row, calling for the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, because of the aggravation of the economic crisis.
Doctors of the country’s main children’s hospital also demonstrated, Tuesday, in front of the establishment to claim medicines and medical equipment.
Sri-Lankan expatriates called to make donations
To attempt to defuse the crisis, President Rajapaksa has appointed, on Monday, a new government, including two of his brothers and a nephew have been ruled out. He maintained his elder brother and head of the clan, Mahinda Rajapaksa, to the post of Prime Minister.
Dozens of members of the Rajapaksa coalition have changed camp and took place on Tuesday, on the opposition benches in Parliament.
“People suffer because of the economic crisis and I regret it deeply,” the day before, the president in the new cabinet, granting that the Sri Lanka had to go to the IMF “much earlier”. He also admitted that the government had committed an “error”, by prohibiting agrochemicals last year, a measure taken to save currencies, which the country is also short. The measure has had a devastating effect on agricultural yields.
The Pandemic of Covid-19 played a big role in the collapse of the economy, depriving this island of South Asia with an essential resource, tourism.
While the exchanges were suspended on the Colombo Stock Exchange, the Government pressed expatriate Sri Lankan nationals to donate currency to their country to allow him the purchase of essential goods.