Desk Report
Publish: 03 Apr 2022, 01:40 pm
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has imposed a state of emergency and a nationwide curfew is in effect until Monday morning I| Photo: AFP
Sri Lanka blocked access to social media
platforms on Sunday after authorities imposed a weekend nationwide curfew to
contain protests over a worsening economic crisis.
The South Asian nation is facing
severe shortages of food, fuel and other essentials, along with sharp price
rises and crippling power cuts, in its most painful downturn since independence
from Britain in 1948.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa imposed a
state of emergency on Friday, the day after a crowd attempted to storm his home
in the capital Colombo, and a nationwide curfew is in effect until Monday
morning.
Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram
and WhatsApp were among the platforms shut down by internet service providers
on the orders of defence authorities, the pro-government Ada Derana news
channel said.
"On the request of the defence
ministry, service providers advised to temporarily restrict social media
platforms," the broadcaster said, quoting Sri Lanka's media regulator.
Anonymous activists had called for
mass protests on Sunday on social media before the order went into effect.
Hundreds of people defied the curfew
on Saturday night and staged small demonstrations in various Colombo
neighbourhoods, but dispersed peacefully, police and residents said.
The anti-government hashtags
"#GoHomeRajapaksas" and "#GotaGoHome" have been trending
locally for days on Twitter and Facebook after severe shortages of essentials,
sharp price rises and crippling power cuts.
Police said one social media activist
was arrested on Friday for allegedly posting material that could cause public
unrest.
Western ambassadors in Colombo have
expressed concern over the use of emergency laws to stifle democratic dissent
and said they were closely monitoring developments.
Armed troops have been deployed around
the country to maintain order.
Foreign exchange shortage
A critical lack of foreign currency
has left Sri Lanka struggling to service its ballooning $51 billion public
debt, with the pandemic torpedoing vital revenue from tourism and remittances.
The crisis has also left the
import-dependent country unable to pay for sorely needed goods
Diesel shortages have sparked outrage
across Sri Lanka in recent days, causing protests at empty pumps, and
electricity utilities have imposed 13-hour blackouts to conserve fuel.
Many economists also say the crisis
has been exacerbated by government mismanagement, years of accumulated borrowing,
and ill-advised tax cuts.
Sri Lanka is in negotiations for an
International Monetary Fund bailout and ratings agencies have cast doubt over
the government's ability to service its spiralling $51 billion in public debt.
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