Sri Lanka's cabinet resigns as protesters defy curfew
People shout slogans against Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa In Colombo
Amid large scale protests against the government over the escalating economic crisis in the country, Sri Lanka's entire cabinet resigned on Sunday.
There have been widespread protests in the past few days against President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his brother Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa amid shortage of fuel, rising inflation and large scale power cuts which has crippled the country's economy.
On Sunday, all 25 ministers resigned with the president now set to appoint a new cabinet. President Rajapaksahad earlier imposed a state of emergency as protesters attempted to storm the president's house in Colombo last week. A curfew has been imposed until Monday to quell the protests and bring the situation under control.
Also Read:Sri Lanka lifts social media gag as students defy curfew
Protesters came out on the streets on Sunday defying a nationwide curfew as the police resorted to firing tear gas shells and water cannons in Kandy. The police arrested several people for breaking the curfew, however, they were released on bail later.
The government had lifted restrictions on social media after blocking Twitter, Facebook and Whatsapp earlier. The economic crisis in Sri Lanka escalated as the pandemic hit the island nation two years ago, however, matters came to a head as the island nation witnessed saw steep inflation and depleting foreign reserves in the past several months.
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Watch:Sri Lankan government lifts social media ban amidongoing unrest
Lawyers in the country urged President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to revoke a state of emergency imposed over the weekend even as the government declared the nationwide curfew would be in place till Monday. The imposition of curfew was followed by arrests around the capital Colombo as protests continued.
Amid the anti-government demonstrations, the US ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung said: "Sri Lankans have a right to protest peacefully - essential for democratic expression."
(With inputs from Agencies)