Canadian envoy was summoned by the Sri Lankan government to protest against his country’s decision to impose "unilateral sanctions" on its four citizens, including two former presidents— Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The other two citizens who were sanctioned include Staff Sergeant Sunil Ratnayake and Lt Commander Chandana P Hettiarachchithe.

Sri Lanka’s foreign ministry expressed displeasure over the move to Canada's Acting High Commissioner in Colombo.

"Foreign Minister Ali Sabry summoned the Canadian Acting High Commissioner Daniel Bood to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," the foreign ministry said in a tweet.

He "expressed the deep regret of the Government on the announcement of unilateral sanctions brought against four individuals including two former Presidents of Sri Lanka by the Government of Canada based on unsubstantiated allegations," it added.

<h2>WION Dispatch: Sri Lanka's former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa leaves for US</h2>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/wion-dispatch-sri-lankas-former-president-gotabaya-rajapaksa-leaves-for-us-547453/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

During the meet, the foreign ministry said that the Canadian government’s decision to impose sanctions was based on domestic political compulsions and added that it sets a “dangerous precedent and is inimical to Sri Lanka's interests”.

"It was also stressed that the announcement by Canada is detrimental to the Government's ongoing efforts towards national unity, reconciliation, and stability," it said.

The Colombo government asked Canada to review the decision and engage constructively with Sri Lanka.

On Tuesday. Canada imposed sanctions on four Sri Lankans for committing what it called "gross and systematic violations of human rights" during the country's civil war.

This is the first time that the Rajapaksa brothers were banned by any country despite long held accusations of rights abuses and corruption.

Notably, Sri Lanka's majority Sinhalese population had praised the brothers for defeating Tamil separatists after a 26-year civil war, which took place from 1983 to 2009.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE: 

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" loading="”lazy”" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe>

Canadian envoy was summoned by the Sri Lankan government to protest against his country’s decision to impose "unilateral sanctions" on its four citizens, including two former presidents— Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Canadian envoy was summoned by the Sri Lankan government to protest against his country’s decision to impose "unilateral sanctions" on its four citizens, including two former presidents— Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Mahinda Rajapaksa. The other two citizens who were sanctioned include Staff Sergeant Sunil Ratnayake and Lt Commander Chandana P Hettiarachchithe. Sri Lanka’s foreign ministry expressed displeasure over the move to Canada's Acting High Commissioner in Colombo. "Foreign Minister Ali Sabry summoned the Canadian Acting High Commissioner Daniel Bood to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," the foreign ministry said in a tweet. He "expressed the deep regret of the Government on the announcement of unilateral sanctions brought against four individuals including two former Presidents of Sri Lanka by the Government of Canada based on unsubstantiated allegations," it added. WION Dispatch: Sri Lanka's former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa leaves for US During the meet, the foreign ministry said that the Canadian government’s decision to impose sanctions was based on domestic political compulsions and added that it sets a “dangerous precedent and is inimical to Sri Lanka's interests”. "It was also stressed that the announcement by Canada is detrimental to the Government's ongoing efforts towards national unity, reconciliation, and stability," it said. The Colombo government asked Canada to review the decision and engage constructively with Sri Lanka. On Tuesday. Canada imposed sanctions on four Sri Lankans for committing what it called "gross and systematic violations of human rights" during the country's civil war. This is the first time that the Rajapaksa brothers were banned by any country despite long held accusations of rights abuses and corruption. Notably, Sri Lanka's majority Sinhalese population had praised the brothers for defeating Tamil separatists after a 26-year civil war, which took place from 1983 to 2009. WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Sri Lanka summons Canadian envoy to lodge protest over sanctions against Rajapaksa brothers

After facing flak, Sri Lanka on Sunday lifted all restrictions placed on social media platforms ahead of a planned anti-government protest against the worsening economic crisis that is marked by rising inflation and scarcity of essential items.

Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, WhatsApp, Viber, Telegram, and Facebook Messenger were restored after 15 hours, according to PTI news agency which quoted a government official.

The 15-hour social media gag, which was aimed at preventing protests in Colombo, failed to deter the agitators as the users switched to VPN to voice displeasure over the move.

Within hours after the ban, the suers started trending anti-government hashtags in Facebook and Twitter.

Notably, Sri Lanka’s sports minister and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s nephew, Namal Rajapaksa slammed the move, saying that the availability of VPN makes such bans completely useless.

In a tweet, the minister also urged the government to think more progressively and reconsider this decision.

“I will never condone the blocking of social media. The availability of VPN, just like I’m using now, makes such bans completely useless,” tweeted Namal.

However, despite the social media gagging and 36-hour-curfew, hundreds of people, especially the students, turned to the streets to protest against the Rajapaksa government.

Armed soldiers were called in to thwart an attempt by a crowd of hundreds of protesters to march to Independence Square in the capital Colombo.

Lakshman Kiriella, MP from the second-largest city, Kandy, accused the police of using tear gas to disperse the protesting students near the University of Peradeniya, reports Reuters news agency.

"These students have come out in defiance of the curfew and police have fired tear gas to disperse them," Kiriella, from the opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya party, was quoted as saying.

&nbsp;The university is on the outskirts of Kandy, where the students had been held back by police, he said.

On Friday, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared a state of emergency in the wake of acute shortage of essential items, rising prising and power cuts.

The curfew exists till Monday morning.

The island nation is grappling with its worst economic crisis since independence in 1948.

The current crisis is the result of economic mismanagement by successive governments and has been accentuated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has hit tourism and remittances.

The government has said it is seeking a bailout from the International Monetary Fund and loans from India and China.

New Delhi&nbsp;recently announced that it will extend a USD 1 billion line of credit to Colombo&nbsp;as part of its financial assistance to the country to deal with the economic crisis following a previous $500 billion line of credit (LoC) in February to help it purchase petroleum products.

After facing flak, Sri Lanka on Sunday lifted all restrictions placed on social media platforms ahead of a planned anti-government protest against the worsening economic crisis that is marked by rising inflation and scarcity of essential items.

After facing flak, Sri Lanka on Sunday lifted all restrictions placed on social media platforms ahead of a planned anti-government protest against the worsening economic crisis that is marked by rising inflation and scarcity of essential items. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, WhatsApp, Viber, Telegram, and Facebook Messenger were restored after 15 hours, according to PTI news agency which quoted a government official. The 15-hour social media gag, which was aimed at preventing protests in Colombo, failed to deter the agitators as the users switched to VPN to voice displeasure over the move. Within hours after the ban, the suers started trending anti-government hashtags in Facebook and Twitter. Notably, Sri Lanka’s sports minister and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s nephew, Namal Rajapaksa slammed the move, saying that the availability of VPN makes such bans completely useless. In a tweet, the minister also urged the government to think more progressively and reconsider this decision. “I will never condone the blocking of social media. The availability of VPN, just like I’m using now, makes such bans completely useless,” tweeted Namal. However, despite the social media gagging and 36-hour-curfew, hundreds of people, especially the students, turned to the streets to protest against the Rajapaksa government. Armed soldiers were called in to thwart an attempt by a crowd of hundreds of protesters to march to Independence Square in the capital Colombo. Lakshman Kiriella, MP from the second-largest city, Kandy, accused the police of using tear gas to disperse the protesting students near the University of Peradeniya, reports Reuters news agency. "These students have come out in defiance of the curfew and police have fired tear gas to disperse them," Kiriella, from the opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya party, was quoted as saying. The university is on the outskirts of Kandy, where the students had been held back by police, he said. On Friday, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared a state of emergency in the wake of acute shortage of essential items, rising prising and power cuts. The curfew exists till Monday morning. The island nation is grappling with its worst economic crisis since independence in 1948. The current crisis is the result of economic mismanagement by successive governments and has been accentuated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has hit tourism and remittances. The government has said it is seeking a bailout from the International Monetary Fund and loans from India and China. New Delhi recently announced that it will extend a USD 1 billion line of credit to Colombo as part of its financial assistance to the country to deal with the economic crisis following a previous $500 billion line of credit (LoC) in February to help it purchase petroleum products.

Sri Lanka lifts social media gag as students defy curfew to protest against inflation, power cuts

On the 4th of November when 3 people were injured following a gas cylinder explosion in Weligama, the south of Sri Lanka - little did the people know that this was the beginning of a much larger disaster that was to fall upon the island nation.

Another LP gas cylinder explosion was reported on the 16th of November at a private restaurant in Ratnapura, and on the 20th of November, a popular fast food outlet in Colombo 07 was completely ravaged by fire, also owing to a gas leak.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/blame-game-on-contaminated-fertiliser-continues-sri-lanka-govt-backtracks-on-greener-agriculture-move-431161">Blame game on contaminated fertiliser continues; Sri Lanka govt backtracks on greener agriculture move</a>

It was by this time that the public was brought to the startling realisation that the domestic gas cylinders they purchased might in fact be ticking time bombs waiting to explode.

Ever since the initially reported incidents, Sri Lanka has seen an unusual increase of domestic gas cylinder explosions with alarming frequency - with numerous such explosions reported daily,&nbsp;some minor casualties also reported in certain incidents.

It was in such a backdrop that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has appointed a committee to investigate the reasons for the numerous domestic gas explosions reported from many parts of the country.

Watch |&nbsp;Sri Lanka: 35 gas explosions reported within three days; President Rajapaksa orders probe

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/sri-lanka-35-gas-explosions-reported-within-three-days-president-rajapaksa-orders-probe-433675/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

In the past few days, more than 15 domestic gas cylinder explosions have been reported across the country, raising concerns about the quality and standard of LP gas cylinders that need to be scrutinised closely.

State-owned gas company Litro; while denying claims that their gas is of inferior quality or is unsafe for domestic or commercial use also claimed that the recent incidents and confusion that have occurred have been caused by the use of inferior quality regulators, hoses, cookers and by user negligence.

Litro has also introduced a consumer hotline to report any issues regarding domestic LP gas or gas cylinders. In addition, it released a new set of guidelines for consumers on its official website.

The president has appointed a committee headed by Professor Shantha Walpola from the University of Moratuwa, which will submit a report within two weeks.

Sri Lanka’s opposition leader Sajith Premadasa has requested that the CID conduct a Criminal Investigation and bring the perpetrators before the law.

On the 4th of November when 3 people were injured following a gas cylinder explosion in Weligama, the south of Sri Lanka - little did the people know that this was the beginning of a much larger disaster that was to fall upon the island nation.

On the 4th of November when 3 people were injured following a gas cylinder explosion in Weligama, the south of Sri Lanka - little did the people know that this was the beginning of a much larger disaster that was to fall upon the island nation. Another LP gas cylinder explosion was reported on the 16th of November at a private restaurant in Ratnapura, and on the 20th of November, a popular fast food outlet in Colombo 07 was completely ravaged by fire, also owing to a gas leak. Also read | Blame game on contaminated fertiliser continues; Sri Lanka govt backtracks on greener agriculture move It was by this time that the public was brought to the startling realisation that the domestic gas cylinders they purchased might in fact be ticking time bombs waiting to explode. Ever since the initially reported incidents, Sri Lanka has seen an unusual increase of domestic gas cylinder explosions with alarming frequency - with numerous such explosions reported daily, some minor casualties also reported in certain incidents. It was in such a backdrop that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has appointed a committee to investigate the reasons for the numerous domestic gas explosions reported from many parts of the country. Watch | Sri Lanka: 35 gas explosions reported within three days; President Rajapaksa orders probe In the past few days, more than 15 domestic gas cylinder explosions have been reported across the country, raising concerns about the quality and standard of LP gas cylinders that need to be scrutinised closely. State-owned gas company Litro; while denying claims that their gas is of inferior quality or is unsafe for domestic or commercial use also claimed that the recent incidents and confusion that have occurred have been caused by the use of inferior quality regulators, hoses, cookers and by user negligence. Litro has also introduced a consumer hotline to report any issues regarding domestic LP gas or gas cylinders. In addition, it released a new set of guidelines for consumers on its official website. The president has appointed a committee headed by Professor Shantha Walpola from the University of Moratuwa, which will submit a report within two weeks. Sri Lanka’s opposition leader Sajith Premadasa has requested that the CID conduct a Criminal Investigation and bring the perpetrators before the law.

Mysterious LP gas explosions across Sri Lanka; President appoints committee to investigate

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa appointed a task force last month for the establishment of the 'one country, one law' concept and now, according to the latest update Sri Lankan bishops have urged the government to abandon the plan.

Sri Lankan bishops urge govt to abandon 'one country, one law' concept

Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya R has admitted this government is 'not delivering'. What made the strongman leader make such an unusual admission? Palki Sharma has a report.

Gravitas: Sri Lankan President makes an 'unusual' admission