Newshub18 :Gotabaya fled in the face of public outrage, Whatever happened in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka is in the worst post-independence economic crisis. Its remnants have spread in the politics of the country as well. The people of the island state are in dire straits due to acute shortage of daily necessities including fuel and high prices. There have been anti-government protests. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled his residence on Saturday in the face of extreme public outrage. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who took power a few days ago, also wants to resign. All in all, this country in South Asia is now in an extreme economic-political crisis.
However, the crisis did not occur suddenly in Sri Lanka, a once upper-middle-income country. One of the country’s main sources of income is tourism and remittances from Sri Lankans living abroad. But the impact of the Corona epidemic on the tourism sector has reduced the country’s income. Sri Lankans living abroad have also sent less money home. This reduces the foreign exchange reserves. Which hinders the import of daily commodities like food, medicine and fuel. Commodity prices continue to rise.
For months on end, most parts of Sri Lanka, including the capital Colombo, were plunged into darkness due to the power crisis. The printed edition of the magazine was closed due to lack of paper. The government was forced to close schools and colleges. In front of the food shop, petrol pump, the line of common people of the country has become longer and longer. The people blame the policy mismanagement of the government. And the self-proclaimed bankrupt Sri Lankan government has sought international assistance in dealing with the situation. But the situation has not changed. Rather it has become more complicated.
Whatever happened
April 1: Emergency declared
In the face of public outrage, on April 1, the Sri Lankan government declared a state of emergency across the country. Security forces are empowered to arrest any suspect.
April 3: Cabinet resigns
After a long meeting overnight, the ministers of the then Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government resigned. The two influential brothers, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, were further cornered. The country’s central bank governor has sought a loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The next day he also resigned.
April 5: President loses majority
Finance Minister Ali Sabri resigned a day after taking office. President Gotabha’s party lost a majority in parliament as allies withdrew support from the ruling coalition. The state of emergency was lifted across the country.
April 10: Crisis in the health sector
Sri Lankan doctors say they do not have the necessary stock of medicines. They warned that if this continued, more people would die in the drug crisis than in the Corona epidemic.
April 12: Default declared
The Sri Lankan government says it does not have the capacity to repay ৫ 51 billion in foreign debt. At the same time, the country urgently needs foreign assistance for essential items, including medicines.
April 19: First death toll rises in protests
Police in riot gear stormed a rally on Sunday, removing hundreds of protesters by truck.
May 9: A day of violence
Pro-government protesters clashed with anti-government protesters in front of the presidential palace in the capital, Colombo. 9 people were killed. Hundreds were injured. Homes of lawmakers and government officials across the country were attacked. Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa was forced to resign in the face of public outrage. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe came to power several times.
May 10: Permission to shoot
The situation has not improved even after the change of government. Comeni protests. On that day, the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defense allowed the security forces to shoot anyone who took part in the protests and looting to normalize the situation. However, the protests ignored the curfew.
June 10: Risk of humanitarian crisis
According to the United Nations, Sri Lanka is facing an extreme humanitarian crisis. In the face of the food crisis, millions of people in the country need emergency assistance.
June 26: Stop selling fuel
The Sri Lankan government says it does not have the fuel it needs; With what is in stock, it will be possible to run for a few days. Due to this, the sale of fuel including petrol was stopped.
July 1: Record inflation
The Sri Lankan government has released information on inflation. It can be seen that the inflation which has been rising for 9 consecutive months has broken the record.
July 9: President escape
As in the previous day, there were violent protests in Colombo. President Gotabaya fled the residence in the face of public outrage. Protesters stormed the presidential palace. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe expressed his desire to resign.