For the first time since anti-government rallies over an economic crisis began, police in Sri Lanka opened fire on protestors today, killing one and injuring several more. A police spokeswoman acknowledged that they were forced to fire on the demonstrators after the mobs became aggressive and threw stones at them.
People had barricaded a roadway in Rambukkana, central Sri Lanka, 95 kilometres from the capital Colombo, to protest acute oil shortages and exorbitant costs.
A severe fuel shortage spurred spontaneous protests across Sri Lanka earlier today, with tens of thousands of enraged motorists torching tyres and blocking the main road leading into the capital.
According to a police official, a curfew has been imposed in the Rambukkana police district.
Sri Lanka has ran out of funds to pay critical imports such as food, medicine, and fuel, provoking weeks of rallies asking for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's resignation amid the country's worst economic crisis since its independence in 1948.
The roadway where the protest took place connects Kandy's central city to Colombo's capital. It was cut off at several points as fuel stations around Sri Lanka ran out of gasoline and diesel.
US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung raised concern over the worsening situation in the island nation. "I am deeply saddened by the horrible news coming out of Rambukkana. I condemn any violence - whether against protesters or police - and call for restraint & calm from all sides. A full, transparent investigation is essential & the people's right to peaceful protest must be upheld," she tweeted.- NDTV.
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