EFSAS comments on the deepening economic & political crisis in Sri Lanka
May 13, 2022
Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa was compelled to resign, and he had to be whisked away by security forces to the safety of a naval base in Trincomalee on the north-eastern coast. A state of emergency was put in place, but that did not prevent eight people from being killed and more than 200 being wounded as weeks of demonstrations degenerated into bloodied clashes between groups supporting and protesting against the government since Mahinda resigned on 9 May. The homes of the Rajapaksa family and those of several ministers and leaders were burnt by agitated protesters. The situation was so tense that military personnel patrolled the streets in armoured personnel carriers and were given shoot-at-sight orders to bring the violence under control.
