Sri Lanka president declares state of emergency amid unrestA demonstrator helps another as police use tear gas and water cannon to disperse students demanding the resignation of Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa over the country's crippling economic crisis, near parliament in Colombo on May 6, 2022COLOMBO - Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa Friday declared a state of emergency for the second time in five weeks, giving security forces sweeping powers as a nationwide strike demanding his resignation brought the country to standstill. A spokesman for the president said he invoked the tough laws to "ensure public order" after shops closed and public transport was halted Friday by unions blaming him for the unprecedented economic crisis, which has ignited weeks of unrest. The emergency gives sweeping powers to security forces to arrest and detain suspects for long periods without judicial supervision. "The President used his executive powers to invoke emergency regulations to ensure the maintenance of essential services and public order," the spokesman said. Beleaguered Rajapaksa had declared an earlier state of emergency on April 1, a day after thousands of protesters attempted to storm his private home in the capital.

Source: Bangkok Post May 07, 2022 05:48 UTC