Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka police open fire on anti-government protesters, leave 1 dead, several injured
Colombo/IBNS: The police in Sri Lanka opened fire on protesters for the first time on Tuesday since the start of anti-government agitation over an economic crisis in the country, leaving one dead and several others injured, reports said.
A police spokesperson confirmed to the media that they had to fire at the protesters after the mob turned violent and threw stones at police personnel.
According to reports, agitators had blocked a highway in central Sri Lanka's Rambukkana, 95 km from the capital Colombo, to protest over acute oil shortages and high prices.
Sri Lanka has run out of dollars to import essential commodities including food, medicine and fuel.
The situation has sparked weeks of protests by people demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa as the country faces the worst economic crisis since its independence in 1948.
The highway where the protest took place connects the central city of Kandy to the capital Colombo.
The highway connectivity was cut off at multiple stretches as fuel stations across Sri Lanka ran out of petrol and diesel.
The country's main oil retailer Ceylon Petroleum Corporation raised prices by up to 64.2 per cent on Tuesday and lifted a rationing system, limiting how much fuel individuals could buy.
Sri Lankan trade unions will commence a countrywide series of protests on Wednesday demanding the resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who has been blamed for the country's worst economic crisis.
Motorists have joined protesters in Colombo in their call for Rajapaksa to step down for 11 straight days.
Doctors at the country's main children's hospital also began protesting on Tuesday over a serious shortage of medicines and equipment.
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