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Sri Lankan government imposes curfew, blocks social media platforms

Protesters in Sri Lanka defied a curfew in several cities to demonstrate against the government’s handling of the worst economic crisis in decades.

Opposition protesters in Colombo clashed with security forces for several hours before dispersing peacefully.

In Kandy, however, police used tear gas and water cannons on students.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa imposed the curfew after clashes near his residence on Friday.

People are not permitted to be on any public road, in a park, on trains, or on the seashore unless they have written permission from the authorities, and access to social media has been temporarily restricted.

The curfew will be in effect until 06:00 (00:30 GMT) on Monday.

The island nation is reportedly experiencing its worst economic crisis since gaining independence from Britain in 1948. It is partly caused by a lack of foreign currency, which is used to pay for fuel imports. With power outages lasting half a day or longer, as well as shortages of food, medicine, and fuel, public outrage has reached new heights.

Mr Rajapaksa’s popularity has soared since he was elected with a landslide majority in 2019, promising stability and a “strong hand” to rule the country.

On Sunday, soldiers armed with assault rifles prevented a crowd of hundreds of protesters from marching to the capital’s Independence Square.

“President Rajapaksa should realise that the tide has already turned against his autocratic rule,” opposition MP Harsha de Silva told AFP at a rally. Eran Wickramaratne, another opposition MP, stated: “We can’t let the military take over. They should be aware that we are still a democracy.”

Police fired tear gas at hundreds of protesting students near the University of Peradeniya in Kandy, a city of 125,000 people in Central Province.

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