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Sri Lanka's new prime minister will address the crisis-hit nation later on Monday, as the country's power minister told citizens not to join the lengthy fuel queues that have galvanized weeks of anti-government protests. Ranil Wickremesinghe, appointed prime minister on Thursday, said he would give a "full explanation" of the financial crisis that has devastated the strategic Indian Ocean island nation, where China and India are battling for influence. "There is a lot to be done and undone. We are prioritising matters, rest assured they shall be addressed as early as possible," he said in a series of tweets on Sunday. The crisis led to widespread protests against President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his family, culminating with the resignation of his elder brother Mahinda as prime minister last week after fighting between government supporters and protesters killed 9 people and wounded 300. The president then replaced him with Wickremesinghe, an opposition parliamentarian who has held the post five times previously, in a desperate bid to placate protesters. But the protesters have said they will keep up their campaign as long as Gotabaya Rajapaksa remains president. They have also labelled Wickremesinghe a stooge and criticised his appointment of four cabinet minister, all members of the political party run by the Rajapaksa brothers. Hit hard by the pandemic, rising oil prices and populist tax cuts by the Rajapaksas, Sri Lanka is in the midst of a crisis unparalleled since its independence in 1948. A chronic foreign exchange shortage has led to rampant inflation and shortages of fuel and other essentials, bringing thousands out on the streets in protest. A diesel shipment using an Indian credit line arrived in the country on Sunday, but is yet to be distributed across the island, leading to lengthy queues in several places. "Request the public not to queue up or top up in the next three days until the 1,190 fuel station deliveries have been completed," Power Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said on Monday. Wickremesinghe is yet to find a nominee for the crucial post of finance minister, who will negotiate with the International Monetary Fund for badly needed financial help for the country. Former Finance Minister Ali Sabry had held preliminary talks with the multilateral lender, but he quit along with Mahinda Rajapaksa last week.

A nationwide curfew was fully lifted on Sunday to allow Sri Lankans to celebrate the Buddhist festival of Vesak, while new Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe assembled a cabinet to resolve the island nation's economic and political crisis. The curfew was imposed on May 9 after deadly clashes that forced Mahinda Rajapaksa to resign as premier, leaving his brother, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, to rule on as president. Many public and private buildings were flying the multi-coloured Buddhist flag, while residents visited temples dressed in all-white for Sunday's festival, which commemorates the birth, enlightenment, and death of the Buddha. More than a month of predominantly peaceful anti-government protests turned violent at the beginning of last week when supporters of the former prime minister stormed a protest camp in Colombo, torching tents and beating protestors. The clashes, and reprisals against government figures, left 9 dead and more than 300 injured. New prime minister Wickremesinghe, who has led the country five times previously, made his first cabinet appointments on Saturday. As the only lawmaker from his United National Party in the country's parliament, he is reliant on support from the Rajapaksas' Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna to form a government. Saturday's four cabinet appointments, who were all from the Rajapaksas' party, have failed to satisfy protesters, who want the family removed from the nation's politics. Hit hard by the pandemic, rising oil prices and populist tax cuts by the Rajapaksa government, Sri Lanka is in the midst of its worst economic crisis since independence in 1948, with rampant inflation and shortages of fuel and other essentials.

Sri Lanka lifted a nationwide curfew for 12 hours on Saturday, further easing tight curbs as new Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe made first his cabinet appointments after clashes between pro- and anti-government groups killed nine people. More than a month of predominantly peaceful protests against the government turned violent this week after supporters of former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa stormed an anti-government protest camp in the commercial capital Colombo, burning tents and clashing with protesters and police. The initial violence and reprisals against government figures also left more than 300 injured. Hit hard by the pandemic, rising oil prices and tax cuts by the populist government, Sri Lanka is in the throes of its worst economic crisis since independence from Great Britain in 1948. Useable foreign reserves have dwindled, and rampant inflation and shortages of fuel have brought thousands onto the streets in protest. The government lifted the curfew from 6 am (0030 GMT) on Saturday until 6pm A 24-hour curfew imposed on Monday had been lifted for a few hours on Thursday and Friday to allow purchase of essential supplies. Rajapaksa stepped down after violence flared on Monday, leaving his younger brother Gotabaya Rajapaksa to rule on as president. Wickremesinghe, a five-time prime minister, was appointed to another term late on Thursday. He appointed four ministers from the Rajapaksas' Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), a decision unlikely to satisfy the protesters demanding the removal of the party from power. The appointments, announced by the president's office, include G.L. Pereis, the SLPP chairman who had held the post before resigning on Monday. Wickremesinghe is the sole lawmaker from his United National Party to hold a seat in parliament, and is reliant on other parties to form a coalition government. The SLPP has pledged to support him. The main opposition has ruled out supporting him, but several smaller parties have said they would back policies by the new prime minister to stabilise the economy.

Sri Lanka yesterday appointed a new prime minister, as its embattled president seeks a way out of the country’s worst economic crisis since independence that has sparked widespread protests. Ranil Wickremesinghe, a political veteran who has been prime minister of the island nation five times before, must try to address financial chaos and heal political divisions as he sets out to form a coalition government. “We are facing a crisis, we have to get out of it,” Wickremesinghe said shortly after his swearing-in. Asked whether there was a possible solution, he replied: “Absolutely.” The 73-year-old is an economic liberal who has experience dealing with the International Monetary Fund, which is currently in discussions to bail out Sri Lanka. He has also built relationships with regional powers India and China, key investors and lenders who vie for influence over the island nation that lies along busy shipping routes linking Asia to Europe. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa congratulated the new premier. “My best wishes to the newly appointed PM...who stepped up to take on the challenging task of steering our country through a very turbulent time,” he tweeted. “I look forward to working together with him to make Sri Lanka strong again.” The current crisis could be Wickremesinghe’s greatest challenge yet. Economic mismanagement, the Covid-19 pandemic and rising energy costs following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have drained state coffers, meaning Sri Lanka is running low on fuel and essential medicines and facing daily power blackouts. Rajapaksa, whose elder brother Wickremesinghe replaced as prime minister, has called nationwide curfews and given security forces sweeping powers to shoot at anyone involved in looting or putting people’s lives at risk. Mahinda Rajapaksa, who resigned on Monday, has gone into hiding on a naval base. Ordinary people have grown increasingly frustrated at disruptions to normal life. “We have hit the bottom economically,” said Nimal Jayantha, an autorickshaw driver queuing for petrol earlier yesterday after the curfew was lifted. “I don’t have the time to do my job. By the time I stay in the fuel queue and get petrol, curfew will be imposed. I will have to go home without any money.” Many people crammed on to buses in Colombo earlier yesterday to return to hometowns during a brief relaxation in the curfew.

• President says he will bring constitutional reforms • Ex-PM Rajapaksa moved to naval base for safety Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said yesterday he would appoint a new prime minister and cabinet this week, after his elder brother and former premier Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned following deadly violence in the country. The new prime minister and cabinet will command a majority in the 225-seat parliament, Rajapaksa said, adding he will bring constitutional reforms to grant more power to the parliament. “I am taking steps to form a new government to control the current situation, to prevent the country from falling into anarchy as well as to maintain the affairs of the government that have been halted. The president’s statement followed comments from Sri Lanka’s central bank governor earlier in the day, who said he would quit within weeks unless political stability was restored. P Nandalal Weerasinghe, appointed central bank chief last month to help the island nation of 22mn people find a way out of its worst economic crisis in history, said a stable government was essential to stop the turmoil. “I have clearly told the president and other political party leaders that unless political stability is established in the next two weeks I will step down,” Weerasinghe told reporters. “Without political stability, it doesn’t matter who runs the central bank,” he said, “There will be no way to stop the economic deterioration.” Ordinary Sri Lankans blame the government led by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his family for a meltdown in the Indian Ocean nation that reduced reserves to just about $50mn, stalling most imports and bringing massive shortages of essentials including cooking gas, fuel and medicine. After more than a month of mostly peaceful demonstrations, public anger exploded into violence this week, when ruling party supporters stormed an anti-government protests camp, triggering clashes nationwide and pushing the prime minister to step down. Mahinda Rajapaksa, the president’s older brother, said he was resigning with the hope of a new, unity government taking over. But with mobs targeting ruling party politicians, the former prime minister, once hugely popular, was whisked away to a military base in the country’s northeast, the defence secretary said. “He will remain there for the next couple of days and when the situation is normalised, he can be moved to a location of his choice,” Kamal Gunaratne said. Yesterday, police and soldiers patrolled the streets of Weeraketiya, the Rajapaksa family’s home town, where shops and businesses were shut by a curfew that will run until today morning. With police and armed forces ordered to shoot anyone damaging public property or threatening lives, soldiers in armoured vehicles patrolled the streets of the commercial capital Colombo. So far, at least nine people, including two policemen, have been killed in violence across the country, which has also left more than 200 people wounded and 136 houses damaged, Gunaratne said. “This is the time for all Sri Lankans to join hands as one, to overcome the economic, social and political challenges,” President Rajapaksa said on Twitter. “I urge all Sri Lankans to reject the subversive attempts to push you towards racial and religious disharmony. Promoting moderation, toleration and coexistence is vital.” It was not immediately clear what prompted his warning, but Sri Lanka has a long and bloody history of ethnic tension. Pope Francis urged the government to “listen to the hopes of the people” and respect human rights and civil liberties. Protesters have also called on the president to go. Analysts say the president can be impeached if he refuses to step down, though the opposition, which has rejected his calls for a unity government, lacks the necessary two-thirds majority in parliament. No president has ever been successfully impeached and removed from office in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka has sought urgent loans from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) following financial and other support from neighbour India as well as China, as the violence has further dented a tourism-dependent economy hammered by Covid-19. The IMF expressed concern about the violence, but said it would continue technical talks begun on Monday with Sri Lankan officials “so as to be fully prepared for policy discussions once a new government has been formed”. The president plans to meet opposition politicians within days in hopes of forming a new government, a cabinet spokesperson said on Tuesday. Weerasinghe, the central bank chief, said the lack of foreign exchange could led to acute fuel shortages and power cuts lasting up to 12 hours, which may worsen public anger and escalate protests. “Even with political stability, it will take at least three months for IMF talks and at least six months for debt restructuring,” he said. “So a stable government is essential.”

* President says he will bring constitutional reforms * Central bank chief says political stability required * Former PM Rajapaksa moved to naval base for his safety * Armoured vehicles patrol streets of commercial capital Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said on Wednesday he would appoint a new prime minister and cabinet this week, after his elder brother and former premier Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned following deadly violence in the country. The new prime minister and cabinet will command a majority in the 225-seat parliament, Rajapaksa said, adding he will bring constitutional reforms to grant more power to the parliament. "I am taking steps to form a new government to control the current situation, to prevent the country from falling into anarchy as well as to maintain the affairs of the government that have been halted. The president's statement followed comments from Sri Lanka's central bank governor earlier in the day, who said he would quit within weeks unless political stability was restored. P. Nandalal Weerasinghe, appointed central bank chief last month to help the island nation of 22 million people find a way out of its worst economic crisis in history, said a stable government was essential to stop the turmoil. "I have clearly told the president and other political party leaders that unless political stability is established in the next two weeks I will step down," Weerasinghe told reporters. "Without political stability, it doesn’t matter who runs the central bank," he said, "There will be no way to stop the economic deterioration." Ordinary Sri Lankans blame the government led by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his family for a meltdown in the Indian Ocean nation that reduced reserves to just about $50 million, stalling most imports and bringing massive shortages of essentials including cooking gas, fuel and medicine. After more than a month of mostly peaceful demonstrations, public anger exploded into violence this week, when ruling party supporters stormed an anti-government protests camp, triggering clashes nationwide and pushing the prime minister to step down. Mahinda Rajapaksa, the president's older brother, said he was resigning with the hope of a new, unity government taking over. But with mobs targeting ruling party politicians, the former prime minister, once hugely popular, was whisked away to a military base in the country's northeast, the defence secretary said. "He will remain there for the next couple of days and when the situation is normalised, he can be moved to a location of his choice," Kamal Gunaratne said. On Wednesday, police and soldiers patrolled the streets of Weeraketiya, the Rajapaksa family's home town, where shops and businesses were shut by a curfew that will run until Thursday morning. With police and armed forces ordered to shoot anyone damaging public property or threatening lives, soldiers in armoured vehicles patrolled the streets of the commercial capital Colombo. So far, at least nine people, including two policemen, have been killed in violence across the country, which has also left more than 200 people wounded and 136 houses damaged, Gunaratne said. "This is the time for all Sri Lankans to join hands as one, to overcome the economic, social and political challenges," President Rajapaksa said on Twitter. "I urge all Sri Lankans to reject the subversive attempts to push you towards racial and religious disharmony. Promoting moderation, toleration and coexistence is vital." It was not immediately clear what prompted his warning, but Sri Lanka has a long and bloody history of ethnic tension. Pope Francis urged the government to "listen to the hopes of the people" and respect human rights and civil liberties. Protesters have also called on the president to go. Analysts say the president can be impeached if he refuses to step down, though the opposition, which has rejected his calls for a unity government, lacks the necessary two-thirds majority in parliament. No president has ever been successfully impeached and removed from office in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka has sought urgent loans from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) following financial and other support from neighbour India as well as China, as the violence has further dented a tourism-dependent economy hammered by Covid-19. The IMF expressed concern about the violence, but said it would continue technical talks begun on Monday with Sri Lankan officials "so as to be fully prepared for policy discussions once a new government has been formed". The president plans to meet opposition politicians within days in hopes of forming a new government, a cabinet spokesperson said on Tuesday. Weerasinghe, the central bank chief, said the lack of foreign exchange could led to acute fuel shortages and power cuts lasting up to 12 hours, which may worsen public anger and escalate protests. "Even with political stability, it will take at least three months for IMF talks and at least six months for debt restructuring," he said. "So a stable government is essential."

* Central bank chief says political stability required * Former PM Rajapaksa moved to naval base for his safety * He will stay there for a couple of days, official says * Armoured vehicles patrol streets of commercial capital Sri Lanka's central bank governor said on Wednesday he would quit within weeks unless political stability was restored to the country after deadly violence forced the prime minister to quit and take shelter in a navy base. P. Nandalal Weerasinghe, appointed central bank chief last month to help the island nation of 22 million people find a way out of its worst economic crisis in history, said a stable government was essential to stop the turmoil. "I have clearly told the president and other political party leaders that unless political stability is established in the next two weeks I will step down," Weerasinghe told reporters. "Without political stability, it doesn’t matter who runs the central bank," he said, "There will be no way to stop the economic deterioration." Ordinary Sri Lankans blame the government led by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his family for a meltdown in the Indian Ocean nation that reduced reserves to just about $50 million, stalling most imports and bringing massive shortages of essentials including cooking gas, fuel and medicine. After more than a month of mostly peaceful demonstrations, public anger exploded into violence this week when ruling party supporters stormed an anti-government protests camp, triggering clashes nationwide and pushing the prime minister to step down. Mahinda Rajapaksa, the president's older brother, said he was resigning with the hope of a new, unity government taking over. But with mobs targeting ruling party politicians, the former prime minister, once hugely popular, was whisked away to a military base in the country's northeast, the defence secretary said. "He will remain there for the next couple of days and when the situation is normalised, he can be moved to a location of his choice," Kamal Gunaratne said. On Wednesday, police and soldiers patrolled the streets of Weeraketiya, the Rajapaksa family's home town, where shops and businesses were shut by a curfew that will run until Thursday morning. With police and armed forces ordered to shoot anyone damaging public property or threatening lives, soldiers in armoured vehicles patrolled the streets of the commercial capital Colombo. So far, at least nine people, including two policemen, have been killed in violence across the country, which has also left more than 200 people wounded and 136 houses damaged, Gunaratne said. "This is the time for all Sri Lankans to join hands as one, to overcome the economic, social and political challenges," President Rajapaksa said on Twitter. "I urge all Sri Lankans to reject the subversive attempts to push you towards racial and religious disharmony. Promoting moderation, toleration and coexistence is vital." It was not immediately clear what prompted his warning, but Sri Lanka has a long and bloody history of ethnic tension. Pope Francis urged the government to "listen to the hopes of the people" and respect human rights and civil liberties. Protesters have also called on the president to go. Analysts say the president can be impeached if he refuses to step down, though the opposition, which has rejected his calls for a unity government, lacks the necessary two-thirds majority in parliament. No president has ever been successfully impeached and removed from office in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka has sought urgent loans from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) following financial and other support from neighbour India as well as China, as the violence has further dented a tourism-dependent economy hammered by Covid-19. The IMF expressed concern about the violence, but said it would continue technical talks begun on Monday with Sri Lankan officials "so as to be fully prepared for policy discussions once a new government has been formed". The president plans to meet opposition politicians within days in hopes of forming a new government, a cabinet spokesperson said on Tuesday. Weerasinghe, the central bank chief, said the lack of foreign exchange could led to acute fuel shortages and power cuts lasting up to 12 hours, which may worsen public anger and escalate protests. "Even with political stability, it will take at least three months for IMF talks and at least six months for debt restructuring," he said. "So a stable government is essential."

Sri Lankan police have been ordered to go on the offensive and use live ammunition to prevent "anarchy", a top official told AFP Wednesday after another night of sporadic arson attacks. Police say eight people have died since Monday, when frustration at a dire economic crisis erupted into violence between backers and opponents of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, injuring over 200. Even with a curfew and thousands of security forces told to "shoot on sight" to prevent further unrest, a luxury hotel said to belong to a Rajapaksa relative was set ablaze Tuesday evening. "It is no longer spontaneous anger, but organised violence," the senior security official said on condition of anonymity. "If the situation is not brought under control, there could be total anarchy."  He said the 85,000-strong police "have been asked to adopt an offensive stance", and have been ordered to use live ammunition against troublemakers. As well as the hotel fire, on Tuesday evening police said they shot into the air at two locations to disperse mobs trying to torch vehicles.  They also stepped up security for several judges, saying they were targeted too. - Gota go -   On Wednesday, protestors defied the curfew and remained camped out in front of the president's office. "We want the whole Rajapaksa clan out because they are so, so corrupt. They have been eating into Sri Lanka like a caterpillar eating into some fruit or leaf," activist Kaushalya Fernando told AFP. In a tweet, Rajapaksa on Wednesday called for "all Sri Lankans to join hands as one, to overcome the economic, social & political challenges". But the main opposition SJB party reiterated they will not be a part of any government with Rajapaksa still president, even after his brother Mahinda's resignation as prime minister on Monday. Rajapaksa's government in 2020 restored the president's constitutional right to appoint and fire ministers as well as judges. "In the guise of angry mobs, violence is being incited so military rule can be established," SJB head Sajith Premadasa tweeted. "Rule of law should be maintained through the constitution not with GUNS. It is time to empower citizens not disempower them." - Turning point -   Sri Lankans have been suffering shortages of essential goods, fuel and medicines for months in the island's worst downturn since independence in 1948. But the crisis moved into a darker phase on Monday when government supporters with sticks and clubs attacked demonstrators who had been protesting peacefully for weeks demanding the president's resignation. Mobs then retaliated across the country late into the night, torching dozens of homes of ruling-party politicians.  Mahinda Rajapaksa had to be rescued in a pre-dawn military operation on Tuesday and taken to a naval dockyard for safety after protesters tried to storm his official residence. One ruling-party politician gunned down two people on Monday night after his car was surrounded. Another shot dead a 27-year-old man and them himself, police said. Echoing the UN rights chief and the European Union, the United States on Tuesday said it was concerned both with the violence and the deployment of the military. "We stress that peaceful protesters should never be subjected to violence or intimidation, whether that's on the part of the military force or civilian units," State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters. India, meanwhile, was forced to deny social media rumours -- some using old images of Mahinda boarding a helicopter -- that it was helping family members to flee. "The High Commission would like to categorically deny speculative reports in sections of media and social media about India sending her troops to Sri Lanka," it said. With vital tourism torpedoed by the pandemic, Sri Lanka last month defaulted on its foreign debts of $51 billion, some of it stemming from Rajapaksa vanity projects built with Chinese loans. The International Monetary Fund this week began a "virtual mission" of staff-level talks on a possible bailout. IMF mission chief Masahiro Nozaki said the lender aimed to be "fully prepared for policy discussions once a new government has been formed."

Sri Lankan authorities issued shoot-on-sight orders yesterday to quell further unrest that has seen buildings and vehicles set ablaze a day after the island was rocked by deadly violence and rioting. With thousands of security forces enforcing a curfew, the defence ministry said troops “have been ordered to shoot on sight anyone looting public property or causing harm to life”. On Monday, government supporters attacked with sticks and clubs demonstrators in Colombo protesting peacefully for weeks over a dire economic crisis and demanding President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s resignation. Mobs then retaliated across the country late into the night, torching dozens of homes of ruling-party politicians and trying to storm the prime minister’s official residence in the capital. Police said yesterday eight people had died. Protests continued yesterday despite the curfew, with some people defying the shoot-on-sight order to torch buildings and vehicles. A luxury hotel said to belong to a Rajapaksa relative was set on fire last evening on the edge of the Sinharaja rainforest. And police shot into the air at two locations to disperse mobs trying to burn vehicles. Earlier, a crowd had attacked and set fire to a vehicle carrying Colombo’s most senior policeman. Officers fired warning shots and sent in reinforcements to rescue Senior Deputy Inspector-General Deshabandu Tennakoon, who was rushed to hospital but later released. In another sign of deteriorating security, vigilante groups blocked the main road to Colombo airport to check for any Rajapaksa loyalists trying to leave the island, witnesses said. As well as those killed, more than 225 people were injured on Monday, which also saw the resignation of prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. His departure, however, failed to quell public anger, with his brother still president and wielding widespread powers including command over security forces. Mahinda had to be rescued in a pre-dawn military operation after thousands of angry protesters stormed his official residence overnight and lobbed petrol bombs. Protester Chamal Polwattage said he expected demonstrations to swell again and vowed they would not leave “until the president goes”. “People are angry about the attacks launched against us yesterday... We have a lot of volunteers bringing food and water for us,” the 25-year-old told AFP. The Rajapaksa clan’s hold on power has been shaken by months of blackouts and shortages of essential goods in Sri Lanka’s worst economic crisis since independence in 1948. The pandemic torpedoed vital tourism and forced the government to halt most imports to save foreign currency needed to pay its debts, on which it has now defaulted. But after weeks of peaceful demonstrations, Monday’s attacks on protesters by government supporters represented a turning point. In the ensuing violence, police fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse crowds and declared a curfew across the entire South Asian nation until today, but later extended it by another day to tomorrow. Angry crowds set alight the homes of at least 42 pro-Rajapaksa politicians. Several Rajapaksa homes were torched, while a family museum in their ancestral village was trashed. Outside Colombo, ruling-party lawmaker Amarakeerthi Athukorala shot two people — killing one of them — when surrounded by a crowd of protesters, police said. The MP later took his own life, officers said, but the ruling party said he had been murdered. The lawmaker’s bodyguard was also killed. Another ruling-party politician who was not named shot dead two protesters and wounded five others in the south, police added. UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet said yesterday she was “deeply troubled” by the violence committed both by supporters of the government and the subsequent “mob violence” against ruling party members. Bachelet in a statement called for an investigation and urged the government to “engage in meaningful dialogue with all parts of society”. Mahinda Rajapaksa said his resignation was intended to pave the way for a unity government, but it was unclear if the opposition would join any administration led by his brother. The president has the power to appoint and fire ministers as well as judges, and enjoys immunity from prosecution. Political sources said attempts were under way to arrange an online meeting between the president and all political parties.

* Military, police free to detain people without arrest warrants * More than 200 injured in clashes that prompted PM's resignation * Islandwide curfew until 7am on Wednesday Sri Lanka gave emergency powers on Tuesday to its military and police to detain people without warrants, after a day of clashes that killed seven people and injured more than 200, in violence that prompted Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to resign. As the Indian Ocean nation battles its worst economic crisis in history, thousands of protesters had defied curfew to attack government figures, setting ablaze homes, shops and businesses belonging to ruling party lawmakers and provincial politicians. Despite sporadic reports of unrest, the situation calmed by Tuesday, said police spokesman Nihal Thalduwa, adding that about 200 people had also been injured in violence that led to an islandwide curfew until 7am (0130 GMT) the following day. The government of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the younger brother of the prime minister, outlined broad powers for the military and police to detain and question people without arrest warrants. The military can detain people for up to 24 hours before handing them to police, while private property can be searched by force, including private vehicles, the government said in a gazette notification on Tuesday. "Any person arrested by a police officer shall be taken to the nearest police station," it said, fixing a 24-hour deadline for the armed forces to do the same. Some analysts expressed concern over the potential for abuse of the emergency measures. "In a situation where there is both a state of emergency and curfew who can monitor to ensure these regulations are not abused?" said Bhavani Fonseka, of the Centre for Policy Alternatives think tank based in Colombo. The president had already declared a state of emergency on Friday as protests escalated. The attacks on government figures came in apparent reprisal for an incident just hours before Rajapaksa's resignation. Rajapaksa spoke to hundreds of supporters gathered at his official residence on Monday following reports that he was considering stepping down. After his remarks, many of them, armed with iron bars, stormed a camp of those protesting against the government, beating them and setting fire to their tents. Police fired water cannon and tear gas to disperse the skirmishers, after having initially done little to hold back the government supporters, according to Reuters witnesses. Thousands streamed into the streets in celebration after Rajapaksa's resignation, but the mood quickly became tense. Protesters attempted to tear down the gates of Temple Trees, his residence in the centre of Colombo, where broken glass and discarded footwear littered the surrounding streets on Tuesday, after some of the night's worst clashes. Military troops patrolled the area, where eight torched vehicles lay partially submerged in a lake. Discarded files and smashed equipment littered the ransacked offices of government officials. Sri Lanka's unprecedented economic crisis follows a pandemic that hit key tourism earnings, leaving the government grappling with rising oil prices and the impact of populist tax cuts. It has sought assistance from multilateral lenders such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, as well as Asian giants India and China. Former finance minister Ali Sabry, who resigned on Monday, along with the rest of Rajapaksa's cabinet, has said useable foreign reserves stand at as little as $50 million. Shortages of fuel, food and medicine have brought thousands onto the streets in more than a month of protests that had been mostly peaceful until this week.

Fresh protests erupted in Sri Lanka's capital on Tuesday, defying a government curfew after five people died in the worst violence in weeks of demonstrations over a dire economic crisis. Demonstrators showed no sign they would back down, even after scores were injured when government supporters were bussed into Colombo on Monday, and attacked protesters with sticks and clubs. As outrage over the incident soared, prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned -- but even that has failed to calm public anger, with his brother Gotabaya still president with widespread powers and command over the security forces. Thousands of angry protesters stormed Mahinda's official residence overnight, and the former premier had to be rescued in a pre-dawn military operation on Tuesday, firing tear gas and warning shots. "At least 10 petrol bombs were thrown into the compound," a top security official told AFP. Speaking to AFP, protester Chamal Polwattage said: "More people are coming to the demonstration site after the emergency and curfews.  "People are angry about the attacks launched against us yesterday. Despite the curfew since yesterday afternoon, we have a lot of volunteers bringing food and water for us," the 25-year-old said. "We will not go until the president goes," he added.   - Grip on power -   The Rajapaksa clan's hold on power has been shaken by months of blackouts and shortages in Sri Lanka, the worst economic crisis since it became independent in 1948. But Monday's attacks on the protests represented a turning point after weeks of peaceful demonstrations. "We were hit, the media were hit, women and children were hit," one witness told AFP, asking not to be named. On Monday, police fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse crowds and declared an immediate curfew in Colombo, a measure later widened to include the entire South Asian nation of 22 million people. Authorities said the curfew will be lifted Wednesday morning, with government and private offices, as well as shops and schools, ordered to remain shut on Tuesday. Police and the local human rights commission said they have started separate investigations into Monday's violence. "Arrest those responsible for instigating violence irrespective of their political standing," police chief Chandana Wickramaratne said in an order. The United Nations condemned the escalating violence, with human rights chief Michelle Bachelet calling on the authorities to prevent further unrest. "I am deeply troubled by the escalation of violence in Sri Lanka after supporters of the prime minister attacked peaceful protesters in Colombo yesterday May 9 and the subsequent mob violence against members of the ruling party," Bachelet said in a statement on Tuesday.   - Shot dead -   Despite the curfew, there were flare-ups of violence in Colombo and around the country, against both protesters and government supporters.  Angry crowds set alight the homes of at least 41 pro-Rajapaksa politicians, along with some vehicles, while buses and trucks used by the government loyalists were also targeted. Several Rajapaksa homes were torched in different parts of the country, while a family museum in their ancestral village was trashed including life-size wax figures of their parents. Outside Colombo, ruling party lawmaker Amarakeerthi Athukorala shot two people -- killing a 27-year-old man -- after being surrounded by a crowd of anti-government protestors, police said. "He then took his own life with his revolver," a police official told AFP by phone. Athukorala's bodyguard was also found dead at the scene, police said. Another ruling party politician who was not named opened fire on protesters, killing two and wounding five in the south, police added. Doctors at the main Colombo National Hospital intervened to rescue wounded government supporters, with soldiers breaking open locked gates to ferry in the wounded. "They may be murderers, but for us they are patients who must be treated first," a doctor shouted at a mob blocking the entrance to the emergency unit.   - Unity government? -   In another sign of rapidly deteriorating security, vigilante groups blocked on Tuesday the main road to Colombo's airport and stopped all traffic to check for any Rajapaksa loyalists trying to leave the island, witnesses said. Despite the attack on his residence, Mahinda Rajapaksa's son Namal told AFP that his father would not flee, describing the surge of national anger against his family as a "bad patch". The 76-year-old said he was resigning to pave the way for a unity government. But it was unclear if the opposition would join any administration with Gotabaya still president. Under Sri Lanka's political system, even with a new unity government, the president will have the power to appoint and fire ministers as well as judges, and enjoy immunity from prosecution. Opposition parties said Tuesday they called off unity talks with the government after the outbreak of violence. But political sources said attempts were underway to arrange an online meeting between the president and all political parties.  The main opposition SJB said they were still considering their options. "Unless President Rajapaksa steps down, no one -- whether the masses in the streets or key political stakeholders -- will be appeased," analyst Michael Kugelman from the Wilson Center told AFP. The protests came after the coronavirus pandemic hammered the island's vital income from tourism and remittances, which starved the country of foreign currency needed to pay off its debt. This forced the government to ban many imports, leading to severe shortages, inflation and lengthy power blackouts. In April, Sri Lanka announced it was defaulting on its $51 billion foreign debt. It is in talks with the International Monetary Fund for a bailout.

• 5 killed; 180 injured as violence rages across the island • Surrounded by mob, ruling party MP kills 2, takes own life; another MP also guns down 2 protesters • Tear gas cannisters hit US embassy compound Violence raged across Sri Lanka late into the night yesterday, with five people dead and some 180 injured as prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa quit after weeks of protests. Those killed in the worst unrest since the crisis began included a lawmaker from the ruling party who shot two people. Another ruling party politician gunned down two others. Earlier in the day, government supporters in the capital Colombo attacked with sticks and clubs opponents angry over Sri Lanka’s worst economic crisis since the island nation’s 1948 independence. “We were hit, the media were hit, women and children were hit,” one witness said, asking not to be named, as dozens of people were admitted to hospital. US ambassador Julie Chung tweeted that Washington condemned “the violence against peaceful protesters” and called for the Sri Lankan government “to conduct a full investigation, including the arrest & prosecution of anyone who incited violence”. The clashes precipitated the resignation of prime minister Rajapaksa, the elder brother to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. In stepping down, the premier said he was paving the way for a unity government. But it was unclear if the opposition would join any administration with Gotabaya Rajapaksa as president, and the resignation failed to assuage public anger. Retaliatory attacks by government opponents were reported across the island of 22mn people even after police declared an indefinite curfew. Thousands of protestors tried to storm the official residence of the prime minister in the capital, setting fire to a truck at the entrance as they breached the main gate. Police responded by firing tear gas and gunshots into the air from the residence where Mahinda Rajapaksa remained holed up. Witnesses saw several tear gas cannisters hit the US embassy compound across from the Temple Trees residence, a key symbol of state power in the South Asian island. Officials said the military deployed hundreds of troops to guard the outgoing premier and his aides at the building. Elsewhere, ruling-party lawmaker Amarakeerthi Athukorala shot two people and then took his own life after a mob of anti-government protesters surrounded him outside Colombo, police said. Athukorala’s bodyguard was also found dead at the scene, police said. Another ruling party politician who was not named opened fire on protesters in the southern town of Weeraketiya, killing two and wounding five, authorities said. Police reported that dozens of homes of ruling party politicians were attacked by angry mobs across the island, setting fire to houses and vehicles. Buses and trucks used by government loyalists to bring people to the capital earlier in the day were also targeted. Doctors at Colombo National Hospital, where more than 180 people were treated for injuries, intervened to rescue wounded government supporters, with soldiers breaking open locked gates. “They may be murderers, but for us they are patients who must be treated first,” a doctor shouted at a mob blocking the entrance to the emergency unit. Crowds also attacked a museum devoted to the Rajapaksas in the family’s ancestral village in the deep south of the island, razing it to the ground, police said. Several Rajapaksa homes were also torched in different parts of the country. A hotel in Negombo owned by a close associate of Mahinda Rajapaksa’s children was set ablaze, along with a Lamborghini car parked inside. There were no casualties among foreign guests, police said. On Friday, the government imposed a state of emergency granting the military sweeping powers to arrest and detain people, after trade unions brought the country to a virtual standstill. The defence ministry said anti-government demonstrators were behaving in a “provocative and threatening manner” and disrupting essential services, in a statement on Sunday. Sri Lanka’s crisis was sparked after the coronavirus pandemic hammered vital income from tourism and remittances, starving the country of foreign currency needed to pay off its debt and forcing the government to ban many imports. This led to severe shortages, runaway inflation and lengthy power blackouts. In April, the country announced it was defaulting on its $51 billion foreign debt. “Mahinda Rajapaksa likely read the writing on the wall and realised it was time to go,” expert Michael Kugelman from the Wilson Center told AFP. “But until and unless President Rajapaksa steps down, no-one — whether the masses in the streets or key political stakeholders — will be appeased.”

* PM resigns after day of violence * Ruling party lawmaker killed in clashes * Pro-govt supporters attack protesters * Nationwide curfew imposed Sri Lanka's prime minister resigned on Monday to make way for a unity government to try to find a way out of the country's worst economic crisis in history, but protesters said they also wanted his brother to stand down as president. Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa's resignation came hours after clashes broke out in Colombo, where supporters of the ruling party stormed an anti-government protest camp and were beaten back by police using tear gas and water cannon. Ruling party parliamentarian Amarakeerthi Athukorala died after a standoff with anti-government protesters in the town of Nittambuwa near Colombo, a police source told Reuters without giving details. Anti-government demonstrators set fire on the house owned by minister Sanath Nishantha of resigned Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa's cabinet after ruling party supporters stormed anti-govt protest camp. REUTERS At least three others were wounded and the area remained tense with dozens of protesters still at the location, the source said. A nationwide curfew has been imposed, on top of the state of emergency that Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa - the prime minister's younger brother - declared last week in the face of escalating protests. The island nation of 22 million people has suffered prolonged power cuts and shortages of essentials, including fuel, cooking gas and medicines, and the government is left with as little as $50 million of useable foreign reserves. Sri Lankans have been taking to the streets in largely peaceful protests and demanding that the Rajapaksas step down. In his resignation letter, a copy of which was seen by Reuters, the prime minister said he was quitting to help form an interim, unity government. "Multiple stakeholders have indicated the best solution to the present crisis is the formation of an interim all-party government," the letter said. "Therefore, I have tendered my resignation so the next steps can be taken in accordance with the Constitution." Nalaka Godahewa, a government spokesman, said all cabinet members had also stepped down. "Now the president will invite other political parties to form a unity government," he told Reuters. "The president will meet with independent and opposition political parties and we expect a new government in the next few days." On the streets of Colombo, the mood was jubilant but tense as cars - some flying the national flag and others sounding their horns - drove along a seaside promenade where clashes had broken out earlier. Outside the prime minister's residence, Osha De Silva was among the hundreds of protesters celebrating his resignation but said she also wanted the president to step down. "The Rajapaksa regime is corrupt," Silva said, clasping a national flag with both hands. The prime minister's departure came during a day of chaos and violence, with pro- and anti-government protesters clashing for the first time since the unprecedented wave of demonstrations took hold in late March. Some protesters hijacked a bus used to ferry pro-government supporters, according to a Reuters witness, one of several such incidents reported in Colombo. Multiple attacks on houses and election offices of law makers were also reported. Pro-government supporters were attacked in at least four locations as they were returning from Colombo, media reported. The houses of at least two mayors were also set on fire, police sources told Reuters. Hundreds of ruling party supporters had rallied outside the prime minister's official residence before marching to an anti-government protest site outside the presidential office. Police had formed a line ahead of time on the main road leading towards the site but did little to stop pro-government protesters from advancing, according to a Reuters witness. Pro-government supporters, some armed with iron bars, attacked anti-government demonstrators at the "Gota Go Gama" tent village that sprang up last month and became the focal point of nationwide protests. Police used tear gas and water cannon to break up the confrontation. At least nine people were taken to Colombo's National Hospital for treatment relating to injuries or tear gas inhalation, a hospital official said, declining to be identified. Local media reported as many as 150 were injured throughout the day. "Strongly condemn the violent acts taking place by those inciting & participating, irrespective of political allegiances," President Rajapaksa said in a tweet. "Violence won't solve the current problems." As dusk fell on Colombo, thousands defied a curfew to rally at Gota Go Gama. "Gota(baya) go home," the crowd chanted.

Boos and heckles greeted Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday on his first public outing since nationwide protests erupted demanding his ruling family resign over the worsening economic crisis. Months of blackouts and acute shortages of food, fuel and medicines have caused widespread suffering across the South Asian island in its worst economic downturn since independence in 1948. Yesterday, the premier visited one of the holiest Buddhist temples — housing a reputedly 2,300-year-old tree — in Anuradhapura. But dozens of people carried hand-written placards and chanted slogans demanding that “thieves” be banned from the sacred city, 200 kilometres north of Colombo. “We will worship you if you stand down (as Prime Minister) and leave,” one man shouted. Heavily armed Special Task Force (STF) commandos were deployed while police moved to clear the road for Rajapaksa’s convoy of six vehicles. Officials said the premier returned to the capital by helicopter. Several major roads in the country are blocked by people protesting the lack of cooking gas, petrol and diesel. In the capital, a truck transporting cooking gas was looted yesterday by crowds who had been waiting in line overnight for supplies. Outnumbered police watched helplessly as men climbed onto the truck and got away with 84 cylinders of gas, officials said. The government imposed a state of emergency granting the military sweeping powers to arrest and detain people on Friday, after trade unions brought the country to a virtual standstill in a bid to pressure President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to step down. The defence ministry said in a statement yesterday that anti-government demonstrators were behaving in a “provocative and threatening manner” and disrupting essential services. Unions said they would stage daily protests from today to pressure the government to revoke the emergency. Union leader Ravi Kumudesh said they will mobilise both state and private sector workers to storm the national parliament when it opens its next session on May 17. “We also want the government to lift the emergency because it is not a solution,” Kumudesh said in a statement. “What we want is for the president and his family to go.” President Rajapaksa, who is the brother of the prime minister Mahinda, has not been seen in public since tens of thousands attempted to storm his private residence in Colombo on March 31. Since April 9, thousands have been camping in front of his office in Colombo. Mahinda Rajapaksa’s visit to Anuradhapura is part of a flurry of religious activity by the ruling family as it clings to power in the Buddhist-majority nation. Official sources say the president may ask his brother Mahinda to stand down in an effort to clear the way for a unity government to navigate Sri Lanka through the crisis. But the country’s largest opposition party has already said it will not join any government helmed by a member of the Rajapaksa clan. Sri Lanka was hit by an economic crisis after the coronavirus pandemic hammered income from tourism and remittances. In April, the country announced it was defaulting on its $51bn foreign debt.

Boos and heckles greeted Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on Sunday on his first public outing since nationwide protests erupted demanding his ruling family resign over the worsening economic crisis. Months of blackouts and acute shortages of food, fuel and medicines have caused widespread suffering across the South Asian island in its worst economic downturn since independence in 1948. On Sunday, the premier visited one of the holiest Buddhist temples -- housing a reputedly 2,300-year-old tree -- in Anuradhapura. But dozens of people carried hand-written placards and chanted slogans demanding that "thieves" be banned from the sacred city, 200 kilometres north of Colombo. "We will worship you if you stand down (as Prime Minister) and leave," one man shouted. Heavily armed Special Task Force (STF) commandos were deployed while police moved to clear the road for Rajapaksa's convoy of six vehicles. Officials said the premier would return to the capital by helicopter. Several major roads in the country are blocked by people protesting the lack of cooking gas, petrol and diesel. - Looting -In the capital, a truck transporting cooking gas was looted Sunday by crowds who had been waiting in line overnight for supplies. Outnumbered police watched helplessly as men climbed onto the truck and got away with 84 cylinders of gas, officials said. The government imposed a state of emergency granting the military sweeping powers to arrest and detain people on Friday, after trade unions brought the country to a virtual standstill in a bid to pressure President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to step down. The defence ministry said in a statement Sunday that anti-government demonstrators were behaving in a "provocative and threatening manner" and disrupting essential services. Unions said they would stage daily protests from Monday to pressure the government to revoke the emergency. President Rajapaksa, who is the brother of the prime minister Mahinda, has not been seen in public since tens of thousands attempted to storm his private residence in Colombo on March 31. Since April 9, thousands have been camping in front of his office in Colombo. Mahinda Rajapaksa's visit to Anuradhapura is part of a flurry of religious activity by the ruling family as it clings to power in the Buddhist-majority nation. Local media reported that the president's personal shaman, Gnana Akka, had charmed bottled water and delivered it to the protest site in the hope the movement would fizzle out. Another report said the premier's wife Shiranthi, a Catholic, had visited a Hindu temple seeking divine help for her family's bid to remain in power. Official sources say the president may ask his brother Mahinda to stand down in an effort to clear the way for a unity government to navigate Sri Lanka through the crisis. But the country's largest opposition party has already said it will not join any government helmed by a member of the Rajapaksa clan. Sri Lanka was hit by an economic crisis after the coronavirus pandemic hammered income from tourism and remittances. In April, the country announced it was defaulting on its $51 billion foreign debt. Finance Minister Ali Sabry warned last week that the country will have to endure unprecedented economic hardship for at least two more years.

The China-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank is considering granting $100 million in emergency support to Sri Lanka, the country's finance ministry said on Sunday. Sri Lanka has requested foreign-exchange liquidity support for state banks from the lender, it said in a statement. Hit hard by the pandemic, rising oil prices and populist tax cuts by the government of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the South Asian island's economy is in crisis, with usable foreign reserves down to $50 million, Finance Minister Ali Sabry said last week. Shortages of imported food, fuel and medicines have brought thousands onto the streets in over a month of mostly peaceful protests. Rajapaksa declared a second state emergency in five weeks on Friday. The multilateral AIIB, founded in 2014 to promote infrastructure investing throughout Asia, draws most of its funding from China. China is Sri Lanka's largest bilateral lender, with an outstanding balance of $6.5 billion mostly lent over the past decade for large infrastructure projects, including highways, a port, an airport and a coal power plant. Beijing has extended Sri Lanka a $1.3 billion syndicated loan and a $1.5 billion yuan-denominated swap to boost its reserves. The two countries are in talks for a $1.5 billion credit line and a fresh syndicated loan of up to $1 billion. Colombo said this month that talks had started on refinancing Chinese debt after Sri Lanka suspended some of external debt repayments in April.

Streets in Sri Lanka’s commercial capital Colombo were calm yesterday after the president declared a state of emergency following escalating anti-government protests. Details of the latest emergency regulations were not yet made public, but previous emergency laws have given greater powers to the president to deploy the military, detain people without charge and break up protests. “The President has taken this decision due to the public emergency situation in Sri Lanka and in the interests of public security, the protection of public order and the maintenance of supplies and services essential to the life of the community,” a statement released by his office said. There were no initial reports of late-night disturbances following the emergency declaration shortly before midnight, while traffic proceeded as normal in Galle Face, a central area of Colombo that has been a major site of protests and marches. At the main protest site in the city outside the Presidential Secretariat, around 100 people gathered to listen to anti-government speeches despite the state of emergency, while passing cars sounded their horns in support. “This emergency will not stop the protests,” said Waheeda Lafir, a teacher delivering food supplies to the village of tents that has stood at the site for almost a month. “The government has brought this on themselves, they should resign.” The announcement — the second time President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has declared emergency law in little over a month — drew condemnation from Sri Lanka’s opposition and several western countries. “Concerned by another state of emergency,” United States ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung said in a tweet. “The voices of peaceful citizens need to be heard.” On Friday police fired tear gas at dozens of demonstrators outside parliament, in the latest in more than a month of sporadically violent anti-government protests amid shortages of imported food, fuel and medicines. Aid agency Unicef said it was concerned that children had been among those affected by the tear gas. “Every adult must act with a sense of responsibility and avoid exposing children to any form of violence, including during protests,” it said in a statement. Hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, rising oil prices and government tax cuts, Sri Lanka has been left with as little as $50mn in useable foreign reserves, the finance minister said this week. The country has approached the International Monetary Fund for a bailout. The IMF will meet with Sri Lankan officials in a virtual meeting beginning on Monday, a statement from Masahiro Nozaki, the IMF’s mission chief for Sri Lanka, said yesterday.

US and European diplomats Saturday urged Sri Lanka's beleaguered president to repeal a state of emergency imposed after a general strike brought the bankrupt country to a halt. Months of blackouts and acute shortages of food, fuel and medicines have caused widespread suffering across the South Asian island nation, which is enduring its worst-ever economic downturn. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared a fresh state of emergency on Friday after weeks of protests demanding his government step down over its mismanagement of the crisis. US ambassador Julie Chung said she was "concerned" by the second state of emergency in as many months, adding that Sri Lanka's deepening economic crisis and political gridlock needed long-term solutions. "The State of Emergency won't help do that," Chung said on Twitter. The European Union said the ordinance "could have a counter productive effect" and noted that a month of anti-government protests had so far been peaceful. A spokesman for Rajapaksa said the state of emergency was imposed to "ensure public order" after Friday's general strike brought public transport and economic activity to a halt. The measure gives sweeping detention powers to the military and allows the president to make laws without parliamentary approval. Rajapaksa declared an earlier state of emergency on April 1, a day after thousands of protesters attempted to storm his home in the capital Colombo. It was allowed to lapse two weeks later, but protests have since escalated and spread to every corner of the island. Thousands have been camped outside Rajapaksa's seafront office for nearly a month to demand his resignation. Police fired a barrage of tear gas and water cannon on Friday in an effort to disperse student protesters who were blockading parliament. - Tourism hit -The emergency declaration is a blow to Sri Lanka's vital tourism industry, which had been making a slow recovery after it was crippled by the pandemic. "Tour operators are going to be reluctant because the emergency also means higher insurance premiums applicable to trouble spots," a Colombo hotel manager told AFP. Government sources said the president may ask his brother, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, to stand down in an effort to clear the way for a unity administration to navigate Sri Lanka through the crisis. But Sri Lanka's largest opposition party has already said it will not join any government helmed by a member of the Rajapaksa clan. Sri Lanka's economic crisis took hold after the coronavirus pandemic hammered income from tourism and remittances. Unable to pay for fuel imports, utilities have imposed daily blackouts to ration electricity, while long lines of people snake around service stations for petrol and kerosene. Hospitals are short of vital medicines and the government has appealed to citizens abroad for donations. Last month, Sri Lanka announced it was defaulting on its $51 billion foreign debt. Finance Minister Ali Sabry warned this week that the country will have to endure the unprecedented economic hardship for at least two more years.

Police again fired tear gas and water cannon at students trying to storm Sri Lanka’s parliament yesterday as the country was brought to a halt by a trade union strike demanding the government step down. Months of blackouts and acute shortages of food, fuel and pharmaceuticals have caused widespread suffering across the nation of 22mn people. Public anger has sparked sustained protests demanding the government’s resignation over its mismanagement of the crisis, Sri Lanka’s worst since independence in 1948. Thousands of student protesters had been camped on the road leading to the legislature, which is on a man-made island on a lake in the capital Colombo, since Thursday. Officers fired a barrage of tear gas followed by water cannon from two trucks, but the crowd quickly reassembled behind police barricades set up to block access to the parliament. It was the second time police tried to disperse the crowd with tear gas, after an earlier unsuccessful attempt on Thursday afternoon. Millions of workers stayed off the job yesterday in a strike organised by the country’s trade union movement, with all but one scheduled train service cancelled. Privately owned buses were off the roads while industrial workers demonstrated outside their factories and black flags were hung across the country in an expression of anger against the government. “We can pinpoint the policy blunders of the president that led to this very sorry state of our economy,” said trade union leader Ravi Kumudesh. “He must go.” Private buses, which account for two-thirds of the country’s fleet, were also off the road, Private Bus Operators Association chairman Gemunu Wijeratne said.

Thousands of residents of a historic Old West town in New Mexico were yesterday told to prepare for possible evacuation as fierce winds drove the largest active US wildfire through drought-parched forests. People in the west of Las Vegas, New Mexico packed bags and kept family members close after the fire burned within 8km of their homes near interstate highway 25, according to local officials and fire authorities. Crews bulldozed firebreaks to the west and north of the city of 14,000 to protect ranches, rural houses and the United World College in the village of Montezuma, fire official Todd Abel told a briefing. The Calf Canyon fire has so far burned 104,000 acres, an area nearly the size of Albuquerque, and is the largest of a dozen southwest blazes that scientists have said are more widespread and arriving earlier this year due to climate change. “We’re just gritting our teeth, there’s going to be thousands of people affected,” said San Miguel county deputy manager Jesus Romero as ash swirled around his home in south Las Vegas. Asked if the entire city would be told to evacuate, Romero said that could happen today when winds are expected to shift and blow into the east. About 32km north, crews fought to stop the blaze from burning homes near the village of Ledoux or moving further north into the Mora valley with other communities dating to Spanish colonial times, Abel said. Burning since April 6 around 48km east of Santa Fe, the fire has destroyed more than 300 properties and forced the evacuation of dozens of villages and settlements in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. US wildfires have burned more than twice as much land this year as in the same period of 2021, and about 70% more than the 10-year average, according to the National Interagency Fire Centre. The “megafire” could still more than double in size, a fire official warned. “It’s already 104,000 acres. It could easily double in size, maybe even bigger than that,” incident commander Carl Schwope, told a briefing. The blaze grew about 50% in 24 hours as a giant column of flame collapsed on Friday night, raining embers and starting new fires. Residents of Las Vegas awoke to pieces of charred wood the size of a US quarter coins carpeting the city. Officials fear another “column collapse” at any time. “It’s a big fire and it’s all around us,” San Miguel county manager Joy Ansley said. Firefighters believe the US West faces a grim fire year, with US department of agriculture data showing 80% of the area in severe drought. Under the scenario of a two-degrees-Celsius rise in global temperatures, scientists expect US West wildfires to burn twice the area they do now by as early as mid-century. Over a third of the 2,800 firefighters now deployed in the US were on the Calf Canyon fire.