Sri Lanka imposes nine-hour nationwide curfew amid protests: Report

The Sri Lankan government on Monday imposed a nine-hour curfew amid continued unrest in the island nation. According to reports from local media, the curfew will be imposed from 8pm Monday and remain in force till 5am Tuesday.

The announcement came a day after Sri Lanka said more than 200 people were arrested on various charges, including violation of curfew, attacking the public and causing damage to public and private properties.

The island nation has been witnessing protests over the ongoing economic crisis in the country, said to be the worst in decades. With law and order deteriorating in the wake of weeks-long protests, the Lankan authorities are said to be making efforts to bring the situation under control.

Newly appointed Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has said he will provide a full explanation of the financial crisis faced by the island nation.

“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 Rajapaksa as prime minister last week after fighting between government supporters and protesters killed nine and wounded 300 others.

In a desperate bid, the president then put Wickremesinghe in the PM’s chair, an opposition parliamentarian who had held the post five times previously.

However, the protesters have said they will keep up their campaign until the president is removed. They have also labelled Wickremesinghe a stooge and criticised his appointment of four cabinet ministers, all members of the political party run by the Rajapaksa brothers.