Sri Lanka in turmoil: What we are covering today

Colombo, Apr 06: Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa late Tuesday night revoked the state of emergency he had declared on April 1 with immediate effect in his island nation, news agency PTI reported.

In a gazette notification no 2274/10 issued on Tuesday night, the president said he has withdrawn the emergency rule ordinance which gave security forces sweeping powers to curb any disturbance in the country.

Armed bikers tore through protests. The UN Human Rights Council said that it is closely watching the developments in the island nation.

President Rajapaksa had declared a public emergency on April 1 amid a spate of protests over the worst economic crisis in the country, news agency PTI reported.
The emergency was imposed because of the mass scale protests planned for April 3 against the current economic hardships faced by the people.

Colombo decided to temporarily shut its embassies in Norway, Iraq and the country's Consulate General in Sydney

Later, the government imposed an island-wide curfew. Protests continued despite curfew and the state of emergency with senior ruling party figures having their homes surrounded by angry protesters who urged the government for solutions to the economic crisis.

Several people were injured and vehicles were set on fire as the agitation turned violent. Police fired tear gas and water cannons at the protesters after they pulled down a steel barricade placed near the president's residence. Following the incident, several people were arrested and a curfew was briefly imposed in most parts of Colombo city.

A foreign exchange crunch in Sri Lanka has led to a shortage of essential goods such as fuel and cooking gas. Power cuts that last up to 13 hours a day.