Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared a state of emergency in the country after protests against rising living standards, fuel shortages and prolonged power outages.
The state of emergency went into effect today, authorities said. This gives the president more security powers and expands the power of the military to detain people. The authorities have also imposed a curfew that will last from 12:30 GMT today until 00:30 Monday Monday, according to global news agencies.
The measures were taken after protests near the President’s private residence, about 14 kilometers south of the capital, Colombo.
The demonstrations, which began on Thursday evening, escalated into violence. More than 30 civilians and 24 police officers were injured in clashes between protesters and police. 53 demonstrators were arrested.
Sri Lanka turned to India and China for help in purchasing food and fuel, as well as financial support from the International Monetary Fund. India has begun shipping rice to Sri Lanka, the first significant food aid since Colombo received a line of credit from Delhi, according to Reuters.
Officials cited by the agency said today that Indian traders have started shipping 40,000 tons of rice with fast delivery to Sri Lanka, which has been hit by a severe economic crisis. Last month, India agreed to provide a $1 billion credit line to help Sri Lanka address a severe shortage of basic commodities.