Tag: Sri Lanka Crisis

Tamil Nadu Coastal police received tips that some Sri Lankan refugees have landed at the mount near Rameswaram and that they were dropped off there by a fishing boat.

As anti-government protests spread defying curfew and social media ban on April 3, the former cabinet with 26-ministers en masse resigned from their positions.

Sri Lanka In Turmoil: Tracking The Collapse & Chaos

Nandalal Weerasinghe was appointed as the governor of the central bank of Sri Lanka, following the resignation of Ajith Nivard Cabraal earlier this week, reports Xinhua news agency.

Accordingly, on April 3-4, all of Sri Lanka's cabinet, with the exception of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, tendered their resignations, along with the governor of the central bank.

Two major newspapers -- The Island, and its sister Sinhala publication Divayina announced suspension of their print publication due to the rising newsprint cost.

Local media reports quoting some local banks said the selling rate of one $1 had reached 310 LKR, while some banks were selling at 312 LR, reports Xinhua news agency.

TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran told IANS that President Rajapaksa must listen to the people and leave his post. "People are demanding him to leave not to form a cabinet with the opposition parties," he said.

"The curfew is illegal. There is no emergency situation to impose curfew. Do your duty to the people but not to one family," Premadasa told police and military who blocked him.

Fully or partially impacted social media and messaging platforms include Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, TokTok, Snapchat, WhatsApp, Viber, Telegram, and Facebook Messenger, it said.

A statement issued by the presidential media division on Friday said an extremist group was behind the unrest near President Rajapaksa's residence in Mirihana, the Daily Mirror news website reported.

According to the police, in the protest several, including five policemen, were injured while vehicles were set on fire as a spontaneous expression of public anger over the current economic crisis turned violent.