Sri Lankan police on Sunday used water cannons and tear gas to disperse demonstrators upset about the decision to postpone local elections after the administration claimed it could not afford to pay them due to the dire economic crisis in the nation.
According to Colombo National Hospital, about 15 persons had minor injury treatment.
Following a court order prohibiting them from entering the area—which contains the president's home, office, and several important government buildings—thousands of members of the opposition National People's Power party attempted to march toward Colombo's main business district while disregarding police warnings.
The order had been obtained in the backdrop of last July’s massive protests, when thousands of people stormed the presidential office and residence and occupied them for days. The crisis forced then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee the country and resign.
The turmoil was caused by severe shortages of some foods, fuel, cooking gas and medicine, after Sri Lanka went bankrupt because it could not repay its foreign debt.
The new president, Ranil Wickremesinghe, negotiated a rescue package with the International Monetary Fund for $2.9 billion over four years, but it can be finalized only if Sri Lanka’s creditors give assurances on debt restructuring.
Sri Lanka has more than $51 billion in total foreign debt, of which $28 billion must be repaid by 2027. India and a number of other creditor nations have already provided guarantees that are up to IMF norms, but the success of the arrangement depends on China's willingness to agree to debt restructuring at the same level.
Despite political parties submitting candidates for the March 9 town and village council elections, Wickremesinghe's Finance Ministry claimed it couldn't allot enough funding.
Elections had to be postponed indefinitely as a result of the judgment.
According to Colombo National Hospital, about 15 persons had minor injury treatment.
Following a court order prohibiting them from entering the area—which contains the president's home, office, and several important government buildings—thousands of members of the opposition National People's Power party attempted to march toward Colombo's main business district while disregarding police warnings.
The order had been obtained in the backdrop of last July’s massive protests, when thousands of people stormed the presidential office and residence and occupied them for days. The crisis forced then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee the country and resign.
The turmoil was caused by severe shortages of some foods, fuel, cooking gas and medicine, after Sri Lanka went bankrupt because it could not repay its foreign debt.
The new president, Ranil Wickremesinghe, negotiated a rescue package with the International Monetary Fund for $2.9 billion over four years, but it can be finalized only if Sri Lanka’s creditors give assurances on debt restructuring.
Sri Lanka has more than $51 billion in total foreign debt, of which $28 billion must be repaid by 2027. India and a number of other creditor nations have already provided guarantees that are up to IMF norms, but the success of the arrangement depends on China's willingness to agree to debt restructuring at the same level.
Despite political parties submitting candidates for the March 9 town and village council elections, Wickremesinghe's Finance Ministry claimed it couldn't allot enough funding.
Elections had to be postponed indefinitely as a result of the judgment.
