Sri Lanka police injure 15 protesters during rally

By Dilrukshi Handunnetti

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – Police in Sri Lanka fired tear gas to disperse anti-government protestors at a rally in the capital Colombo on Sunday, injuring 15.

Thousands of protesters defied a police order to protest the government’s decision to indefinitely postpone local elections which had been scheduled for March 9 after President Ranil Wickremesinghe declared that they cannot be held because of a lack of funds due to the country’s economic crisis.

Sri Lanka has been reeling under a crippling economic crisis since late 2021 which led to protests and forced Gotabaya Rajapaksa to resign from the presidency 10 months ago.

The economic crisis has turned into an equally impactful political crisis, with opposition parties calling for elections to be held in order to set up a new government.

Supporters of the opposition National Peoples’ Power (NPP) party defied a court order banning them from entering the area and amid police warnings began marching towards the Town Hall, a popular protest venue in Colombo, when police fired tear gas and used water cannons to prevent them from moving forward.

The announcement by President Wickremesinghe had sparked public anger. Following his statement, the Election Commission has also not made any moves to reschedule the polls as the country hangs in the balance, awaiting a financial bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Recent protest actions have seen police using force to prevent more such protests amid growing public opposition to the current administration led by Wickremesinghe, an unpopular head of state elected by parliament who lacks a popular political mandate as president.