Sri Lankan police on Thursday (August 18th) used tear gas and water cannons to break up a small protest by students against the government in the capital, just hours after the state of emergency expired.
At least six protesters were arrested as law enforcement, armed with batons and shields, blocked students heading towards the city center where they had planned a rally outside the main train station. “Among those arrested was IUSF (Inter-University Student Federation) leader Wasantha Mudalige“, told AFP a police official. The demonstrators dispersed immediately after the arrest.
Economic crisis
Police said they used minimal force, but were making arrests of anyone who attacks officers or damages public property. The protest took place just hours after a state of emergency imposed last month expired. Sri Lanka, a country of 22 million people, is devastated by a historic economic crisis, marked by severe shortages of food, fuel and medicine, due to a lack of foreign currency to finance imports.
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Hundreds of students chanted slogans against President Ranil Wickremesinghe, elected by parliament after the resignation of his predecessor Gotabaya Rajapaksa. University students called on the population to swell their ranks against the new administration, but the response was weak compared to the crowds that had rallied against the ousted president.
Emergency state
Months of protests culminated in July in the fall of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, accused of mismanagement. Forced to flee abroad, first to the Maldives and then to Singapore, he is currently in Thailand. Close associates said he was keen to return to Sri Lanka. On Tuesday, Ranil Wickremesinghe announced that he would not renew the state of emergency. “The situation in the country has stabilized, there is no need to reimpose the state of emergency when it lapsessaid Ranil Wickremesinghe’s office on Tuesday.
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Emergency laws allow the military and police to arrest and detain suspects for long periods. The state of emergency has been widely criticized by human rights advocates, who see it as a draconian measure allowing the president to pass regulations and limit citizens’ freedoms, without judicial review.
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