Sri Lanka gave emergency powers on Tuesday to its army and police to detain people without warrants, after a day of clashes that killed seven people and wounded more than 200, in violence that led Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to resign.
As the Indian Ocean nation grapples with the worst economic crisis in its history, thousands of protesters defied a curfew to attack government figures, torching homes, shops and businesses belonging to ruling party lawmakers and provincial politicians.
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Despite sporadic reports of unrest, the situation calmed down on Tuesday, police spokesman Nihal Thalduwa said, adding that some 200 people were also injured in the violence that led to an island-wide curfew until 7 p.m. :00 am (01:30 GMT) the next day.
The government of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the prime minister’s younger brother, outlined sweeping powers for the army and police to detain and interrogate people without warrants.
The military can detain people for up to 24 hours before handing them over to police, while private property can be forcibly searched, including private vehicles, the government said in a bulletin notice on Tuesday.
Sri Lankan soldiers stand guard next to burned buses a day after clashes between government supporters and anti-government protesters in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, May 10, 2022.
AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena
“Anyone arrested by a police officer will be taken to the nearest police station,” he said, setting a 24-hour deadline for the armed forces to do the same.
Some analysts raised concerns about the potential for abuse of the emergency measures.
“In a situation where there is both a state of emergency and a curfew, who can monitor to ensure that these regulations are not abused?” said Bhavani Fonseka, of the Colombo-based think tank Center for Policy Alternatives.
The president had already declared a state of emergency on Friday as the protests intensified.
A Sri Lankan government supporter carries a national flag after attacking the anti-government protest site outside the president’s office in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Monday, May 9, 2022.
AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena
DAY OF VIOLENCE
The attacks on government figures came in apparent retaliation for an incident just hours before Rajapaksa’s resignation.
Rajapaksa spoke to hundreds of supporters gathered at his official residence on Monday following reports that he was considering resigning.
After his statements, many of them, armed with iron bars, stormed a camp of anti-government protesters, beating them and setting their shops on fire.
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Police fired water cannons and tear gas to disperse the skirmishers, having initially done little to contain government supporters, according to Reuters witnesses.
Thousands of people took to the streets to celebrate Rajapaksa’s resignation, but the mood quickly turned tense.
Protesters tried to break down the doors of Temple Trees, his residence in central Colombo, where broken glass and discarded shoes littered the surrounding streets on Tuesday, after some of the night’s worst clashes.
Military troops patrolled the area, where eight burning vehicles lay partially submerged in a lake. Discarded files and smashed equipment littered the looted offices of government officials.
Pro and anti-government Sri Lankan protesters clash as police fire water cannons outside the president’s office in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Monday, May 9, 2022.
AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena
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Sri Lanka’s unprecedented economic crisis follows a pandemic that hit key earnings from tourism, leaving the government to grapple with rising oil prices and the impact of populist tax cuts.
It has sought assistance from multilateral lenders such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, as well as Asian giants India and China.
Former finance minister Ali Sabry, who resigned on Monday along with the rest of Rajapaksa’s cabinet, said usable foreign exchange reserves amount to just $50 million.
Shortages of fuel, food and medicine have brought thousands to the streets in more than a month of protests that had been mostly peaceful until this week.
Reference-globalnews.ca