Colombo: The under-fire Sri Lankan government on Saturday announced a 36-hour nationwide curfew, a day after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa invoked a state of emergency.
Troops with sweeping powers were deployed to quell protests against the President, his relatives and his most t
rusted shaman, AFP reported.
Police authorities said the lockdown, to be effective from dusk on Saturday, will be lifted on Monday morning. The curfew covers the period when mass anti-government protests against worsening shortages of fuel, food and medicines have been planned.
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On Saturday, a mob made a violent attempt to storm the President’s house. Their target was mainly Gnana Akka, a female shaman who is frequently consulted by Rajapaksa.
Rajapaksa’s opponents have said he is protecting the shaman, who has been labelled a ‘thief’.
#GoHomeRajapaksas and #GotaGoHome have been trending for several days on Twitter and Facebook in near-bankrupt Sri Lanka, which is battling severe shortage of essentials, sharp price rises and crippling power cuts.