 "Sri Lanka unrest: Shoot-on-sight orders issued; President Gotabaya Rajapaksa urges calm")
A shoot-on-sight order was issued in Sri Lanka on Tuesday as protests against the ruling establishment continue to turn violent. “Security forces have been ordered to shoot-on-sight anyone looting public property or causing harm to life,” the country’s Defence Ministry said. The order comes after a mob attacked a top police officer and torched his vehicle near the prime minister’s official residence in Colombo. Senior Deputy Inspector-General Deshabandu Tennakoon, the highest-ranking officer in Colombo “required emergency treatment and has returned home,” a senior police official told AFP. He said reinforcements rushed to the area and fired warning shots to rescue the officer who came under attack despite a nationwide curfew. On Monday, protesters set ablaze houses belonging to several ruling party politicians. The ancestral home of former PM Mahinda Rajapaksa was also torched. Similar attacks took place on Tuesday. The house of former finance minister Basil Rajapaksa was ransacked. He is the younger brother of Mahinda and Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, authorities extended a nationwide curfew till 7 am local time on Thursday as protests over the country’s worst economic crisis in decades showed no signs of abating. President urges calm President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has urged people to “remain calm and stop the violence”. Taking to Twitter, he said, “All efforts will be made to restore political stability through consensus, within constitutional mandate & to resolve the economic crisis.”
The death toll in the unrest has risen to eight. Police said Tuesday people, including two policemen, were killed and 65 homes damaged during the violence overnight. Forty-one of the homes were burned. Official figures showed that 88 cars and busses were destroyed along with hundreds of motorcycles. People continue to hit the streets despite a curfew. The country is under a state of emergency since Friday giving sweeping powers to the military to arrest and detain suspects. Mahinda Rajapaksa takes refuge at naval base Earlier in the day, Gotabaya’s elder brother and former PM Mahinda and his family took refuge at a naval base in Trincomalee city, local media reported. Protesters gathered outside the naval base amid speculations that the Rajapaksas were trying to flee the country. Also read: As Sri Lanka reels under violent protests, a look at key figures in the powerful Rajapaksa clan Demonstrators set up a checkpoint on the road leading to the Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo to prevent the Rajapaksa family loyalists from fleeing the country. Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned as the PM on Monday after his supporters attacked protesters. His departure however failed to quell public anger, with his brother still president and wielding widespread powers and command over the security forces. India: Fully supportive of SL’s democracy & economic recovery Reacting to the unrest in neigbouring Sri Lanka, India said that it was fully supportive of the island nation’s stability & economic recovery. “In keeping with our Neighbourhood First policy, India has extended this year alone support worth over US$ 3.5 billion to the people of Sri Lanka for helping them overcome their current difficulties,” Arindam Bagchi, the spokesperson of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said on Tuesday.
“In addition, the people of India have provided assistance for mitigating the shortages of essential items such as food, medicine etc,” he added. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram .