Rajapaksa has not been seen in public since Friday has not directly said anything about resigning. "We hope for a resolution of the current situation that will allow for resumption of our dialogue on an IMF-supported programme," the global lender said in a statement. The International Monetary Fund (IMF), which has been in talks with the government for a possible $3 billion bailout, also said it was monitoring events closely. India, Sri Lanka's giant neighbour which has provided support of about $3.8 billion during the crisis, said it was watching events closely. "We would urge the Sri Lankan parliament to approach this with a commitment to the betterment of the country, not any one political party," he said at a news conference in Bangkok. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said any government in power would have to "work quickly to try to identify and implement solutions that will bring back the prospect of long-term economic stability, address the Sri Lankan people's discontent, which is so powerful and palpable". Headline inflation in the country of 22 million hit 54.6% last month, and the central bank has warned that it could rise to 70% in the coming months. The government has asked people to work from home and closed schools in an effort to conserve fuel. Petrol has been severely rationed and long lines have formed in front of shops selling cooking gas.
It has been compounded by large and growing government debt, rising oil prices and a seven-month ban on importing chemical fertilisers last year that devastated agriculture.
The financial meltdown developed after the COVID-19 pandemic hammered the tourism-reliant economy and slashed remittances from overseas workers. The political chaos could complicate efforts to pull Sri Lanka out of its worst economic crisis in seven decades, triggered by a severe shortage of foreign currency that has stalled imports of essentials such as fuel, food and medicines.
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Nearby, a group of young men lounged on a four-poster bed and others jostled for turns on a treadmill set up in front of large windows overlooking manicured lawns. I wanted my kids and grandkids to see the luxurious lifestyles they were enjoying." "They enjoyed super luxury while we suffered. Chandrawathi, accompanied by her daughter and grandchildren, told Reuters as she tried out a plush sofa in a first-floor bedroom. "I've never seen a place like this in my life," 61-year-old handkerchief seller B.M. Members of the security forces, some with assault rifles, stood outside the compound but did not stop people from going in. Though calm had returned to the streets of Colombo on Sunday, throughout the day curious Sri Lankans roamed through the ransacked presidential palace. "The president has to resign, the prime minister has to resign and the government has to go," playwright Ruwanthie de Chickera told a news conference at the main protest site in Colombo.įlanked by other leaders helping coordinate the movement against the government, she said the crowds would not move out of the official residences of the president and prime minister until then.
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