Sri Lanka saw its most violent day in recent weeks as prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa quit from his post on Monday and clashes - far and wide - claimed at least five lives and left over 200 injured. Lawmaker Amarakeerthi Athukorala of the ruling party shot dead a 27-year-old man and then took his own life, reports said, as the country remained tense amid an economic crisis taking it down the spiral. The Rajapaksas have been the South Asian nation’s most powerful political family for decades but the current economic challenges have turned into a political quagmire for them. There have also been calls for president Gotabaya Rajapaksa to step down. A nationwide curfew has been called till Wednesday while the army has been deployed in the capital city of Colombo.
Here are ten points on the Sri Lanka crisis:
“Effective immediately I have tendered my resignation as Prime Minister to the President (sic),” Mahinda Rajapaksa tweeted on Monday in an announcement that paves way for the formation of a united government. “While emotions are running high in #lka, I urge our general public to exercise restraint & remember that violence only begets violence. The economic crisis we're in needs an economic solution which this administration is committed to resolving,” he wrote in another post
Scenes of chaos emerged as supporters of the Rajapaksas stepped out for demonstrations and violence enveloped the streets. Protesters who have camped out in downtown Colombo for weeks to demand the resignation of Rajpaksa brothers were also reportedly targeted.
