Sri Lanka's government imposed a weekend curfew on Saturday, even as hundreds of lawyers urged President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to revoke a state of emergency introduced following unrest over fuel and other shortages in a deep economic crisis.
The government's information department said a countrywide curfew would last until 6am, local time, on Monday.
Rajapaksa introduced a state of emergency on Friday, raising fears of a crackdown on protests. Emergency powers in the past have allowed the military to arrest and detain suspects without warrants, but the terms of the current powers are not yet clear
The Indian Ocean island nation of 22 million people is grappling with rolling blackouts for up to 13 hours a day as the government scrambles to secure foreign exchange to pay for fuel and other essential imports.
FILE PHOTO: Soldiers guard a fuel station in Colombo on March 22, 2022 AFP"People take to the streets when things are impossible," 68-year-old Colombo shop owner Nishan Ariyapala told Reuters TV. "When people take to the streets the political leaders of the country must act thoughtfully."
Rajapaksa said the state of emergency was needed to protect public order and maintain essential supplies and services.
Demonstrators stand near a bus that was set on fire at the top of the road to Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's residence during a protest in Colombo, Sri Lanka March 31, 2022 ReutersAngered by the shortages of fuel and other essential items, hundreds of protesters clashed on Thursday with police and the military outside Rajapaksa's residence as they called for his ouster and torched several police and army vehicles.
Police arrested 53 people and imposed a curfew in and around Colombo on Friday to contain other sporadic protests.
Shops opened and traffic was normal on Saturday, while police remained stationed at some petrol stations.
‘Failure to understand’
"There has been a failure to understand the aspirations of the people and to empathize with the suffering of the people of the country," the lawyers, members of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka, said in their appeal, adding that freedom of speech and peaceful assembly should be respected.
Demonstrators move away from tear gas used by the police near Sri Lankan president’s residence during a protest against him as many parts of the crisis-hit country faced up to 13 hours without electricity in Colombo, Sri Lanka March 31, 2022 Reuters
Reacting to the state of emergency, US ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung said: "Sri Lankans have a right to protest peacefully - essential for democratic expression.
"I am watching the situation closely, and hope the coming days bring restraint from all sides, as well as much needed economic stability and relief for those suffering," she tweeted.
Highlighting the severe shortage of foreign currency, a vessel carrying 5,500 metric tons of cooking gas had to leave Sri Lankan waters after Laugfs Gas, the company that ordered it, could not procure $4.9 million from local banks to pay for it.
The ongoing crisis - the result of economic mismanagement by successive governments - has been compounded by the Covid-19 pandemic, which has hit tourism and remittances.
It has also marked a sharp turnaround in political support for Rajapaksa, who swept to power in 2019 promising stability.
