Sri Lanka: Hospital officials said that one person was killed and 84 others were injured in Wednesday’s protests in Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo.
A 26-year-old man died of breathlessness after police forces fired tear gas at protesters. Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was appointed acting president after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country.
But this decision triggered further protests and demanded that he also resign. Hospital officials at the Colombo National Hospital said protesters caused the injuries outside the Prime Minister’s Office and Parliament in the evening.
Police fired tear gas at protesters, who attempted to break through the gates of the Prime Minister’s Office in Colombo and made their way towards Parliament before finally going inside.
A military spokesman told that a soldier and a police officer were among the wounded and alleged that a demonstrator stole an assault rifle with ammunition yet to be recovered.
On Thursday morning, Sri Lanka imposed a new curfew, which will be in effect from noon on Thursday to 05:00 on Friday, the government said in a statement. The protests come as Sri Lanka grapples with the worst economic crisis.
Many blame the Rajapaksa administration for the crisis and see Wickremesinghe, who became prime minister in May, as part of the problem.
In a late Wednesday televised address, Mr Wickremesinghe called on protesters to leave their busy offices and other state buildings and cooperate with the authorities.
He also asked the army to do “whatever is necessary” to restore order.
His statement came hours after Rajapaksa fled to the Maldives days after he stormed his official residence. Mr Rajapaksa had promised to resign by Wednesday but has yet to submit a formal resignation letter.
The leader, exempted from prosecution as president, is believed to have wanted to flee abroad before stepping down to avoid the possibility of arrest by the new administration.
The president’s departure threatens a potential power vacuum in Sri Lanka, which needs a functioning government to help pull it out of financial ruin.
Politicians from other parties have been discussing forming a new unity government, but there is no sign that they are close to an agreement. It is also not clear whether the public will accept whatever they bring. In a press statement on Wednesday, Mr Wickremesinghe‘s team said he had asked the parliament speaker to nominate a new prime minister “who is acceptable to both the government and opposition”.