In the wake of Victoria Nuland’s bizarre visit to Sri Lanka on March 22, the government is under assault, curfew has been imposed, and power blackouts run to 12 hours per day. Prior to Nuland’s trip, Sri Lanka was in obvious trouble and needed help. Their tourism income had been wiped out during two years of COVID, remittances from citizens working overseas had dried up, and on March 8 their currency collapsed. There is an acute shortage of food and basic necessities, including fuel and gas. Lack of fuel for their electricity production had resulted in up to 10-hour/day power outages.
Protests started in the capital of Colombo earlier this week, reported Sputnik International, over mounting discontent with the economic situation. Protesters gathered outside the residence of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Thursday night, March 31, demanding his resignation. Police fired tear gas, with some protesters responding by setting fire to a bus that blocked the road to Rajapaksa’s residence. The country’s authorities have pledged to launch an investigation and identify members of an organized extremist group suspected of taking part in the protests.
Then, also on March 31, the Public Utilities Commission increased the 10-hour power cuts to 12 hours. ANI reports that at least 37 people, mainly journalists and police officers, were injured as a result of violent protests on April 1. A total of 54 protesters were arrested. And the Department of Public Information reported that an island-wide curfew has been imposed until April 4, Monday morning.
At the joint press conference last week of Nuland and Foreign Minister Prof. Gamini Lakshman Peiris, there was the spectacle of two sides talking past each other. Peiris made it very clear, two weeks into their currency collapse, that they were calling upon the U.S. for real help. He opened by saying that the total focus in Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry is, for now, economic development and trade. We need vigorous investment.
