On Sunday, Sri Lanka blocked all social media during a 36-hour curfew to stem anti-government protests over rising costs.
About 100 protesters, including MPs such as opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, marched through the country’s largest city, Colombo, on Sunday despite a curfew. The military and police blocked their route near Independence Square downtown. A spokesman said that the Defense Ministry has ordered to block social media such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Twitter and Youtube.
Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has declared a national emergency over large-scale protests against the deep economic crisis in the island state. The state of emergency gives the president, the police, and the military expanded security powers to arrest protesters. Rajapaksa declared a state of emergency on Saturday following a demonstration outside his private residence, 14 kilometres south of Colombo’s capital.
It started Thursday night and quickly turned violent. Protesters threw stones at the police and set five cars on fire, after which the police fired tear gas. More than 30 protesters and at least 24 police officers were injured, and 53 people were arrested.
The curfew is in effect through Monday morning. The curfew is strictly enforced. For example, 664 people have been arrested for ignoring the ban. The protests are mainly a result of inflation, which is now around 19 percent. In addition to the currency depreciation, the country also suffers from energy, food, medicines, and fuel shortages. The island of 22 million inhabitants has seen 70 percent of its foreign exchange ‘evaporate’ in two years and can no longer afford the import of essential products.
