The Sri Lankan government lifted the state of emergency on Saturday, nearly two weeks after it was imposed across the island nation as it faced unprecedented economic and anti-government protests.
The Presidential Secretariat stated that the state of emergency has been lifted with effect from Friday midnight, Hiru News reported.
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Embattled Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had declared a state of emergency with effect from May 6 midnight, the second time in just over a month amidst growing countrywide anti-government protests over the economic crisis.
The move was taken with the improvement of the law and order situation in the island nation.The state of emergency gave the police and the security forces sweeping power to arbitrarily arrest and detain people.
The president's decision to declare the emergency had come amidst weeks of protests demanding his resignation and the government, blaming the powerful Rajapaksa clan for mishandling the island nation's economy, already hit by the pandemic.
Nine people were killed and over 200 injured in clashes between pro- and anti-government protesters.
India and Japan to provide relief supplies
India and Japan will provide food relief supplies worth millions of dollars to Sri Lanka.
The Indian High Commission in Colombo said on Friday that an Indian ship laden with urgent relief supplies like rice, medicines and milk powder for the people of Sri Lanka is scheduled to reach Colombo on Sunday.
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Worst economic crisis
Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis since gaining independence from Britain in 1948. The crisis is caused in part by a lack of foreign currency, which has meant that the country cannot afford to pay for imports of staple foods and fuel, leading to acute shortages and very high prices.
An inflation rate spiralling towards 40 per cent, shortages of food, fuel and medicines and rolling power blackouts have led to nationwide protests and a plunging currency, with the government short of the foreign currency reserves it needed to pay for imports.
