Lanka burning

Sri Lankarsquos Ministry of Defence on Tuesday ordered the Army the Air Force and the Navy personnel to open fire on anyone looting public property or causing harm to others amidst violent protests in the island nation over the unprecedented economic crisis The order came after embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa urged people to stop ldquoviolence and acts of revengerdquo and vowed to address the political and economic crisis facing the nation Amid growing unrest former prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa stayed put at a naval base on Tuesday As the former PM and his family were flown to the naval base in Trincomalee demonstrators surrounded the premises too The death toll rose to eight in the violence that erupted after supporters Mahinda Rajapaksa attacked antigovernment protesters on MondayA security personnel walks past a burned vehicle near exPM Mahinda Rajapaksarsquos official residence in Colombo on TuesdaySri Lanka gave emergency powers on Tuesday to its military and police to detain people without warrants after a day of clashes that killed seven people and injured more than 200 in violence that prompted Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to resign As the Indian Ocean nation battles its worst economic crisis in history thousands of protesters had defied curfew to attack government figures setting ablaze homes shops and businesses belonging to ruling party lawmakers and provincial politiciansA burnt car at a square a day after govt supporters antigovt protesters clashed in Colombo on Tuesday PicAFPDespite sporadic reports of unrest the situation calmed by Tuesday said police spokesman Nihal Thalduwa adding that about 200 people had also been injured in violence that led to an islandwide curfew The government of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa the younger brother of the prime minister outlined broad powers for the military and police to detain and question people without arrest warrants The military can detain people for up to 24 hours before handing them to police while private property can be searched by force including private vehicles the government said in a gazette notification on TuesdayMahinda Rajapaksa resigned as Lankan PM on Monday amid a wave of unprecedented protests across the country File picldquoAny person arrested by a police officer shall be taken to the nearest police stationrdquo it said fixing a 24hour deadline for the armed forces to do the same Some analysts expressed concern over the potential for abuse of the emergency measures ldquoIn a situation where there is both a state of emergency and curfew who can monitor to ensure these regulations are not abusedrdquo said Bhavani Fonseka of the Centre for Policy Alternatives think tank in Colombo Sri Lankarsquos economic crisis follows the COVID pandemic that crippled its tourism earningsBurnt buses near Mahinda Rajapaksarsquos official residence in Colombo on TuesdayMob targets top cop near PMrsquos residenceA top Sri Lankan police officer was on Tuesday assaulted by a mob of protesters who also set fire to his vehicle near the prime ministerrsquos official residence in the capital Colombo Senior Deputy InspectorGeneral Deshabandu Tennakoon the highestranking officer in Colombo was rushed to emergency treatment and has returned home reports saidConvene Parliament Speaker to PresidentSri Lankan Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana has requested that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa convene the House as soon as possible to discuss the current situation which includes unprecedented violence and widespread protest against the government over the countryrsquos worst economic crisis in decades a media report saidSecurity personnel near the wreckage of a vehicle that was set afire on Monday in the capital on Tuesday PicsAFPTweet talkMahela Jayawardene Lankan excricketerThis is how they attacked a female protester in front of police officers shame on you PodujanaParty and government of SL for using violenceNiroshan Dickwella Lankan cricketerI am disappointed to even think we have such leadership in our country My heart is with everyone standing United for this cause200No of protesters wounded on MondayThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever