Public emergency declared in Sri Lanka

Colombo: Sri Lanka has declared a state of emergency a day after hundreds tried to storm President's house in anger over unprecedented economic crisis. Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has issued an extraordinary gazette yesterday declaring a public emergency in the island nation with immediate effect.

Public emergency is declared in the interests of public security, the protection of public order and the maintenance of supplies and services essential to the life of the community as it is expedient, the



gazette read. President has invoked the tough laws allowing the military to arrest and detain suspects for long periods without trial as demonstrations calling for his ouster spread across the South Asian nation.

Sri Lanka has also imposed a police curfew in Western Province for six hours. Earlier, on Thursday people gathered outside the President's residence to stage protest over the government's failure to address the existing economic issues in the island nation.