UN chief Antonio Guterres calls for dialogue to solve Sri Lanka crisis

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres wants Sri Lankans to find a solution through dialogue to the crisis in their country, whose Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned amid violent clashes spurred by an economic crisis, his Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq said on Monday.

“We continue to encourage all Sri Lankan stakeholders to find a solution to the current challenges through dialogue and with the interests of the country and the people in mind,” Haq said.

Mahinda Rajapaksa turned in his resignation to his brother, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, as the nation was rocked by clashes between the supporters of the Rajapaksa family and its opponents, and by police attempts to contain the protests.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa placed the island nation under curfew.

“We’ve also been concerned about the recent violence against peaceful protesters, and we urge calm and restraint, as well as respect for democratic rights, including the right… the freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly,” Haq said.

A member of parliament from the ruling party, Amarakeerthi Athukorala, was found dead after he fired into a crowd of protesters blocking his way and fled the place.

About 200 people were reported injured in the clashes around the country, including in front of the President’s residence.

Sri Lanka is in dire economic straits caused by foreign exchange shortages.

It has sought financial arrangements with India and Bangladesh to import vital food supplies and oil to make up for shortages that have fuelled the protests.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed @arulouis)

–IANS

al/vd

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Dear Reader,

Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.

We, however, have a request.

As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.

Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.

Digital Editor