Colombo: Doctors and bankers were among hundreds of Sri Lankans who on Wednesday called on the government to address the Indian Ocean island’s worst economic crisis in decades or a severe fuel shortage to step down.
Weeks of street demonstrations against widespread crises such as power cuts and shortages of food and medicine brought a change in government last month when nine people were killed and nearly 300 injured in protests.
With enough fuel for almost a week and fresh shipments at least two weeks away, the government on Tuesday restricted supplies for essential services such as trains, buses and the health sector for two weeks.
The Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement that the petrol shipment ordered by the government would arrive on July 22, while the Lanka IOC, a unit Indian Oil CorporationExpecting shipment of petrol and diesel around 13th July.
“The government is also making efforts to secure fuel shipments at the earliest. However, until this is confirmed, details will not be released,” the statement said.
Doctors, nurses and medical staff say that despite being designated essential workers, they struggle to find enough fuel to go to work.
“This is an impossible situation, the government has to give us a solution,” said HM Medivatta, secretary of a Sri Lankalargest nursing union of All Island Nurses Associationtold reporters.
The South Asian country’s worst economic crisis since independence from Britain in 1948 came when Covid-19 battered a tourism-dependent economy and reduced remittances from foreign workers.
Rising oil prices, populist tax cuts and last year’s seven-month ban on imports of chemical fertilizers have ravaged agriculture, adding to the difficulties.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa Told world Bank had agreed to restructure 17 projects which it is funding in Sri Lanka. Similar support extended earlier was used to buy fuel and medicine.
“Further assistance will be provided to the World Bank once talks with the IMF are finalised,” he said on Twitter.
One International Monetary Fund The team is in Colombo to negotiate a $3 billion bailout package. Sri Lanka expects a staff-level agreement to be in place by Thursday, but even so, it is unlikely to bring in immediate funds.
“unbearable”
A march to the President’s home by a trade union of bankers, teachers and the self-employed was stopped by riot police, who threw barricades to protect the area.
“The situation has become unbearable for the common man,” said an official of a teachers’ union. “We want this government to go home.”
More than 100 medical staff of the National Hospital in Colombo marched to the Prime Minister’s Office and called on the government to ensure fresh supplies of fuel and medicines.
Public health inspectors and other healthcare workers are also on strike on Wednesday and Thursday.
The island of 22 million is almost depleted of usable foreign exchange reserves for imports of essential commodities such as food, medicine, petrol and diesel.
As the crisis escalates, several people trying to flee the country by boat have been detained.
The government is also looking abroad to help countries from the Middle East to Russia.
Energy and Energy Minister in an effort to secure fuel on Tuesday kanchana vijesekera Met with Qatar’s Minister of State for Energy Affairs and Chief Executive of Qatar Energy, It is also seeking a line of credit from the Qatar Development Fund.
Another Sri Lankan minister will visit Russia over the weekend in search of energy deals.
Weeks of street demonstrations against widespread crises such as power cuts and shortages of food and medicine brought a change in government last month when nine people were killed and nearly 300 injured in protests.
With enough fuel for almost a week and fresh shipments at least two weeks away, the government on Tuesday restricted supplies for essential services such as trains, buses and the health sector for two weeks.
The Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement that the petrol shipment ordered by the government would arrive on July 22, while the Lanka IOC, a unit Indian Oil CorporationExpecting shipment of petrol and diesel around 13th July.
“The government is also making efforts to secure fuel shipments at the earliest. However, until this is confirmed, details will not be released,” the statement said.
Doctors, nurses and medical staff say that despite being designated essential workers, they struggle to find enough fuel to go to work.
“This is an impossible situation, the government has to give us a solution,” said HM Medivatta, secretary of a Sri Lankalargest nursing union of All Island Nurses Associationtold reporters.
The South Asian country’s worst economic crisis since independence from Britain in 1948 came when Covid-19 battered a tourism-dependent economy and reduced remittances from foreign workers.
Rising oil prices, populist tax cuts and last year’s seven-month ban on imports of chemical fertilizers have ravaged agriculture, adding to the difficulties.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa Told world Bank had agreed to restructure 17 projects which it is funding in Sri Lanka. Similar support extended earlier was used to buy fuel and medicine.
“Further assistance will be provided to the World Bank once talks with the IMF are finalised,” he said on Twitter.
One International Monetary Fund The team is in Colombo to negotiate a $3 billion bailout package. Sri Lanka expects a staff-level agreement to be in place by Thursday, but even so, it is unlikely to bring in immediate funds.
“unbearable”
A march to the President’s home by a trade union of bankers, teachers and the self-employed was stopped by riot police, who threw barricades to protect the area.
“The situation has become unbearable for the common man,” said an official of a teachers’ union. “We want this government to go home.”
More than 100 medical staff of the National Hospital in Colombo marched to the Prime Minister’s Office and called on the government to ensure fresh supplies of fuel and medicines.
Public health inspectors and other healthcare workers are also on strike on Wednesday and Thursday.
The island of 22 million is almost depleted of usable foreign exchange reserves for imports of essential commodities such as food, medicine, petrol and diesel.
As the crisis escalates, several people trying to flee the country by boat have been detained.
The government is also looking abroad to help countries from the Middle East to Russia.
Energy and Energy Minister in an effort to secure fuel on Tuesday kanchana vijesekera Met with Qatar’s Minister of State for Energy Affairs and Chief Executive of Qatar Energy, It is also seeking a line of credit from the Qatar Development Fund.
Another Sri Lankan minister will visit Russia over the weekend in search of energy deals.