Sri Lankan military troops have been given the green light to open fire at looters and vandals during violent protests in the region as Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has been rescued for fear of his safety.
The troops have been told to shoot law-breakers on sight in an attempt to quell the anti-government demonstrators on the island. Protesters have been calling for the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa over the region's worsening economic crisis, which is considered to be the worst in history.
Sri Lanka's Violent Protests
On Monday, the president's brother, the prime minister, stepped down from his position amid the violent street clashes between supporters and opposition. However, the announcement failed to bring calm to the storm and protests continued overnight.
The government of the region on Tuesday ordered troops to shoot anyone who was seen looting public property or causing "harm to life." Furthermore, authorities deployed tens of thousands of army, navy, and air force personnel to patrol the streets of the capital Colombo, as per BBC.
Despite the presence of armed personnel, the city's top police officer was assaulted on Tuesday afternoon by a mob who accused him of failing to protect peaceful protesters. On the seafront at Colombo's Galle Face Green, crowds continued to gather in protest of the economic crisis.
Police officials also said that eight people have died and the capital's main hospital said that more than 200 people have already been admitted for injuries since Monday. Many of the victims were wounded by pro-government mobs while others were hit when police fired tear gas into crowds. Lawyers representing protests said they were filing cases against the prime minister's followers.
According to CNN, Mahinda was rescued in a pre-dawn military operation on Tuesday, only a few hours after his resignation. The military troops were allegedly called to the prime minister's "Temple Trees" residence after protesters attempted to breach his private home two times in one night.
Prime Minister Resigns
The economic crisis in Sri Lanka has caused severe shortages of foreign exchange, resulting in the stalling of essential imports, including drugs and fuel. For several months, India has been supporting the region's economy by providing more than $3.5 billion in assistance funds.
The situation comes as the country began much-delayed talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a rescue package and also sought to get support from China. The two nations have long jostled for influence over Sri Lanka, which is a strategically placed island found off the southern tip of India and has a population of roughly 22 million people.
However, the public's patience ran out of Monday after supporters of the ruling party indiscriminately attacked anti-government demonstrators in Colombo. This resulted in a series of clashes that killed at least people and injured more than 200.
Mahinda's announcement of his resignation was followed by police imposing a nationwide curfew that would last until 7:00 a.m. Wednesday. Furthermore, the country's government's Cabinet stepped down. The violence included protesters defying curfew and setting homes on fire, Reuters reported.
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