Sri Lankan Entrepreneurs, Medical Workers Rallying to Demand President's Resignation

AMBALANGODA (Sputnik) - Entrepreneurs and medical workers of the Sri Lankan port town of Ambalangoda on Thursday protested against incumbent President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and demanded his resignation, a Sputnik correspondent reported.

According to the Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA), the country faces an emergency in the health care sector due to an acute shortage of medicines, which puts hospitals across the country at risk of shutting down.

Mass protests over economic mismanagement escalated in early April, prompting the president to declare a state of emergency on April 1. On April 3, the entire Sri Lankan cabinet decided to resign in the wake of the large-scale protests. The only exception was Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, the older brother of the president, who remained in office.

Sri Lanka has been gripped by an economic crisis considered the worst since the country gained independence in 1948. The recession is attributed to foreign exchange shortages caused by the decrease in tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic. That left the country unable to procure enough fuel as people face acute scarcity of food and necessities, heating fuel and gas. Due to energy shortages, some parts of Sri Lanka have rolling blackouts of up to 13 hours. Sri Lanka's foreign debt is estimated at $51 billion.

Last week, the Sri Lankan Finance Ministry said that the International Monetary Fund and India pledged financial assistance to the country to mitigate the ongoing economic crisis. On Tuesday, Sri Lanka announced the launch of talks with its biggest creditor, China, on refinancing its debt.