Sri Lanka Crisis: Govt Issues 'Shoot on Sight' Orders As Protests Turn Violent

The development comes in light of the unprecedented violence that ensued on Monday, killing at least 6 people.

Sri Lankans protest outside the president's office in Colombo in April 2022. Image for representational purposes.

(Photo: AP/PTI)

The Sri Lankan government on Tuesday, 10 May, gave its troops shoot on sight orders, soon after granting the military and police machinery emergency powers to arrest people without warrants.

The country's defence minister issued a statement saying, "Security forces have been ordered to shoot on sight anyone looting public property or causing harm to life," Al Jazeera reported.

The development comes in light of the unprecedented violence that ensued on Monday, after a clash broke out between supporters of former prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, who resigned on Monday, and protesters who were demanding his resignation.

The death toll rose to eight on Tuesday, and over 200 people were injured amid the chaos that took place in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo and other cities.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka extended the curfew for another day, till 7 am 12 May, amid the ongoing violence.

There were also attacks on the houses of politicians, including those of President Gotabaya and his brother, Mahinda. Video footage showed the ancestral home of the Rajapaksa brothers in Hambantota's Medamulana getting torched amid the protests.

Shots were fired in the air from inside the Sri Lankan PM's office on Monday to prevent agitated protesters from breaching the inner security ring of the residence where outgoing premier Mahinda was holed up.

Background

Sri Lanka President Gotabaya had declared a state of emergency in the country from 7 May onwards, giving security forces sweeping powers amid anti-government protests. This marked the second time in five weeks that an emergency was declared in the country.

The island nation has been going through an economic meltdown of a scale unseen since the country's financial crisis of 1948. Prices of essential commodities like rice, milk, and oil have skyrocketed, resulting in massive nationwide protests and political instability.