SECOND TIME STATE EMERGENCY DECLARED IN SRI LANKA

(The Quiver): State emergency is declared in Sri Lanka for the second time amid unrest. Situation of the country is worsening with advancement of time . Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared a state of emergency again in five weeks, giving security forces sweeping powers as a nationwide strike demanding his resignation over a worsening economic crisis.

A spokesman for the president said he invoked the tough laws to “ensure public order” after shops closed and public transport was halted Friday by unions blaming him for the unprecedented economic crisis, which has ignited weeks of unrest.

Months of blackouts and acute shortages of food, fuel and pharmaceuticals have caused widespread suffering across the island nation of 22 million people. Public anger has sparked protests demanding the government’s resignation over its mismanagement of the crisis, Sri Lanka’s worst since independence in 1948.

Earlier today, the police again fired tear gas and water cannon at students trying to storm Sri Lanka’s parliament as the country was brought to a halt by a trade union strike demanding the government step down.Thousands of student protesters had been camped on the road leading to the legislature, which is on a man-made island on a lake in the capital Colombo, since Thursday .

The new emergency declaration done as thousands of demonstrators remained outside Rajapaksa’s sea-front office, where they have been protesting since April 9, and protesters tried to storm homes of other key government politicians.The 85,000-strong police force had stepped up security for all ruling party legislators.

Mr Rajapaksa has announced that he will not step down despite of escalating demonstrations across the island. But no disclosure made by the Sri Lankan government regarding the initiatives taken to improve the economic crisis situation prevailing in country .