Sri Lanka Warns Clashes at President’s Home Imperil Tourism
- Police fired tear gas, water cannons to disperse protesters
- Inflation is the highest in Asia; country lacks diesel supply
Demonstrators protest outside President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s home in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on March 31.
Photographer: Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP/Getty Images
Sri Lanka’s government said the protesters’ violent clashes with police outside President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s home were a threat to the revival of the tourism sector, appealing for calm amid widespread anger over surging costs and power cuts stemming from a foreign exchange crisis.
“Today we have a big problem with foreign exchange. One solution is to get more tourists to come. I believe the opposition wants to create a crisis and stop tourists,” Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said in a media conference to address the clashes. “In about six to seven months, we think the forex problem will begin to be resolved.”