Emergency declared in Sri Lanka to contain protests

The acting President of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe declared a state of emergency during the late hours of Sunday to contain the growing protests in the island country.

In a gazette notification, the acting president said, "I'm of opinion that by reason of a public emergency in Sri Lanka, it is expedient, so to do, in the interests of public security, the protection of public order and maintenance of supplies and services essential to the life of the community". The emergency comes into effect from Monday.

Growing protests forced former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee from the country and resign from his post. The protesters also occupied the official residence of president. Reuters reported
Wickremesinghe, an ally of Rajapaksa, is one of the top contenders to take on the presidency full-time but protesters also want him gone, leading to the prospect of further unrest should he be elected.