Army tanks deployed near Sri Lankan Parliament as crisis worsens

Colombo: Sri Lanka Army deployed tanks near Parliament on Thursday to prevent protesters from entering the Parliament.

Protesters stormed the Prime Minister's Office on Flower Road in Sri Lanka on Wednesday after clashes with army personnel. The island nation has been hit with a severe economic and political crisis.

On 9 July, demonstrators forcibly entered the office of the President and the Prime Minister and its resident, and a fierce face-off between protesters and security forces was reported in Colombo.

Angry protesters are demanding the immediate resignation of the President and the Prime Minister.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his wife who had left the country for Maldives today took a a Saudi Arabian flight to Singapore from Male.

Security of Parliament has been tightened with Sri Lanka's three layers, police, army and special forces.
Currently, Sri Lanka is facing a severe shortage of fuel and other essential supplies and is in the throes of its worst economic crisis with soaring inflation. The oil supply shortage has forced schools and government offices to close until further notice.

Reduced domestic agricultural production, a lack of foreign exchange reserves, and local currency depreciation have fuelled the shortages. (ANI)