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A30 world news
Diamars 10 mei 2022

Sri Lankan prime minister resigns after weeks of protests

economy has swiftly unrav- deficits after cutting taxes in
eled in recent weeks. Imports 2019 and struggling to collect Three people were hospital-
of everything from milk to taxes during the COVID-19 ized with gunshot wounds
fuel have plunged, spawning pandemic. It also has piled up from the shots fired from the
dire food shortages and roll- massive foreign debt — much lawmaker’s vehicle, he said.
ing power cuts. People have of it owed to China — and
been forced to stand in lines has scant foreign exchange Separately, in the Rajapaksas’
for hours to buy essentials. reserves to pay for imports hometown of Weeraketiya, a
Doctors have warned of crip- and to defend its embattled crowd that tried to set fire to
pling shortages of life-saving currency, the rupee. a local politician’s home was
drugs in hospitals, and the fired upon killing two pro-
government has suspended Sri Lanka is at the top of a testers, he said.
payments on $7 billion in list compiled by Liliana Ro-
foreign debt due this year jas-Suarez of the Center for Protesters tried several times
alone. Global Development that to break into the prime
ranks the countries most ex- minister’s official residence
President Gotabaya Rajapak- posed to financial shocks. Monday night forcing po-
(AP) — Sri Lanka’s prime For more than a month, sa initially blamed Sri Lanka’s Those most vulnerable rely lice to fire tear gas. Homes
minister resigned Monday protests have spread across economic woes on global fac- on commodity imports and of government ministers and
following weeks of pro- the country, drawing people tors like the pandemic batter- have low foreign exchange politicians supporting the
tests demanding that he across ethnicities, religions ing its tourism industry and reserves compared to what Rajapaksas were also attacked
and his brother, the coun- and class. For the first time the Russia-Ukraine conflict they owe other countries. and some set on fire. The
try’s president, step down middle-class Sri Lankans also pushing up global oil prices. memorial for the brothers’
for dragging the nation took to the streets in large But both he and his brother Monday’s violence triggered parents was vandalized.
into its worst economic numbers, marking a dra- have since admitted to mis- widespread anger, with peo-
crisis in decades. matic revolt by many former takes that exacerbated the ple singling out Rajapaksa Jayadeva Uyangoda, a politi-
Rajapaksa supporters, some crisis, including conceding supporters and attacking cal scientist in Colombo, said
Prime Minister Mahinda Ra- of whom have spent weeks they should have sought an them in many parts of the the prime minister’s resigna-
japaksa said on Twitter that protesting outside the presi- International Monetary Fund country. tion marked a new chapter in
he submitted his resignation dent’s office. bailout sooner. the country’s political crisis.
to President Gotabaya Raja- Ruling party lawmaker Ama- “The prime minister had to
paksa, a move that followed a The protests underscored a Sri Lanka has been holding rakeerthi Athukorale and his resign in disgrace after his
violent attack by government dramatic fall from favor of talks with the IMF to set up bodyguard were killed in supporters unleashed such
supporters on the protest- the Rajapaksas, Sri Lanka’s a rescue plan but its prog- Nittambuwa, some 30 kilo- violence,” he said.
ers, prompting authorities to most powerful political dy- ress depends on negotiations meters (20 miles) north of
deploy armed troops in the nasty for decades. The broth- on debt restructuring with Colombo after the car they He added that it would be
capital, Colombo. ers were once hailed as he- creditors. Any long-term were traveling in was inter- difficult for President Got-
roes by many of the island’s plan would take at least six cepted by an angry crowd, abaya Rajapaksa to maintain
Four people, including a rul- Buddhist-Sinhalese majority months to get underway. the police spokesman said. credibility after Monday’s
ing party lawmaker, died in for ending the country’s 30- violence.
Monday’s violence, police year civil war, and despite Sri Lanka was in finan- Athikorale or his bodyguard
spokesman Nihal Thalduwa accusations of war atrocities, cial trouble even before the had fired gunshots at the pro- But the president has so far
told the Associated Press. were firmly entrenched at the Ukraine war drove up food testers, who chased them and refused to resign and Parlia-
President Rajapaksa imposed top of Sri Lankan politics un- and oil prices and made trapped them inside a build- ment must go through a dif-
a countrywide curfew Mon- til now. things worse. ing where their badly beaten ficult process if it attempts to
day evening lasting until bodies were recovered by oust him. The resignation of
Wednesday morning. The prime minister’s resig- The Sri Lankan government police several hours later, the the prime minister meant the
nation comes as the country’s has been running big budget spokesman said. entire Cabinet was dissolved.

Taliban divisions deepen as Afghan women defy veil edict

(AP) — Arooza was furi- public. The edict said only a He favors the harsh elements ment has been dealing with be allowed back in school.
ous and afraid, keeping woman’s eyes should be vis- of the group’s previous time a worsening economic crisis. Akhunzada asserted that al-
her eyes open for Taliban ible. in power, in the 1990s, when And Taliban efforts to win lowing the older girls back to
on patrol as she and a girls and women were largely recognition and aid from school violated Islamic prin-
friend shopped Sunday in The decree by the Taliban’s barred from school, work Western nations have floun- ciples.
Kabul’s Macroyan neigh- hardline leader Hibaitullah and public life. dered, largely because they
borhood. Akhunzada even suggested have not formed a more rep- A prominent Afghan who
women shouldn’t leave their Like Taliban founder Mullah resentative government, and meets the leadership and is
The math teacher was fear- homes unless necessary and Mohammad Omar, Akhun- restricted the rights of girls familiar with their internal
ful her large shawl, wrapped outlines a series of punish- zada imposes a strict brand and women. squabbles said that a senior
tight around her head, and ments for male relatives of of Islam that marries religion Cabinet minister expressed
sweeping pale brown coat women violating the code. with ancient tribal traditions, Until now, hardliners and his outrage over Akhunzada’s
would not satisfy the latest often blurring the two. pragmatists in the movement views at a recent leadership
decree by the country’s reli- It was a major blow to the have avoided open confron- meeting. He spoke on con-
giously driven Taliban gov- rights of women in Afghani- Akhunzada has taken tribal tation. dition of anonymity to speak
ernment. After all, more than stan, who for two decades village traditions where girls freely.
just her eyes were showing. had been living with relative often marry at puberty, and Yet divisions were deepened
Her face was visible. freedom before the Taliban rarely leave their homes, and in March, on the eve of the
takeover last August — when called it a religious demand, new school year, when Ak-
Arooza, who asked to be U.S. and other foreign forces analysts say. hunzada issued a last-minute
identified by just one name withdrew in the chaotic end decision that girls should not
to avoid attracting attention, to a 20-year war. The Taliban have been divid- be allowed to go to school
wasn’t wearing the all-en- ed between pragmatists and after completing the sixth
compassing burqa preferred A reclusive leader, Akhun- hardliners, as they struggle grade. In the weeks ahead of
by the Taliban, who on Sat- zada rarely travels outside to transition from an insur- the start of the school year,
urday issued a new dress southern Kandahar, the tra- gency to a governing body. senior Taliban officials had
code for women appearing in ditional Taliban heartland. Meanwhile, their govern- told journalists all girls would