Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Sri Lanka deploys military ahead of protester's funeral

Sri Lanka deploys military ahead of protester's funeral

Sri Lanka called out the military on Thursday to bolster security ahead of a funeral for the first person killed during weeks of running anti-government protests in the island nation.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa ordered the three-day deployment to maintain order in the central town of Rambukkana, where police dispersed a demonstration with live rounds and tear gas on Tuesday.


A 42-year-old man was shot dead in Tuesday's melee and nearly 30 others were wounded.

"To ensure there are no incidents during and after the burial, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa invoked public security provisions," Sri Lanka's information department said in a statement.

The military "will assist the police in maintaining public order" until Saturday, it added.

Police violently broke up the Rambukkana protest after a crowd blocked a railway line and highway connecting the capital Colombo with the central city of Kandy to protest oil shortages and high prices.

A curfew imposed in Rambukkana was lifted on Thursday, but heavily armed police were seen patrolling the streets.

A judicial inquiry into the shooting is under way.

Sri Lanka is suffering its most painful economic downturn since 1948, with months of lengthy blackouts and acute shortages of food, fuel and other essentials causing widespread misery.

Protesters have demanded Rajapaksa step down over the government's mismanagement of the crisis, and a large crowd has been camped outside his seafront office in Colombo since April 9 to call for his resignation.

More For You

UAE limits state funding for students planning UK study over Islamist radicalisation concerns

The UAE's move to restrict state-funded students from studying in the UK could significantly impact their numbers on British campuses,

iStock - Representative image

UAE limits state funding for students planning UK study over Islamist radicalisation concerns

Highlights

  • UAE federal funding for UK university scholarships curtailed while wealthier families can still pay privately for British education.
  • Emirati student numbers in Britain doubled from 2017 to 2024, reaching 8,500, potentially facing major impact from restrictions.
  • Muslim Brotherhood proscribed as terrorist organisation by UAE but not UK despite 2014 David Cameron inquiry.

The United Arab Emirates is restricting students from enrolling at UK universities amid fears campuses are being radicalised by Islamist groups, officials have confirmed.

Abu Dhabi federal funding for state scholarships has been limited for citizens hoping to study in Britain, officials told the Financial Times and the Times.

Keep ReadingShow less