Protests demand Sri Lanka leader resign over economic crisis

By KRISHAN FRANCIS
Associated Press

MIRIHANA, Sri Lanka (AP) — Police fired tear gas and a water cannon at thousands of protesters outside the home of Sri Lanka’s president, demanding he resign over the nation’s worst economic crisis. Police later enforced a curfew in suburbs of the capital and said it would remain indefinitely. The protesters blamed President Gotabaya Rajapaksa for long power outages and shortages of essentials and shouted, “Go home, Gota go home.” Sri Lanka has huge debt obligations and dwindling foreign reserves, and its struggle to pay for imports has caused the shortages. People wait in long lines for fuel, and power is cut for several hours daily. The protesters say the power cuts are leaving them unable to work.