Emergency declared in Sri Lanka for second time

It is a known fact that Sri Lanka is under a deep economic crisis and the government there is facing severe opposition from the people.

In wake of the latest developments, Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Friday declared a state of emergency for the second time in five weeks. He gave sweeping powers to security forces after people nationwide demanded his resignation.

A spokesman for the president said he invoked the tough laws to make sure public order after shops closed and public transport was stopped Friday by unions blaming the President for the economic crisis, which led to weeks of unrest.

The emergency gives all powers to security forces to detain and arrest suspects for long periods without judicial supervision. It also allows the deployment of troops to maintain law and order in addition to police. The laws passed by the government will go into effect from Friday.