COLOMBO: Sri Lanka police fired tear gas and water cannon on a small protest on Thursday (Aug 18) to break up the first demonstration since the crisis-hit island nation lifted a state of emergency.
An unprecedented economic collapse has sparked often huge anti-government rallies this year after months of hardship caused by shortages of essential goods, rolling blackouts and spiralling inflation.
The government has curbed dissent by imposing a state of emergency giving security forces sweeping detention powers, but the ordinance lapsed overnight.