INTERNATIONAL: Young protesters gathered in Sri Lanka’s capital Wednesday (April 6) to demonstrate against the government as the country suffered its worst economic crisis in decades.

Standing in Independence Square in Colombo 26-year-old Kasumi Ranasinghearachchi said the protest was due to “the constant oppression by the state of trying to silence us, trying to ignore other voices.”

Protests led by young people have continued daily since Sunday 3RD April and they have said they will not stop until the president meets their demands or resigns.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa revoked a state of emergency late on Tuesday (April 5) after dozens of lawmakers walked out of the ruling coalition, leaving his government in a minority in parliament as it struggles to quell protests against the crisis. The emergency was imposed on Friday.

People have been suffering from shortages of fuel, power, food and other items for weeks, and doctors say the entire health system could now collapse.

The day before Sri Lankan police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse hundreds of protesters gathered outside Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa's private residence in Tangalle.

It happened as Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa dropped his brother as finance minister on Monday, after disbanding the government and calling for a unity administration, as protests over the country's economic crisis focused on the role of the ruling family.

Less than a kilometre away, hundreds of people demonstrated with placards and shouted anti-government slogans.

Sri Lanka's sovereign dollar bonds tumbled more than 5 cents in the dollar in early trading before recouping some of the losses, with many issues trading at deeply distressed levels of around 45 cents and not far off record lows hit in early March, Tradeweb data showed.

Sri Lanka's expenditure has exceeded its income under successive governments while its production of tradable goods and services has been inadequate. The twin deficits were badly exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic that crippled tourism, its economic mainstay.

^{PHOTO: POLICE FIRING TEAR GAS AND WATER CANNON TO DISPERSE PROTESTERS DEMONSTRATING OUTSIDE PRIME MINISTER MAHINDA RAJAPAKSA’S RESIDENCE IN TANGALLE, SOUNDBITE FROM OPPOSITION LEADER SAITH PREMADASA REJECTING THE GOVERNMENT'S OFFER OF A UNITY GOVERNMENT, PROTESTERS IN COLOMBO}