Startup Observer.com
  • Home
  • Industries
  • Innovation
  • outsourcing
  • Business
  • Finance
  • Headlines
  • Opinion
  • News
Home Headlines Doctors, bankers protest ‘impossible situation’ as Sri Lanka runs out of fuel
Headlines

Doctors, bankers protest ‘impossible situation’ as Sri Lanka runs out of fuel

by jcp June 29, 2022
June 29, 2022
gawdo

By Uditha Jayasinghe

COLOMBO (Reuters) -Doctors and bankers were among hundreds of Sri Lankans who marched on Wednesday to demand the government resolve a severe fuel shortage at the heart of the Indian Ocean island’s worst economic crisis in decades or step down.

Weeks of street demonstrations against cascading woes such as power cuts and shortages of food and medicine brought a change in government last month after nine people were killed and about 300 injured in protests.

Left with just enough fuel for about a week and fresh shipments at least two weeks away, the government restricted supplies on Tuesday to essential services, such as trains, buses and the health sector, for two weeks.

The prime minister’s office said in a statement a government-ordered petrol shipment would arrive on July 22, while Lanka IOC, a unit of Indian Oil Corporation, is expecting a shipment of petrol and diesel around July 13.

“The government is also attempting to secure fuel shipments at an early date. However, until those are confirmed, the details would not be released,” the statement said.

Doctors, nurses and medical staff say that despite being designated essential workers, they struggle to find enough fuel to get to work.

“This is an impossible situation, the government has to give us a solution,” H.M. Mediwatta, secretary of one of Sri Lanka’s largest nursing unions, the All Island Nurses Union, told reporters.

The South Asian nation’s most serious economic crisis since independence from Britain in 1948 comes after COVID-19 battered the tourism-reliant economy and slashed remittances from overseas workers.

Rising oil prices, populist tax cuts and a seven-month ban on the import of chemical fertilisers last year that devastated agriculture have compounded the troubles.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said the World Bank had agreed to restructure 17 projects it is funding in Sri Lanka. Similar support extended earlier had been used to buy fuel and medicine.

“More World Bank assistance will follow after negotiations with the IMF are finalised,” he said on Twitter.

An International Monetary Fund team is in Colombo for talks on a bailout package of as much as $3 billion. Sri Lanka hopes to reach a staff-level agreement by Thursday, but even so, it is unlikely to bring immediate funds.

“UNBEARABLE”

A march to the president’s house by a trade union of bankers, teachers, and the self-employed was stopped by riot police who had thrown up barricades to guard the area.

“Things have become unbearable for the common man,” said an official of a teachers’ union. “We want this government to go home.”

More than 100 medical staff of the national hospital in Colombo marched to the prime minister’s office calling for the government to ensure fresh supplies of fuel and medicines.

Public health inspectors and other health service workers are also on strike on Wednesday and Thursday.

The island of 22 million has nearly run out of useable foreign exchange reserves to import essentials such as food, medicine, petrol and diesel.

As the crisis grows, many people have been detained trying to flee the country by boat.

The government is also looking abroad for help, to countries from the Middle East to Russia.

On Tuesday, in a bid to secure fuel, Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera met Qatar’s minister of state for energy affairs and the chief executive of Qatar Energy. He is also seeking a line of credit from a Qatar development fund.

Another Sri Lankan minister will travel to Russia at the weekend in search of energy deals.

(Reporting by Uditha Jayasinghe; Writing by Krishna N. Das and Uditha Jayasinghe; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Nick Macfie)

www.gawdo.com
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linkedin
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
previous post
Queen Elizabeth meets Sturgeon after new push for independence vote
next post
NATO deal with Turkey greeted with caution and concern in Sweden

You may also like

UK midcaps log worst week since early July...

August 19, 2022

Cycling-Britain’s Bigham sets men’s Hour record

August 19, 2022

Dutch govt lifts filling target for Bergermeer gas...

August 19, 2022
Editorial & Advertiser disclosureEditorial & Advertiser disclosureOur website provides you with information, news, press releases, Opinion and advertorials on various financial products and services. This is not to be considered as financial advice and should be considered only for information purposes. We cannot guarantee the accuracy or applicability of any information provided with respect to your individual or personal circumstances. Please seek Professional advice from a qualified professional before making any financial decisions. We link to various third party websites, affiliate sales networks, and may link to our advertising partners websites. Though we are tied up with various advertising and affiliate networks, this does not affect our analysis or opinion. When you view or click on certain links available on our articles, our partners may compensate us for displaying the content to you, or make a purchase or fill a form. This will not incur any additional charges to you. To make things simpler for you to identity or distinguish sponsored articles or links, you may consider all articles or links hosted on our site as a partner endorsed link.
gawdo.com
https://www.gawdo.com
  • About us
  • Advertising & Terms of Use
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy

@2021 - All Right Reserved.


Back To Top
Startup Observer.com
  • Home
  • Industries
  • Innovation
  • outsourcing
  • Business
  • Finance
  • Headlines
  • Opinion
  • News
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT