Sri Lanka: Further mass protests Dec. 3-4 amid political crisis /update 12

Event

Protests continue to take place on a daily basis in the capital Colombo amid the country’s ongoing political crisis. The opposition United National Party (UNP) will be holding mass protests in Colombo on Monday, December 3, and in Kiribathgoda (a suburb of the capital) on December 4.

Heightened security measures and localized traffic disruptions are anticipated around all demonstrations. Clashes between demonstrators and security forces cannot be ruled out, though so far protests have been peaceful.

Context

The political crisis was prompted by the dismissal of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and his cabinet after President Maithripala Sirisena's Sri Lanka Freedom Party left the majority coalition on October 26. The move, viewed by the opposition as unconstitutional, led to the suspension, and later dissolution on November 9, of the parliament. President Sirisena had appointed former President Mahinda Rajapaksa as interim prime minister, a move that Wickremesinghe, and later the Supreme Court, declared illegal.

The government has since lost multiple votes of no confidence carried out by the parliament but refuses to resign. Parliament sessions are repeatedly adjourned.

Advice

Individuals in Sri Lanka, particularly Colombo, are advised to keep abreast of the domestic political climate, adhere to instructions issued by local authorities and their home governments, refrain from discussing political subjects in public, and avoid all protests due to the risk of violence.