Colombo (AFP) - Sri Lanka declared a 36-hour nationwide curfew Saturday and deployed troops backed with sweeping new powers under a state of emergency to quell protests against President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, his relatives and even his most trusted shaman.
The lockdown that went into effect at dusk Saturday will be lifted Monday morning, police said -- a period that covers planned mass anti-government protests against worsening shortages of fuel, food and medicines.
Hundreds of people defied the curfew and gathered at several suburban towns, police and residents said.
Noisy demonstrations in the towns of Maharagama, Homagama and Yakkala ended peacefully, but two hours after the curfew began.
"There were policemen, but they did not try to disrupt," a resident in Yakkala told AFP by telephone.There were similar reports from the other towns.
Rajapaksa invoked a state of emergency following a violent attempt to storm his house, saying it was for the "protection of public order".
The ire of a mob in the near-bankrupt country was directed Saturday at a woman identified as a soothsayer frequently consulted by Rajapaksa in the northern town of Anuradhapura.
Rights activist and former opposition legislator Hirunika Premachandra led dozens of women to storm seer Gnana Akka's shrine and residence, but armed police stopped them.
"Why are police protecting a shaman?" she asked a senior officer who physically blocked her march, as seen on a Facebook live video, verified by AFP as authentic.
"Thief, thief, Gota thief," the crowds chanted after armed security personnel stopped them.
"Think of the country and let us pass," another woman activist pleaded.
"#GoHomeRajapaksas" and "#GotaGoHome" have been trending for days on Twitter and Facebook in the island nation, which is battling severe shortages of essentials, sharp price rises and crippling power cuts in its most painful downturn since independence from Britain in 1948.
The coronavirus pandemic has torpedoed tourism and remittances, both vital to the economy, and authorities have imposed a broad import ban in an attempt to save foreign currency.
Many economists also say the crisis has been exacerbated by government mismanagement, years of accumulated borrowing, and ill-advised tax cuts.
The curfew and state of emergency in the country of 22 million came as social media posts called for protests on Sunday.
"Do not be deterred by tear gas, very soon they will run out of dollars to re-stock," said one post encouraging people to demonstrate even if police attempt to break up gatherings.
In normal times, Sri Lanka's military can only play a supporting role to police, but the state of emergency gives them authority to act alone, including to detain civilians.
US ambassador Julie Chung urged restraint, warning: "Sri Lankans have a right to protest peacefully -- essential for democratic expression."
"I am watching the situation closely, and hope the coming days bring restraint from all sides, as well as much needed economic stability and relief for those suffering," she tweeted.
Former colonial power Britain's envoy expressed similar concerns, while the European Union mission said it "strongly urges Sri Lankan authorities to safeguard democratic rights of all citizens, including right to free assembly and dissent, which has to be peaceful".
'Lunatic, go home'
Travel trade specialists say the state of emergency could be a new blow to hopes of a tourism revival, as insurance rates usually rise when a country declares a security emergency.
"There are reports of sporadic attacks on the homes of government politicians," a security official told AFP, adding that a ruling party legislator was hit with eggs at a public event Friday in the central district of Badulla.
In the nearby hill resort of Nuwara Eliya, protesters shouted anti-Rajapaksa slogans and blocked Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa's wife Shiranthi from opening an annual flower exhibition.
Thursday night's unrest outside the president's private home saw hundreds of people demand he step down.
Protesters chanted "lunatic, lunatic, go home", before police fired tear gas and used water cannon.
The crowd turned violent, setting ablaze two military buses, a police jeep and other vehicles, and threw bricks at officers.
Police arrested 53 protesters, before 21 of them were released on bail Friday night, court officials said.Others were still being detained but had yet to be charged.
