Sri Lanka’s president declares emergency amid protests

By KRISHAN FRANCIS
Associated Press

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka’s president has declared a state of emergency in the island nation, a day after angry protesters demonstrated near his home demanding that he resign and more protests planned for the weekend amid the country’s worst economic crisis in memory. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Friday invoked sections of the Public Security Ordinance, which gives him authority to make regulations in the interests of public security, preservation of public order, suppression of mutiny, riot or civil commotion or for the maintenance of essential supplies. The president can authorize detentions, taking possession of any property and the search any premises. He can also change or suspend any law. The protesters blame Rajapaksa for long power outages and shortages of essential goods.