As Sri Lanka faces its worst economic crisis, the country's Cabinet ministers resigned en masse after a late-night meeting on Sunday, 3 April. While all 26 ministers in the Cabinet have resigned, Mahinda Rajapaksa will continue to remain prime minister.
"We discussed about current issues of the country with the prime minister and we handed over letters of resignation," Education Minister Dinesh Gunawardena told the media after handing over his ministerial portfolio, news agency IANS reported.
The mass resignations came merely hours after the Sri Lankan prime minister's office refuted rumours of Rajapaksa's plans to step down from his post.
The PM's son, who resigned from the post of the Cabinet Minister of Youth and Sports, tweeted:
I have informed the sec. to the President of my resignation from all portfolios with immediate effect, in hope that it may assist HE & PMs decision to establish stability for the people & the govt of LKA. I remain committed to my voters, my party & the people of #Hambanthota (sic)."
Gunawardena said the Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the prime minister are scheduled to meet on Monday morning and decide the future of the government. However, the decisions on resignations of the state ministers were not finalised.
600 Protestors Arrested After Defying Curfew
This comes after more than 600 protesters were arrested in Sri Lanka on Sunday, for defying a 36-hour curfew imposed by the government on Saturday, 2 April.
The curfew had been imposed from Saturday evening to Monday morning ahead of the call for a massive public protest on Sunday.
The Sri Lankan government also appears to have blocked dozens of social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram, according to internet observatory NetBlocks.
The curfew order came a day after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa invoked a state of emergency following a violent attempt to storm his house.
Rajapaksa issued the "Extraordinary Gazette," declaring a public emergency. The president said he believed there was a "public emergency in Sri Lanka" that necessitated invoking the tough laws.
Troops, backed by new powers, have been deployed under a state of emergency to quell protests against the president, his close advisors and family members.
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