Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa said on Wednesday he expected police to investigate clashes between police and anti-government protesters that left the first dead in weeks of unrest civilians.Police fired live ammunition to disperse protesters on Tuesday in Rambukkana, a town about three hours northeast of the commercial capital Colombo, killing one person and injuring a dozen others.
Protests have raged across the South Asian island of 22million for weeks, with people expressing anger at what they perceive to be government mismanagement of the economy that has led to shortages of essential goods and prolonged power outages.
“Deeply saddened by the Rambukkana tragedy,” Rajapaksa said in a tweet. “I am confident that a rigorous and impartial investigation will be carried out.”
On Wednesday, Rambukkana was calm, with a minimal security presence on the streets. A four-member police forensic team combed through the area around a level crossing where the clashes took place yesterday.
Stones, live ammunition casings and tear gas shells were still strewn in the area.
Tuesday’s death was the first death since largely peaceful protests began last month.
It comes as Sri Lankan officials are meeting with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) over a possible emergency loan scheme, aimed at averting a shortage of fuel and other essentials.
The IMF said on Wednesday talks were still in their early stages and any deal would require “adequate assurances” that Sri Lanka could resolve its unsustainable debt situation.
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