Sri Lanka:Mobs burned down several homes, EX-PM flee to Naval base

In Sri Lanka, angry mobs have burned down several homes belonging to the ruling Rajapaksas and MPs. The violence capped a day of unrest that saw Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa quit amid mass protests at his government's handling of the economic crisis. But, it failed to assuage demonstrators, who attempted to storm his official residence while he was holed up inside.  Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and his family have taken shelter at a naval base in Trincomalee in the north-east part of the island nation. At least 41 homes of top ruling party politicians were torched overnight despite curfews. Hundreds of motorcycles parked in those homes were also burnt.

Elsewhere in Colombo, tensions remained high. Men armed with sticks and rods had established roadblocks on the routes leading to and from the airport while police and security forces were nowhere to be seen. An island-wide curfew has been extended to Wednesday morning as authorities seek to quell the violence. Sri Lankan police officer was on Tuesday assaulted by a mob of protesters who also set fire to his vehicle near the prime minister's official residence in the capital Colombo. Senior Deputy Inspector-General Deshabandu Tennakoon, the highest-ranking officer in Colombo, was rushed to emergency treatment and has returned home. Sri Lankan president Gotbaya Rajapaasa on Tuesday handed over emergency powers to military and police allowing the forces to detain people without warrants, a day after the clashes took a grim turn, killing seven people and injuring more than 200.

Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis since gaining independence from Britain in 1948 and people are furious because the cost of living has become unaffordable. The country's foreign currency reserves have virtually run dry and people can no longer afford essential items including food, medicines, and fuel. The government has requested emergency financial help. It blames the COVID pandemic, which badly affected Sri Lanka's tourist trade - one of its biggest foreign currency earners. But, many experts say economic mismanagement is also to blame.