Sri Lankan economic crisis: PM says, only one day of petrol stock left

Ranil Wickremesinghe urged for patience on Monday, predicting that the economic crisis will worsen in the coming months.

Sri Lanka’s new prime minister said the country was down to its last day of petrol, while the country’s power minister warned citizens not to join the long fuel lines that have sparked weeks of anti-government rallies.

In a speech to the nation on Thursday, Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was appointed Prime Minister on Thursday, said the government urgently required $75 million in foreign money to pay for crucial imports.

He said, “At the moment, we only have petrol stocks for a single day. The next couple of months will be the most difficult ones of our lives.”

“We must prepare ourselves to make some sacrifices and face the challenges of this period.”

He noted that two supplies of gasoline and two shipments of diesel utilizing an Indian credit line could give assistance in the coming days, but the country is also short on 14 key medicines.

The problem sparked significant protests against President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his family, culminating in his elder brother Mahinda Rajapaksa’s resignation as Prime Minister last week after clashes between government supporters and demonstrators killed nine people and injured 300 more.

Sri Lanka aims to sell its national airline to help stanch losses as it prepares to default on foreign debt and print money to pay local employees.