
Sri Lanka’s curfew is lifted for a Buddhist holiday
Sri Lankan authorities eased a statewide curfew yesterday for an important Buddhist festival, but festivities were subdued as the island grappled with an escalating economic crisis.
A nationwide stay-at-home order has been in effect for the majority of the week following mob violence that left nine people dead and over 225 injured, sparked by attacks on peaceful demonstrators by regime loyalists.
Protesters have called for the resignation of Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in recent weeks, citing the worst economic crisis in the Buddhist-majority country’s history as an independent country.
Food, gasoline, and medical shortages, as well as record inflation and lengthy outages, have wreaked havoc on the country’s 22 million residents.
Vesak, the most important religious holiday on Sri Lanka’s calendar, falls on Sunday and commemorates Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and death.
The administration also announced that the curfew would be lifted for the day, but did not specify when or if it would be reinstated.
However, due to the ongoing conflict, the administration canceled plans to celebrate the event at a temple in the island’s south.
“Given the economic situation of the government and other constraints, we are not having this year’s state festival at the Kuragala temple as planned,” a Department of Buddhist Affairs official said.
The official stated that Buddhists were free to perform their own celebrations, including the usual mass meditation and Buddhist speeches held throughout the festival.
For years, Sri Lanka has been unable to properly celebrate Vesak, with Easter Sunday assaults dampening celebrations in 2019 and the COVID-19 pandemic affecting the previous two years.
Meanwhile, Rajapaksa swore in four additional Cabinet ministers to maintain stability until a full Cabinet is formed.
According to the president’s office, he swore in ministers of foreign affairs, public administration and home affairs, urban development, and electricity and energy.
The four ministers are all members of the president’s Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna party.
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