Sri Lanka protesters burn politicians' homes as country plunges further into chaos

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Burned buses near the official residence of Sri Lanka’s outgoing prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa in Colombo, a day after they were torched by protesters on May 10. Photo: CNN

Protesters in Sri Lanka have burned down homes belonging to 38 politicians as the crisis-hit country plunged further into chaos, with the government ordering troops to “shoot on sight”.

Police in the island nation said Tuesday in addition to the destroyed homes, 75 have been damaged, as angry Sri Lankans continue to defy a nation-wide curfew to protest against what they say is the government’s mishandling of the country’s worst economic crisis since 1948.

The Ministry of Defense on Tuesday ordered troops to shoot anyone found damaging state property or assaulting officials, after violence left at least eight people dead since Monday, although it is unclear if all of the deaths were directly related to the protests. More than 200 people have been injured in the violence.

The nation of 22 million is grappling with a devastating economic crisis, with prices of everyday goods soaring and there have been widespread electricity shortages for weeks. Since March, thousands of anti-government protesters have taken to the streets, demanding the government to resign.

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