Sri Lanka has blocked all major social media platforms and messaging apps since Sunday morning, even as public criticism grows over the Rajapaksa administration’s crisis response.
The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission attributed the decision to a request from the Ministry of Defence until further notice. The move applies to Facebook, Messenger, YouTube, WhatsApp, Viber, Twitter, IMO, Instagram, Telegram, Snapchat, and TikTok.
The social media ban is the government’s latest move, in its response to a heightening economic crisis that has sparked public protests as citizens struggle for essentials, including fuel, food, milk, and medicines. The fuel shortages have led to long power cuts last week. The arrival of a new consignment of fuel from India on Saturday, as part of the nine consignments under a $ 500 million emergency credit line that New Delhi has extended, is expected to ease the situation, authorities said.
Diesel shortage across the island has crippled public transport and goods movement. President Rajapaksa declared a state of emergency on Friday, giving sweeping powers to security forces, a day after as hundreds of protesters clashed with police for several hours and tried to storm his house in anger over the unprecedented economic crisis.
Earlier, police arrested government critic Anurudda Bandara, for allegedly running a Facebook page called ‘Gota Go Home’. He was released on bail.
Sri Lanka was in trouble before the pandemic struck, laying low a tourism industry that is a vital source of foreign exchange earnings.
Roots of the crisis lie in economic mismanagement by successive governments in Colombo. But the current crisis was accelerated by deep tax cuts promised by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa during a 2019 election campaign that were enacted months before the pandemic.