Sun 03 April 2022:
On Sunday, Sri Lanka temporarily blocked access to social media platforms, according to an independent internet monitoring organization and local media outlets.
NetBlocks stated that Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and WhatsApp looked to be blocked for people.
⚠️ Confirmed: Real-time network data show Sri Lanka has imposed a nationwide social media blackout, restricting access to platforms including Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube, and Instagram as emergency is declared amid widespread protests.
📰 Report: https://t.co/XGvXEFIqom pic.twitter.com/KEpzYfGKjV
— NetBlocks (@netblocks) April 2, 2022
According to the Sri Lankan TV channel Ada Derana, the platforms were temporarily blocked at “the request of the Defense Ministry.”
The chairman of Sri Lanka’s Telecommunications Regulatory Commission acknowledged to Reuters that the government had ordered the social media shutdown.
“It was imposed in the interests of the country and people to maintain calm,” Jayantha de Silva, the chairman of the federal telecom regulatory authority, told Reuters.
The social media restrictions came after the Sri Lankan government imposed a nationwide curfew Saturday evening to limit the movement of people until Monday morning.
Still, protesters, angry with the government’s handling of the ongoing economic crisis, defied the curfew and took to the streets to demonstrate.
More than 650 people who broke curfew rules were arrested in the Western Province, which includes capital city, Colombo, Reuters reported.
Several dozen opposition MPs defied the statewide curfew on Sunday and came to the streets to put pressure on authorities.
The legislators gathered at opposition leader Sajith Premadasa’s official residence in Colombo and marched to neighboring Independence Square.
Armed Sri Lankan security personnel reportedly set up checkpoints and prevented the demonstration.
Sri Lanka’s economic crisis shows no signs of abating, with inflation and food prices reaching new highs despite a lack of foreign currency reserves.
Due to a lack of funds to purchase fuel in Sri Lanka, residents are without power for several hours each day.
Millions of students’ exams have been rescheduled, and hospitals have been forced to postpone regular surgery due to a lack of equipment.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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