Sri Lankan protests demand 'tyrant' Rajapaksa out
STORY: Sri Lankans, camped out at the Presidential Secretariat for almost a week, hold Rajapaksa responsible for the state of the economy.
Street demonstrations against the food and fuel shortages, triggered by a lack of foreign exchange for imports, began last month but have intensified in recent days.
"We are sick and tired of this tyranny because there is so much of nepotism here. The prime minister and president are brothers and we really want them to go away from here," said a protester Dani Karunanathan.
Sri Lanka has $12.6 billion in outstanding international sovereign bonds, central bank data showed, and foreign reserves of $1.9 billion at the end of March.
