Officials on Tuesday said some 15,000 supporters of Sri Lanka’s main opposition staged an anti-government protest in the capital, defying directives by the Police and health authorities.

Opposition Leader, Sajith Premadasa, led the protest march over a range of issues including failure to provide fertilizer to farmers, shortages of milk, gas, and cement as well as the rising cost of living.

The Director-General of Health Services imposed a ban on public meetings and gatherings for a two-week period on the eve of the protest after citing fears of the spread of COVID-19.

The Police also prevented thousands of other opposition SJB (United Peoples’ Front) supporters from attempting to attend the protest.

A senior member of the SJB, Dr. Rajitha Senaratne, said “the government hurriedly used health regulations in an attempt to stop the opposition protest, but the government has failed’’.

It was the biggest opposition demonstration since President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was elected in November 2019 and his brother Mahinda Rajapaksa was elected as prime minister in the August 2020 parliamentary elections.

Under an ambitious plan to convert to organic farming, the president imposed a sudden ban on the import of fertilizer, thereby prompting widespread protests by farmers.

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The government is also facing a foreign exchange crisis, which has resulted in shortages of gas, dairy products, and cement.

The country’s only refinery was shut down for 50 days after the failure to import crude oil, leading to long queues at fuel stations.