Media: Sri Lankan military ordered to shoot to kill looters

Stupa of Sri Lanka. Archival photoMOSCOW, May 10.Sri Lankan army units were ordered to shoot to kill rioters committing acts of looting or vandalism, according to the local newspaper Colombo Gazette, citing a statement by the Ministry of Defense. Sri Lanka began clashes between supporters and opponents of the ruling party «People's Front of Sri Lanka». Police used water cannons and tear gas to disperse the clashes. Army units were brought in to maintain order. Seven people were killed and more than 230 were injured in the riots, according to police.The President of Sri Lanka accepted the resignation of his brother from the post of prime minister. According to the order of the Ministry of Defense, to which the publication refers, the soldiers were ordered to shoot live ammunition at anyone convicted of looting or destroying public property. Over the past two days, several houses have been damaged or set on fire in the country, belonging to the politicians of the ruling party. Among the houses destroyed by the mob are those belonging to the Rajapaksa family, to which belong the country's president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, and his brother, retired Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. The political crisis in Sri Lanka followed the worst economic crisis since independence in 1948. In mid-April, the Sri Lankan authorities defaulted on their external debt for an interim period, pending a restructuring of those obligations under an IMF-supported economic adjustment program. The external debt of the island nation is estimated at $51 billion. The economic crisis is caused by a shortage of foreign exchange resulting from the restriction of tourist flow due to the coronavirus pandemic, as a result of which the country cannot buy enough fuel. There is an acute shortage of food and basic necessities, fuel and gas in the country. Many parts of Sri Lanka are facing constant power outages due to lack of foreign exchange to import fuel. Human