Petrol stock for only one day left, Lanka PM tells nation

COLOMBO, May 16

Sri Lanka's new Prime Minister said on Monday the crisis-hit nation was down to its last day of petrol, as the country's Power Minister told citizens not to join the lengthy fuel queues that have galvanised weeks of anti-government protests.

Ranil Wickremesinghe, appointed Prime Minister on Thursday, said in an address to the nation that the country urgently needed $75 million in foreign exchange to pay for essential imports.

"At the moment, we only have petrol stocks for a single day. The next couple of months will be the most difficult ones of our lives. We must prepare ourselves to make some sacrifices and face the challenges of this period," he said.

Reiterating his commitment to the crisis-hit nation, he said, "I am undertaking a dangerous challenge... I am wearing shoes with sharp nails that cannot be removed...I am accepting this challenge for our nation. My goal and dedication is not to save an individual, a family, or a party. My objective is to save all the people of this country and the future of our younger generation.” — Agencies

PM gets Oppn backing

Colombo: Sri Lanka's main Opposition party Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) on Monday said it would offer conditional support to the interim all-party government headed by PM Wickremesinghe to help tackle the country's crippling economic and political crisis. “As a responsible political party, we believe saving the country from the current crisis is of the utmost importance,” the SJB said. PTI

Difficult times ahead

The next couple of months will be the most difficult ones in our lives. We must prepare ourselves to make some sacrifices and face the challenges of this period. — R Wickremesinghe, Sri Lankan PM