Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa urged protesters to end the protest. Blaming the foreign exchange crisis on Covid-19 restrictions and giving it the reason for the crisis in Sri Lanka he said "We are embarking on an enormous program to overcome the crisis we face today. Every second spent by the president and this government is used up exhausting avenues to rebuild our country."
"Friends, every second you protest on the streets, our country loses opportunities to receive potential dollars,'' he said.
He further refused to give up his power saying the governing coalition will continue to rule Sri Lanka, "We invited all political parties represented in Parliament to join us and uplift the country. But they did not join us,'' Rajapaksa said. "As the party in power, we took up that responsibility" he further added.
For unreserved Sri Lanka is presently facing a foreign exchange shortage which has led to a fuel, power, and gas shortage, and has sought the assistance of friendly countries for economic assistance. Sri Lanka is witnessing at least 10-hour daily power cuts. Sri Lanka's currency has been also devalued by almost SLR 90 against the US dollar since March 8. Sri Lanka's economy has been in a free fall since the COVID-19 pandemic due to the crash of the tourism sector.