Sri Lanka throttles social media, protests as unrest builds

An Internet user reads on his mobile phone ‘unable to connect’ as he tries to log into Facebook Messenger, in Colombo on April 3, 2022. — AFP

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa barred gatherings and ordered Internet service providers to restrict social media access, tightening curbs amid demonstrations calling for his ouster over soaring living costs and a foreign exchange crisis.

Several dozen opposition lawmakers had set off on a march toward Independence Square in Colombo, defying a weekend curfew although they were stopped by armed troops.