Catholic Church leaders in Sri Lanka has issued a statement on Wednesday, May 11, calling for the establishment of an interim government that will restore peace in the restive country.
“With the change of the present regime, an interim government has to be established to ensure protection of life and property, freedom of expression and movement,” read a statement by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Sri Lanka.
The prelates said that among the tasks of the interim government is the immediate provision of basic needs, noting that the people “are greatly harassed by the non-availability and the skyrocketing of the prices of essential commodities.”
“Honest, competent, and principled civilians should be placed in the key responsible positions in the government to carry out their service to the country without any political bias and interference,” added the bishops’ statement obtained by LiCAS News.
The bishops’ conference condemned what they described as “state-sponsored violence” against protesters, calling it “ghastly acts of violence.”
The religious leaders also called on the executive department and the judiciary to investigate and to take legal actions, including the recovery of financial assets of corrupt officials.
On Monday, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned following violent attacks by pro-government groups in Colombo, leaving at least nine people dead and more than 200 others wounded.
For months, Sri Lankans have been protesting and demanding for the Rajapaksa brothers to resign as the country is in the brink of economic collapse with its foreign reserves dropping below US$50 million.
On Thursday, the Central Bank governor warned that the economy will crash unless a new government is appointed soon.
