(1 May 2023)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Colombo - 1 MAY 2023
++QUALITY AS INCOMING++
1. Various of people marching through streets chanting slogans
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Harini Amarasuriya, Member of Parliament, The National People's Power:
"This May Day is absolutely relevant at this time, even more so than usual, because the government is implementing IMF austerity policies which have a severe consequence, severe burden on the working class of this country. So this is the moment when the working class needs to come together because, as experiences globally have shown us, these austerity measures are extremely burdensome to the majority of the citizens of a country."
3. People marching
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Harini Amarasuriya, Member of Parliament, The National People's Power:
"This May Day is actually more relevant and more important than ever before to mobilize and organize the working people of this country against these measures which are being arbitrarily imposed on the people of this country."
5. Various of march
6. SOUNDBITE (Sinhala) Chethana Liyanage, 19 year-old student:
"As young generation in the country with lively ideas, we are participating in the May rally today, hoping that it will be good for our future and our fate."
7. Various of march
PRESIDENT'S MEDIA HANDOUT
Colombo - 1 May 2023
8. SOUNDBITE (Sinhala) Ranil Wickremesinghe, Sri Lankan President:
"By 2048, the centenary of independence, Sri Lanka's goal should be to become a country with a developed economy similar to what India is expected to achieve in 2047 and China in 2049. This country is built not only for the current generation but also for future youth and children."
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Colombo - 1 May 2023
9. People marching
STORYLINE:
Sri Lanka’s opposition political parties and trade unions held workers’ day rallies on Monday protesting against austerity measures and economic reforms from the country’s four-year bailout agreement with the International Monetary Fund.
The protesters demanded the government halt moves to privatize state-owned and semi-government businesses.
Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis in history and has suspended repaying its foreign debt.
People squeezed by inflation and demanding economic justice also took to the streets across Asia and Europe to mark May Day on Monday, in a global outpouring of worker discontent not seen since before the COVID-19 pandemic sent the world into lockdowns.
AP video shot by Jay Palipane
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