Sri Lanka yesterday increased fuel prices, creating further pain for ordinary people as officials from the US arrived for talks aimed at alleviating the country’s dire economic crisis.
Ceylon Petroleum Corp said it raised the price of diesel, used widely in public transport, by 15 percent to 460 rupees (US$1.27) a liter, while increasing the gasoline price 22 percent to 550 rupees.
The announcement came a day after Sri Lankan Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera said there would be an indefinite delay in getting new shipments of oil.
Photo: Reuters
Wijesekera said oil due earlier this month had not turned up, while shipments scheduled to arrive this week would also not reach Sri Lanka due to “banking” reasons.
Wijesekera apologized to motorists and urged them not to join long lines outside gas stations.
Many have left their vehicles in lines hoping to top up when supplies are restored.
Official sources said that the country’s remaining fuel supply was sufficient for about two days, but that authorities were saving it for essential services.
A delegation from the US treasury and state departments arrived for talks to “explore the most effective ways for the US to support Sri Lankans in need,” the US embassy in Colombo said.
“As Sri Lankans endure some of the greatest economic challenges in their history, our efforts to support economic growth and strengthen democratic institutions have never been more critical,” US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung said in a statement.
The embassy said it had in the past two weeks committed US$158.75 million in new financing to help Sri Lankans.
The UN has issued an emergency appeal to raise US$47 million to feed the most vulnerable segments of the country’s 22 million people.
About 1.7 million residents need “life-saving assistance,” with four out of five people reducing their food intake due to severe shortages and galloping prices, the UN said.
Earlier this month, the Sri Lankan government closed nonessential state institutions and schools for two weeks to reduce commuting because of the energy crisis.
Several hospitals across the country reported a sharp drop in the attendance of medical staff due to the fuel shortage.
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Wednesday warned parliament that more hardships were on the way.
“Our economy has faced a complete collapse,” Wickremesinghe said. “We are now facing a far more serious situation beyond the mere shortages of fuel, gas, electricity and food.”
Unable to repay its US$51 billion foreign debt, the government declared it was defaulting in April and is negotiating with the IMF for a possible bailout.
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