Crucial NATO decisions expected in Finland, Sweden this week
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka's Ministry of Defence on Tuesday ordered the Army, the Air Force and the Navy personnel to open fire on anyone looting public property or causing harm to others amidst violent protests in the island nation over the unprecedented economic and political crisis.
The order came after embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa urged people to stop “violence and acts of revenge” against fellow citizens and vowed to address the political and economic crisis facing the nation.
Sri Lanka's Defence Secretary General (Retd) Kamal Gunaratne on Tuesday urged protestors to exercise calm and not resort to violence. He warned if looting and property damage continues, the Ministry of Defence will be compelled to strictly enforce the law against the violators.
I appeal young men and women to refrain from engaging in violence. Do not set fire to public and private property, and engage in your struggle
STOCKHOLM: To join or not to join? The NATO question is coming to a head this week in Finland and Sweden where Russia's invasion of Ukraine has shattered the long-held belief that remaining outside the military alliance was the best way to avoid trouble with their giant neighbour.
If Finland's president and the governing Social Democrats in both countries come out in favor of accession in the next few days, NATO could soon add two members right on Russia's doorstep.
That would be a historic development for the two Nordic countries: Sweden has avoided military alliances for more than 200 years, while Finland adopted neutrality after being defeated by the Soviet Union in World War II. NATO membership was never seriously considered in Stockholm and Helsinki until Russian forces attacked Ukraine on February 24.
Virtually overnight, the conversation in both capitals shifted from Why should we join?" to How long does it take?
Along with hard-nosed Ukrainian resistance and wideranging Western sanctions, it's one of the most significant ways in which the invasion appears to have backfired on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
If Finland and Sweden join the alliance, Russia would find itself completely surrounded by NATO countries in the Baltic Sea and the Arctic. in the democratic & peaceful manner, he said.
The Defence Secretary warned that looters have taken the opportunity to commit crime under the guise of the peaceful protests, adding that it is a very unfortunate situation.
His stern warning came
There is no going back to the status quo before the invasion, said Heli Hautala, a Finnish diplomat previously posted to Moscow and a research fellow at the Center for a New American Security in Washington.
Finnish President Sauli Niinisto, the Western leader who appeared to have the best rapport with Putin before the Ukraine war, is expected to announce his stance on NATO membership on Thursday.
The governing Social Democratic parties in both countries are set to present their positions this weekend. If their answer is yes, there would be robust majorities in both parliaments for NATO membership, paving the way for formal application procedures to begin right away. The Finnish Social Democrats led by Prime Minister Sanna Marin are likely to join other parties in Finland in endorsing a NATO application. amid reports that anti-government protesters were demonstrating outside the Trincomalee Naval Base where former prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and his family have reportedly taken refuge.
Gunaratne also appealed religious leaders to advice the youth on peaceful conduct.
Earlier, The Ministry of Defence said it has ordered the tri-forces to open fire on anyone looting public property or causing harm to others.
A curfew is in force across the island nation after mobs burned down the ancestral home belonging to the ruling Rajapaksa family amid mounting anger at the worst economic crisis.
Anti-government protesters have also set up a checkpoint on the road leading to the Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo to prevent the Rajapaksa family loyalists from fleeing the country.
Meanwhile, Sri Lankan Parliament Speaker on Tuesday requested embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to reconvene the House this week to discuss the current situation amid unprecedented violence and widespread protest against the government over the country' worst economic crisis in decades.
Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeyawardene said he had telephoned President Gotabaya Rajapaksa with his request. Parliamentary officials said the President will be required to reconvene Parliament ahead of its scheduled date of May 17 as there is no Prime Minister and a government currently.
If Finland's president and the governing Social Democrats in both countries come out in favor of accession in the next few days, NATO could soon add two members right on Russia's doorstep