This decision comes a day after the minister of energy said that there will be a long wait for new shipments of oil to the country.
Sri Lanka raised fuel prices in their country, making life more difficult for people. Also, officials from the United States arrived in the country to talk about supporting them during the worst economic crisis since 1948, when Sri Lanka got its independence.
On Sunday, Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) raised the price of diesel fuel by 15% to 460 rupees ($1.27) per liter. It also raised the price of petrol fuel by 22% to 550 rupees ($1.52) per liter.
Ceylon Petroleum Corporation announced the price increase the day after the minister of energy, Kanchana Wijesekera, said that there will be a long wait for new shipments of oil to their country.
Wijesekera said that a shipment of oil scheduled for last week did not arrive. He also said that shipments next week will not arrive in Sri Lanka because of “banking” reasons. He apologized to everyone and recommended that they don’t wait in long lines outside of gas stations. Many people have left their vehicles parked in long lines because they hope to refuel when the shipments arrive.
The country’s remaining fuel supply is enough for two more days, but the government is saving it for essential services.
Officials from the US arrived to talk with Sri Lanka about the most effective way to support the country. US ambassador Julie Chung said that the US’s efforts to support Sri Lankans are critical during this great economic challenge.
The US embassy said that it provided $158.75 million the past two weeks to help Sri Lanka.
The UN issued an emergency request to help get $47 million. The money is to provide food for people who need it most.
According to the UN, around 1.7 million Sri Lankans need “life-saving assistance.” It says that 4 out of 5 people are not eating enough because of food shortages and high prices.
Last week, the government decided to close some official offices and schools for two weeks. This will reduce commuting during the energy crisis. Some hospitals say that less people are coming to work because of the fuel shortage.
On Wednesday, the prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, told the government that things will become more difficult. He said the Sri Lankan economy has completely collapsed. He also said that the situation is much more serious than only shortages of fuel, gas, electricity, and food.
In April this year, the Sri Lankan government said that it can’t repay $51 billion foreign debt. The country is now trying to get help from the International Monetary Fund.
VOCABULARY
- Minister – the head or leader of a government department
- Shipment – the sending of a product, a delivery, to ship or send something
- Economic crisis – a very bad situation for the economy
- Independence – to be free, to be alone, to not be ruled by another country
- Diesel – a fuel usually used for large trucks and machines like buses and tractors
- Rupee – the currency (money) in Sri Lanka
- Leave (left) – to go away from, to put somewhere, to abandon
- Refuel – to put more fuel in a vehicle, to fill up energy again
- Supply – extra amount, a stock, a reserve, the product you have available
- Essential services – services important for a city like hospital, fire department, police, public transportation
- Ambassador – A person who lives in a foreign country to represent their home country
- Critical – vital, very important, urgent
- Embassy – The official home of an ambassador, the main office of a foreign country in another country (Many countries have embassies in Washington D.C.)
- Shortage – not enough, an insufficient amount
- Commute – the travel or journey between work and home or school and home
- Collapse – to fail, to become bad, to break down / to fall to pieces, to crumble
- Debt – money you have to pay back, money that you owe to another person
Original story from Al Jazeera below:
