gas to disperse demonstrators bringing down barricades outside the residence of the country s president gota baya rajapa ksa. protesters are calling for the president s resignation they accuse him of mishandling the economy. here in the uk, there has been severe travel disruption at the port of dover as liverpool fans heading to the champions league final in parisjoined families heading across the channel on holiday during the school half term break. airlines also cancelled a number of flights blaming a range of issues including air traffic restrictions. 0ur correspondent simon jones has the latest. the great getaway is not so great when you re stuck in queues at dover. football fans and half term holiday makers faced delays of several hours. charlotte nobbs was trying to hitchhike her way to see family in france after exhausting other options. i was supposed to go and fly this morning back to france.
economic crisis. the island has been placed under curfew, after violent clashes between rajapa ksa supporters, and anti government protesters in colombo. protests against soaring prices and energy shortages started last month, as our south asia correspondent rajini vaidnayathan reports. an island nation sinking fast. an explosion of anger after weeks of anti government protests. as the two sides came face to face, supporters of the prime minister attacked the so far peaceful demonstrators who were calling for the government to go. they accuse the police of failing them. as you can see, scenes are extremely tense here. this is outside the prime minister, mahinda rajapa ksa s house. violence once plagued this nation during decades of civil war. now, an economic emergency has left millions struggling to survive.
president stepping down? no, it s not, because president stepping down? no, it s not, because i president stepping down? iirr, it s not, because i think the widespread protests across to my car across the island show the people are beyond frustrated with the sri reflection on the systematic problems within the government itself. economists have long observed and warned that consecutive governments have been mismanaging the national economy. so the current economic crisis we are seeing the worse we are seeing since sri lanka gained independence from the british in 1948 was entirely predicable and people are really frustrated at the government. figs are really frustrated at the government. are really frustrated at the government. are really frustrated at the covernment. ~ , , ., government. as you say, it is a deel government. as you say, it is a deeply rooted economic - government. as you say, it is a deeply rooted economic crisis, | deeply rooted economic crisis, but how long
they say that they will continue in government and get sri lanka through this crisis. but people here are not convinced, and that crisis is continuing to impact millions of people across this island nation. i talked to many families here today, middle class families who have good jobs who say they are struggling to put food on the table for their children. they say the value of their salaries has gone down because prices have risen so much. and also they say that even when things are available and affordable, they are struggling to get their hands on them because everything is in such short supply food, fuel, gas, diesel, everything. and so they say this movement is going to continue. and it has brought this country together, people from all backgrounds, rich and poor, young and old, all united. they say they will not stop their protests until the rajapa ksa family leads power. a recall of some kinder chocolate products has expanded
so far, the president and his brother, the prime minister, mahinda rajapaksa, are refusing to resign. they say that they will continue in government and get sri lanka through this crisis. but people here are not convinced, and that crisis is continuing to impact millions of people across this island nation. i talked to many families here today, middle class families who have good jobs who say they are struggling to put food on the table for their children. they say the value of their salaries has gone down because prices have risen so much. and also they say that even when things are available and affordable, they are struggling to get their hands on them because everything is in such short supply food, fuel, gas, diesel, everything. and so they say this movement is going to continue. and it has brought this country together, people from all backgrounds, rich and poor, young and old, all united. they say they will not stop their protests until the rajapa ksa