were prepared for the security measures in flaps of the passengers in the maritime safety aspect of the problem public. we have deployed around those so flooded areas and we have also deployed some of our rubber boats and other small floating. i mean, one of the country is busiest travel period at a time to when the philippines has lifted nearly all covered 90 restrictions. jim l as in dog n g 0, manila, christians marking holy week and latin america finally able to congregate at one of the most important churches and venezuela, miracles. the faithful dress in purple and carrying wooden cross is doing their pilgrimage. ah, i'm carry johnston with the headlines here on al jazeera, 3 palestinians have been killed by israeli for

a court rule that an appeal can be heard about reducing the sentence of the young palestinian held in an israeli prison. when i was where i was 13 years old and he was in, his family says he's suffering psychological trauma. russia has confirmed a fire board, his worship muscular sucks it off its back. see fleet full control of the port in ukrainian city of marco, where ukraine denies this. tens of thousands of civilians are trapped in the besieged city. on its mer, says, russian forces are. this is very significant. we're seeing now from the u. s. that they're willing to not only do more of her ride more for ukraine in its war effort, their reports of exploring something if they do, they probably won't confirm publicly police in the u. s. state of michigan have released several videos sharing the fatal shooting of black man in a traffic stop this month. 26 will touch it, iowa was held on april. the 4th of the office is described as

a lengthy struggle. those are the headlines and these continues here on 0 as after inside story. ah sir lanka says it's defaulting on all its foreign debts. the island nation is seeing its worth economic crisis and decades and growing public anger. what does this move mean? and will there be political fallout? this is inside story. ah.

hello and welcome to the program i'm getting obligate on the economic crisis in sri lanka appears to be getting worse by the day. it's government has been forced to default on its entire $51000000000.00 of external debts. there has been a shortage of food fuel and schools have had to cancel exams for a lack of paper. it's all lead to weeks alamba. this is the colombo shot of hub is teaming. you can see stalls selling the wrong and people sort of taking a look here, another ford shop where people are trying to buy some trade for the new year. but it, remind that down here of what the situation is agility of the economic price is the tree lock is going through. and we're just hearing from the government that they have decided in the interim to stop dead through payments in the process of going through the i m f. they will be looking to restructure that, that, that announcement has come today. some economy said this is far too late in the

coming. they've been asking for it for months and months. and the government insisted that it was in control. but now deciding to put a halt in the interim and can centrally restructure debt. then what i can go that route with the guy. now, everything has gone up in price. i came to buy close by. they are so expensive. the question is, is it enough for months and months, economist, opposition politicians have been asking the government to put a hold on its debt repayment to negotiate a sort of a plan default. and meanwhile, to save the precious foreign currency, which is also depleted and that's what's led to all one of these shortages fuel cooking, gas, food items medicine. and that is what a has been the rallying cry to the government. so what does it mean 1st, for lanka, to default on its external debt, what happens when a board fails to pay an international loan at the time?

it's due sherland coast, usable, foreign currency reserves have plunged below a $1000000000.00 limiting its ability to repay loans. defaults can lead to lower credit scores, reducing the chances of attaining credit in the future and higher interest rates on existing as well as new loans. oh ah, sir. discuss this sir. let's bring in our guest. joining us from colombo, johan perrera, who's the executive director of the national peace council of to lanka in jobs not long ago mar, who's a political economist and senior lecturer at the university of jeff. not insure lank as well. i'm joining us from melbourne as a man to pereira, a researcher at the school of education and the arts at sea through university australia. welcome to you all. thanks for joining us on inside story. i have on over to you 1st. so now that your lincoln has announced it is in fact, defaulting on its foreign debts. does this stop the downward spiral?

yeah, it's to be seen how markets are going to this. this is our president that she has never faltered on us. this might stop despite your difficulties to gaining international markets with my financial transactions billed. and the question is also why they had to come about at this point. the government has time for the last to try to show up. it's far back last year because it's highest or bill $21000000000.00. so rather than saving some of that foreign foreign exchange towards a situation like this, we continue to spend the other question that you guys are going when i met next. why have all just

a heads up when i'm asked that reviews the bargaining power that she got the house and the condition averages from the i'm a lot of questions and a lot of about the process as well as what we pre cation that are going to be claimed that we have a launch, but is there need to be the consequences for the people, right. austerity brains, left, come all important points are all important points. in fact, this part of our discussion, let me just bring in colombo for the time being. and john pereira, so if this i m f program actually goes ahead, it would be through like a 17 financial rescue package from the global lender. and as i got from johnston, i was saying it does comes with strings and conditions attached. i will. why is this, i am a flown going to work when the country has already had 16 in the past, in your opinion? it a significance of this,

this all it is that she long cause currency also has been said to be to the following has fallen by like close on 100 percent in the last 2 months. and we are also going to countries foreign countries such as india or bangladesh, china asking for loans for to just title the next month. so in a sense that the government taking this action of tried to preserve whatever the foreign exchange it has by not paying the debt is it, is to the people, it will be something that baby welcome because they do want the petro the d. so that i q, q is lines of stretching for a kilometer more every day. people stay over night in these guests that these guests that station waiting to fill out where he goes that tractors,

that combined harvested because they had to do the farming properly. so for people, the, that the importance is that the government should have money to import, the essential that no med just didn't know in the, in the hospital the government has denied it, but the doctor says that that isn't medicine in the, in the hospitals. so yes, so what you're saying is different. so, so what you're saying is this is a good move on behalf of the government to show the people that they're actually doing something. i mean it's, it's, it's a double edged sword, but up to now the government is not doing anything. now at least they have taken some decisive step that they appointed the new central bank governor of the earlier person was saying that no, don't worry because somehow get the money to repair that we do manage within the country. now we have, but a new person who has also increased the interest rates vary considerably, because that's the way it who i think restore some confidence in people to,

to at least save the money that they have. there been printing money. they've been printing enormous amounts of rupees these last few months, and that also has contributed to the downward spiral. so it's in a context of very bad economic management. now we have this decision, ok, and so i mean, ok, let me bring an amanda from melbourne. i mean, what do you think about the, the i m f loan? if it goes ahead, is this going to be good enough for the fact with these loans on these negotiations are going to be felt on the ground. because what we're seeing is something that is really unprecedented. they allow power cuts down the fuel, so they just, they are gas shortage. is their last filing a back for a moment before we look at how this is all impacting the, the roger packs a family by island. just tell us what caused this economic crisis and what we are

going green and the rising commodity prices increase on where all the and the me and the destruction of that has mean, i only make it me off the recommendations i have. but with that's only going to stop the home. let me ask you this on what more get the government have done? what more could the government have done a line? because as you were just saying, there's a rising, we saw the rise in the cost of fuel because, you know, i mentioned last year, she's got all kinds of lunch and i just need to have a few of the reasons this one is going to be consequential when the economy in 777, and since then he wanted to country destruction of services that i'd like to do please. my worry is that the didn't just gain on the work. ok.

john, if you agree with what's being said, from jeff, known also, you know, we've seen much of the anger recently that as i said, we were living beyond down means, you know, before we had a war in our country for 3 decades. and a lot of my visa, like i maybe we didn't develop as fast as the countries did. but we also are living standards did not drop the rules and how did the right, because we to be going to keep in mind. the 2nd thing is that the people are really, i mean they're really, but they are focusing on what the roger pucks have done. there is a belief they have taken the money that they have stolen this money and that be able to meet men. people behind of course be you know, that not that, that, that total seat, which is which is hardly having any plans coming to be a port that to which we expect the, the fits to come. we were promised damaged,

but it's not only there are the boxes. in fact, i think the entire government and that is, you know, be reflected in what the people are saying, the same thing we want all 200 himself can survive. he's cold for talks with protesters is not likely to appease them at all. 2 a list of demands which is bad, live resident designs, and all the right boxes in government relinquish. now both younger. so they came on the platform that they were going to be you are, they are going to change the system. and instead, what has happened instead of any kind of improve and the roger boxes have become the target. because for the better part of the last 2 decades, they have be the most coll, sort of no confidence vote, but the opposition is also weakened. i mean, they don't have a majority, they haven't been able to take control of parliament. so what did they do? well, i think they said that we want this whole system change. by for starters,

they want the government and he's in place to change. so there are some decisions would be made that be willing to do it can be changed. so it's the quite a unique situation that is happening is we, i mean, what. ready received gene and was. ready what the crisis itself as also be a consequence. mommy trajectory that the mom back. ready back and with this i'm of agreement. the question is whether i'm going to put you in that same direction. you all i x 2 is a boston and you said the kind of economy want we want to build. sheila is now going to a crisis. agriculture. the food system has been collected what the kids to manage your real shift in the tragic 2 of our, our economy policies. and would that happen around this change?

this is the kind of a crisis that bomb big about major quality changes that white on off. at the moment the anger is against a similar to what happened by some of the servant. and i am if agreement that leads to, for the suffering of the people, we might see again, a swing, right? you might even worse, that merges don't actually satisfy because people have gone too much for the last couple of years and it's not crashes. so they are really should, foremost, and my already set the projection, which is going to bring about most often and then just seems for other kinds of impressive part because you missed one connect as much rather than fixed your luck on the macro she right. ok. john, i mean we're spoken about the, the process, some people coming out, but you're in colombo, just give us

a real sense of what life is like today for ordinary sheer lincolns who are trying to make ends need the situation today at today the holiday here is to the new year, we are just approaching our tradition. you yes, you doing very quiet usually. but in the, in that area and, you know, the presidential secretary, lots of people are lots of young people and you know, when they have made it a sort of like a set of, of democracy that talking democracy, they're talking about ideas that doing kids and that's keeping their spirits because also reading reading very heavily. but that's so the rest of the population there actually happening. most of, most of us during this period, we want to travel back to our villages can be doing well. and he can do that because there are no buses, and there are, i mean that the shortage of the so the to a few of the buses. so many people that just staying in their homes and they're

going shopping. they bring their shopping. but as the saw in the, in the, in the engineer, the prices have risen tremendously. so people are really suffering. and at the moment it's support or people who are paying the price. but because that, that, that they using that in food intake, for instance. but the later on it's bundled, it's going to have the others also, and also hitting us in the sense that our thoughts, which are very unbearable. what do you think was going on next? how is this going to play out in your opinion? yeah, my, my hope is this that see what we would like, what i would like to see the change to the democratic system to the constitution. and for that, it requires that the parliamentary majority should shift all ready of 40 members of the, of the ruling of the government have opted to become independence. but this needs

to be aligned to the government. but when they see that this, these protests are not stopping, and they see the wide spread nature of the, of the desire for changing the leadership. that they will shift. and as a consequence of that shit, but i would like to see because the president is not going at the moment. but i would like to see is a constitutional amendment brought in broad bringing back constitutional amendment . we had, this is all written by this president, right? here, as soon as we get the power, he came to the 20th amendment, it's concentrated poverty and himself, and iraq, the independence of the judiciary and other institution by the public service. i would like to see that amendment repeal ok will pay the way far for reform in the future. thank you so much. we'll have to leave it there on that. no, thank you for joining john perrera lancaster. come on a month for thanks so much. thank you. for watching,

you can see the program again any time by visiting our website al jazeera dot com for further discussion. you can go to our facebook page on facebook dot com forward slash ha. inside story. you can join the conversation on twitter as well, or handle as a james, i story for myself and the entire scene here. and so thanks for watching. bye bye for now. the ah, along with a bill of struggles full of pleasure. and i would i even left with him, the matter to me news, you may go and make us legal life,

me from indian people us only hear me an intimate look at life in cuba. he would open them. don't let again a say resume danielson as a daughter will have them on my leave. my cuba on al jazeera in the run up to worth day al jazeera showcase is live discussion programs and special documentaries, exploring the issues behind human caused climate change. climate skepticism is entirely dependent upon the promotion of doubt. witness screens a series of inspirational films, stories told for the eyes of those at the forefront planet. i so asked visits, greenland to investigate how local communities are adapting to the alarming rate of melting ice. never before in human history has the months, prestige environment of the arctic. feeling such peril. algae, 0, well documents, the devastating impacts of climate change on

a lake and center goal and rivers in iraq. and the st asked how societies can respond to global warming. the climate emergency, a season of special programming. anal josie ah, i'm carry johnston indo how the top stories on al jazeera, 3 palestinians have been killed by israeli forces and occupied westbank. the youngest, a 14 year old boy was shot and killed in the town of his son there. bethlehem israeli forces have been conducting raids over the past 5 days after palestinian gunmen killed 3 israelis instead of viv last week. these pictures are from sil, wide outside of ramada, where is really army vehicles have been pelted stones out, speeding past demonstrators. either abraham has more now from ramana.