India ships petrol to Sri Lanka to help neighbour tackle fuel shortages

The island is battling its worst crisis since independence in 1948

India has sent about 40,000 tonnes of petrol to Sri Lanka, its second fuel shipment in days to help its debt-laden neighbour cope with its economic crisis.

“Commitment delivered!! Around 40,000 MT of petrol under Indian assistance reached Colombo today,” the Indian High Commission to Sri Lanka said in a Twitter post on Monday.

The same volume of diesel was delivered to the island nation on Saturday.

Sri Lanka, known for its pristine white beaches, is battling its worst economic and political crisis since independence in 1948.

India last month agreed to extend an additional $500 million credit line to help the country procure emergency fuel stocks as it struggles with its foreign-exchange reserves for imports.

New Delhi has committed $1.9 billion in loans, credit lines and currency swaps to Sri Lanka under India's Neighbourhood First policy, which focuses on peaceful and collaborative relations with neighbouring countries in the subcontinent.

Demonstrators in Sri Lanka gather outside the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo as the country faces shortages in food, fuel and medicines after defaulting on its $51 billion debt. EPA

Demonstrators camp in an area nicknamed the Gota-Go Village, close to the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Reuters

Residents of Gota-Go Village in Colombo use their phones to organise their protest against President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's management of the economy. Reuters

A demonstrator at Gota-Go Village in Colombo rests in one of the protest camp's many tents. Reuters

Water bottles are shared among protesters inside Gota-Go Village in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Reuters

Gota-Go Village in Colombo is a focus of opposition to Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's leadership. Reuters

The demonstrators who gather at Gota-Go Village near the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo, Sri Lanka, fear the country's medical service is near collapse. Reuters

Demonstrators distribute essentials such as water at Gota-Go Village in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Reuters

Protesters in Colombo after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa lost his parliamentary majority. EPA

Power cuts and fuel shortages across Sri Lanka bring protesters to the doorstep of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in Colombo. AFP

Protesters in Sri Lanka have made the centre of Colombo, the capital, the focus of their efforts to unseat President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. AFP

People shout slogans during the protests. Reuters

A Buddhist monk prepares a placard at a demonstration against the economic crisis. AFP

Religious and secular groups unite in protest. AFP

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka increased fuel prices on Tuesday.

Petrol prices will rise by as much as 24 per cent, while diesel prices will be lifted by as much as 38 per cent with immediate effect, Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said on Twitter.

The increases are bound to add to galloping inflation, at least in the short term.

Violence raged across Sri Lanka late into the night on Monday, with five people dead and some 180 injured. AFP

Sri Lanka's pro-government supporters vandalise camps of anti government protestors outside the president's office in Colombo. AP Photo

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa quit on May 9 after a day of violence saw four people, including an MP, killed. AFP

Government supporters armed with sticks and clubs attack protestors. AFP

Demonstrators scuffle with police outside the president's office in Colombo. AFP

Demonstrators and government supporters clash. AFP

Police personnel stand guard outside the president's office. AFP

Destroyed vehicles litter the street after anti-government protesters rioted in Colombo. AFP

Pro-government supporters hold Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa's portrait while protesting. AFP

A bus burns close to Sri Lanka's outgoing Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa's official residence in Colombo. AFP

Anti-government protesters destroy a bus in Colombo. AFP

Army personnel stand guard outside the president's office in Colombo. AFP

Supporters of the Sri Lankan government attempt to block a police water canon truck. AFP

People gather near a burning bus in Colombo. AFP

Anti-government demonstrators set fire to the house owned by Cabinet Minister Sanath Nishantha. Reuters

Sri Lankans push a bus, transporting government supporters who attacked anti-government protesters, into a lake in Colombo. AP Photo

A policeman fires tear gas during a clash. AFP

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned on Monday over the country’s dire economic state and violence at mass protests outside his home in Colombo, his spokesman Rohan Weliwita said. AP

Demonstrators and government supporters clash outside the official residence of Mahinda Rajapaksa, 76, who offered his resignation to his younger brother, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. AFP

A man suffers after being sprayed with tear gas as cars burn on the streets of Colombo, Sri Lanka. AP

Paramilitary police arrive as demonstrators and government supporters clash. AFP

Sri Lankan government supporters cheer outside the prime minister's residence in Colombo. AP

Supporters of the ruling party run as riot police fire tear gas during clashes in Colombo, amid the country's economic crisis. Reuters

A policeman stands guard in riot gear. AP

Water cannon are fired during a confrontation with anti-government demonstrators. Reuters

Supporters of Sri Lanka's ruling party run in Colombo as police fire tear gas during a clash with anti-government demonstrators. Reuters

A Sri Lankan Catholic priest, centre in a white robe, is among anti-government protesters being attacked by supporters of the ruling party outside the prime minister's residence. AP

Tears after anti-government protesters were attacked by supporters of the ruling party in Colombo. AP

Violence flares between demonstrators and government supporters outside the president's office in Colombo. AFP

Activists stage a mock ritual to 'exorcise demons' outside the official residence of Sri Lanka's prime minister. AFP

Daily limits on the quantity each consumer can purchase will continue.

Last week an Indian ship laden with emergency relief supplies — including 9,000 tonnes of rice, 24 tonnes of medicines and 200 tonnes of milk powder — arrived in Sri Lanka.

The two countries have strong historical links. In recent decades, there has been a significant growth in bilateral ties, including in trade and investment.