Sri Lanka declares Wednesday holiday as Asian countries try to save fuel
Kelly NgAnd
Sinhala BBC,Colombo
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Sri Lanka has declared every Wednesday a public holiday to save fuel, as the island nation grapples with possible shortages following the US-Israeli war against Iran.
“We must prepare for the worst, but hope for the best,” President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said Monday during an emergency meeting with top officials.
It is the latest in a series of tightening measures taken by Asian countries since the war clogged the Strait of Hormuz, which once carried millions of barrels of Gulf oil to the region.
Nearly 90% of all oil and gas passing through the strait last year was destined for Asia, which is the world’s largest oil-importing region.
What are other Asian countries doing?
Elsewhere in Asia, authorities have resorted to various austerity measures.
In Thailandfor example, the government urges people to replace suits with short-sleeved t-shirts to reduce their reliance on air conditioning, while in Burmaprivate vehicles are only allowed to circulate on alternate days depending on their license plate number.
Bangladesh brought forward Ramadan holidays at universities and introduced planned power cuts across the country to save energy.
In the Philippinessome government departments have required staff to work from home at least one day a week, while President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has banned non-essential travel in the public sector.
Marcos also announced cash aid to tricycle drivers, farmers and fishermen to help them cope with rising oil prices, ranging from 3,000 to 5,000 pesos ($50 to $84; £38 to £63).
And Vietnam strongly encourages citizens to stay at home more to save fuel. The government also called on people to “cycle, carpool, use public transportation and “limit the use of personal vehicles when not necessary.”
What else is Sri Lanka doing?
Sri Lanka’s new four-day week will also apply to schools and universities, but it will not affect public institutions providing essential services, such as health and immigration authorities, officials say.
Authorities chose Wednesday instead of Friday as an additional day off so that government offices would not be closed three days in a row, they added.
Motorists are also now required to register for a National Fuel Pass which limits the amount of fuel people can buy.
This has sparked some discontent among some Sri Lankans who believe the fuel quotas – 15 liters for passenger cars and five liters for motorcycles – are too low.
The rationing mechanism was first implemented in 2022, during the country’s worst economic crisis, which saw it running out of foreign exchange reserves and unable to import essential goods and buy enough fuel.
Oil prices have soared since the United States and Israel began bombing Iran late last month and are currently hovering around $100 a barrel.
