Devjyot and Uditha Jayasinghe

RAMBUKKANA, Sri Lanka (Reuters), The Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Mahinda Rajapaksa said Wednesday that he expects police to investigate the clashes among police officers with anti-government demonstrators which resulted in the first deaths since weeks of civil unrest.

On Tuesday, police used live ammunition to disperse protesters in Rambukkana (a small town located about three hours northeast from Colombo), killing one and injuring twelve more.

For several weeks demonstrations have broken out across South Asian Island of 22 Million People. They are protesting against government mismanagement of their economy, which they believe has caused shortages in essentials and long-lasting power cuts.

Rajapaksa tweeted, “Deeply disturbed following the tragedy at Rambukkana.” “I am certain that there will be an independent and thorough investigation.”

Rambukkana’s streets were relatively quiet on Wednesday due to a low level of security. The area where clashes took places yesterday was inspected by a four-member police team of forensics officers.

There were still rocks, teargas shells, and ammunition casings scattered throughout the region.

Tuesday’s fatality was the first since peaceful protests started last month.

This is happening as Sri Lankan officials meet the International Monetary Fund, (IMF), to discuss a possible emergency loan program. It was designed to help with fuel shortages.

Wednesday’s IMF statement stated that talks are still in their early stages and any deal will require “adequate guarantees” that Sri Lanka is able to solve its unsustainability debt problem.