In order to have an economy that works, we have to be safe. The safety of our citizens and our nation is always government's first responsibility. And I will keep working to support our brave men and women of law enforcement and to keep our country safe

We have been a country where people just came in and went out. And that was a very, very healthy way of running our tourism. So this is new to Sri Lanka. So we are anxious to see how it works.

Unemployment is high and the informal sector is in shambles, a crisis precipitated by the ill considered demonetisation decision taken in 2016.