Sri Lanka's 21 new state ministers sworn in

Twenty-one new state ministers took oaths before President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Monday, hours after 17 new cabinet ministers were sworn in earlier.

In a small ceremony held at the president's official house, the state ministers were sworn in by the president as the South Asian nation faced severe political and economic instability.

Of them, Gamini Lakshman Peiris was sworn in as the sate minister of defense, D.V. Chanaka was sworn in as the state minister of tourism and fisheries, and Ashoka Priyantha was sworn in as the sate minister of trade.

The new cabinet and state ministers were appointed after the previous cabinet resigned earlier this month due to political instability in the country following a severe economic crisis.

Sri Lanka has been facing public protests for weeks, with protestors urging the government to deliver immediate relief or step down. ■