Sri Lanka to investigate after anti-government protests turn deadly

RAMBUKKANA (Reuters) - Sri Lanka Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa said on Wednesday he expects the police to properly investigate clashes with anti-government protesters that led to the first death in weeks of civil unrest over an economic crisis.

Police fired live ammunition to scatter protesters on Tuesday in Rambukkana town, northeast of the commercial capital Colombo, killing one person and wounding a dozen.

Demonstrations have roiled the South Asian island nation of 22 million people for weeks, with people infuriated by what they see as the government's mishandling of the economy that has led to shortages of fuel and other items and brought prolonged power cuts.

The shooting broke out after protesters blocked a railway line and stopped a fuel tanker attempting to cross it, residents and a government minister said on Wednesday.

"Deeply distressed following the tragedy in Rambukkana," Rajapaksa said on Twitter. "I have every confidence that a strict, impartial investigation will be carried out."

Rambukkana was calm on Wednesday with minimal security on the streets. A four-member police forensics team combed the area around the railway crossing where the clash took place.

Police also cordoned off part of a petrol station where violence also flared, including a small dusty, blood-stained patch. Rocks, ammunition casings and spent tear gas canisters were strewn about.

“One hundred percent, the responsibility is with the police,” resident Indika Priyantha Kumara, 50, told Reuters.