Sri Lanka is bracing for a nationwide strike on Tuesday, which opposition parties have pledged will bring the country to a stop and pressure the government into rolling back recently increased power prices, officials said here on Monday.

This is the latest in a string of protests that have erupted in Sri Lanka's capital since last week, called by opposition parties against a government decision to increase electricity prices by as much as 59 percent.

Following massive losses by the State-owned Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), which amounted to more than 47 million U.S dollars, the government decided to increase electricity prices.

Opposition parties promptly criticized the government vehemently for the increase.

So strong was the protest that President Mahinda Rajapaksa in his May Day speech announced a relief package that saw the electricity prices remain the same for families using less than 60 units a month and significant relief for those using less than 180 units.

Undeterred by the compromise a massive rally was organized by the opposition last Wednesday in the capital to protest the hike. Thousands carrying placards and shouting slogans converged at the main railway station at the heart of the city and called on the government to reduce prices further.

Trade unions, opposition parties and civil society organizations are gearing up to hold what is expected to be a massive protest on Tuesday against the electricity tariff hike.

Leftist coalition parties of the government as well as university teachers have also joined the strike, but the private bus service, which has much power, has refused to partake in the agitation.

The Coordinating Committee for a Joint Trade Union Alliance of Sri Lanka, which has called for the nationwide strike, said it would be a protest against the increase in electricity tariffs as well as the government's management of the economy.

Despite the looming mass-scale strike, the government has so far refused to back down on the electricity increases. Endi

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