New Delhi, Nov. 22 -- Thousands of opposition activists rallied near Sri Lanka's capital Friday to demand that the government fulfill pledges to ease taxes and restore order, in the first major protest against President Anura Kumara Dissanayake's administration as it marks one year in office.

Opposition parties accuse Dissanayake's government of failing to deliver on his promises during last year's election campaign, and say that it has instead politicized law enforcement agencies to stifle the opposition.

They say the government has failed to ensure the safety of the public and that crime has spiked in recent months. The government acknowledges there has been a wave of drug gang rivalry but denies that the public has been under any ele...