Retired soliders protest in Tripoli in July. (Courtesy of: Michel Hallak/L'Orient Today)
BEIRUT — Retired soldiers held a sit-in Monday morning in Riad al-Solh Square. The sit-in, which coincides with a cabinet session, calls on government to amend the lira-to-dollar exchange rate to LL28,500 for retirement pensions, the state-run National News Agency reported.
The NNA reported that the sit-in was held by ex-officers and former rank soldiers from different regions, but did not specify the number of participants.
Speaking during the sit-in, retired Gen. Maroun Khreish called on "the cabinet to fix an exchange rate at LL28,500 for the pensions of retirees."
The protesters called for the crowd to hold another sit-in on March 6, warning of "escalation if matters and demands are not addressed."
Sit-ins by retired civil servants and ex-military members have become frequent as the Lebanese lira has lost more than 90 percent of its value against the dollar over the last three years, plunging more than three quarters of the Lebanese population below the poverty line.