Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled his official residence in Colombo on Saturday, July 9, minutes before it was taken over by thousands of angry protesters.a Defense source told ‘AFP’.
Hundreds of protesters entered the official residence of the Sri Lankan president in Colombo, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, on Saturday during a day of massive protests. to demand the resignation of the president for his management of the economic crisis.
The protesters broke the security perimeter surrounding Rajapaksa’s official residence in the heart of Colombo, despite the fact that the Police resorted to tear gas to prevent the intrusion, said the Sri Lankan newspaper ‘Ada Derana’, which specified that the president had previously left the area.
(Keep reading: The photo of Shinzo Abe’s alleged killer before he was shot.)
Some protesters shared live videos inside the president’s residence, showing hundreds of people chanting slogans in the corridors and rooms.
In addition, the private channel ‘Sirasa TV’ showed images of the crowd breaking into the presidential palace, until now jealously guarded. According to the defense source, Rajapaksa was still president of the country and was in a secret place protected by the army.
A spokesman for the Colombo National Hospital told the media that at least twelve people have been injured.
Big protests in Colombo
Thousands of people gathered this Saturday in Colombo, many of whom arrived from other parts of the island country, to mark the third month of continuous protests to demand the resignation of Rajapaksa for his management of the economic crisis.
“We want a change, we want this president to go“, Lakmal Perera, a private sector worker who was among the hundreds of protesters who were near the Galle Face Green park, the epicenter of the protests in Colombo, told Efe.
“Gotabaya is crazy”, “Gotabaya is afraid” or “Gotabaya go home” were some of the slogans chanted this July 9 in the capital by the protesters.
Given the chaotic situation, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe called an emergency meeting with the leaders of the country’s political parties, and also requested the convening of Parliament, his office said in a statement.
The authorities imposed a curfew last night in several parts of the Western Province, where the capital is located.after a protest march organized by university students, although the restrictions were lifted this morning after being harshly criticized.
The Sri Lanka Bar Association said in a statement that the curfew “was clearly aimed at silencing freedom of expression and dissent.”
The director of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, Rohini Marasinghe, stated in another statement that he was “alarmed” by the orders given to the country’s Army to prepare the troops to maintain order in the streets.
(Also read: Shinzo Abe, the murdered leader who set the course for Japan).
serious economic crisis
This situation of violence in the country occurs within the framework of one of the worst economic crises that Sri Lanka has experienced since its independence in 1948derived from the decrease in foreign exchange from international reserves and a large indebtedness.
Tension and discontent increased on the island at the end of March, when the authorities imposed power cuts of more than 13 hours, which led the population to take to the streets to demand the resignation of the Sri Lankan Executive.
Since then, hundreds of demonstrators have settled in the vicinity of the Presidential Secretariat of Colombo and peaceful protests around the island nation have become common as authorities try to reach a bailout deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
More news
Shinzo Abe: how is the homemade weapon used to kill him
China: authorities will require proof of vaccination against covid-19
China: diesel consumption rises to pre-pandemic level
EFE and AFP
#Protesters #enter #official #residence #Sri #Lankan #president