Colombo: Sri Lanka president Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled from his residence in capital Colombo Saturday afternoon after mobs protesting the ongoing and severe economic crisis stormed and overran the building's compound.
Troops armed with assault rifles - rushed to reinforce police guarding the president's home - were forced to fire in the air to hold back the crowd till Rajapaksa could escape, a defence source told news agency AFP on condition of anonymity. "The president was escorted to safety," the source added. "He is still the president, he is being protected by a military unit." At least 34 people, including two police personnel have been injured, hospital sources told the Associated Press. Two of the injured are in critical condition.
An aerial shot shows the scale of today's agitation - a literal sea of angry men and women can be seen surrounding the compound and swarming all over it. Social media was awash with live footage of protesters walking through the President's Palace, a colonial-era mansion seen as one of the government's key symbols of power and prestige. However, reports suggest they are occupying the building without acts of vandalism or damage to the property.
Protesters shouted 'Gota, go home' - the war cry that has sounded across the country since the crisis erupted - and hundreds amassed across the city. The organisers of the movement 'Whole country to Colombo' said people were walking from the suburbs to join the protesters, news agency PTI said. Police had imposed a curfew in Colombo and other areas Friday night but were forced to withdraw it this morning after objections by lawyers and the Human Rights Commission, who called it 'illegal' and a violation of human rights. Ranil Wickremesinghe, brought back and sworn in as prime minister in May to contain the economic crisis and unite the government, the opposition and the people - has called an urgent meeting of the cabinet. Wickremesinghe will also assume the presidency in the event of Rajapaksa's resignation. Last month he said the country's economy had collapsed.
The PM is now also in a secure location, a government source told Reuters.
United States reacts
Julie Chung, the US' ambassador to Sri Lanka, has asked people to protest peacefully and the military and police to 'grant peaceful protesters the space and security to do so'. "Chaos and force will not fix the economy or bring the political stability that Sri Lankans need right now," Chung tweeted.
The Sri Lanka economic crisis
The country has suffered through months of food and fuel shortages, lengthy electricity blackouts and galloping inflation after running out of foreign currency to import vital goods. Inflation hit an eye-watering 54.6 per cent in June and is expected to jump to around 70 per cent in the coming months.
In May, Sri Lanka missed a $78 million payment and defaulted for the first time ever. Total foreign debts are $51 billion, of which $28 billion is due by end-2027. The government is in talks with the International Monetary Fund over a bailout and is also receiving aid - line of credits to buy fuel, food, medical supplies and other essentials - from India, which has loaned over $3 billion worth already.
These protests have been drawn out over the past few months as Sri Lankans fight to dismantle the Rajapaksa dynasty that they blame for the crisis.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa's brother, Mahinda, was prime minister till he was forced to quit in May, and other family members held cabinet berths.
—AP
