New Delhi: Protesters in troubled Sri Lanka surrounded the residence of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Saturday. President Rajapaksa has fled his residence. On the other hand, 16 MPs from the Sri Lanka People’s Front called on President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to resign immediately. President Gotabaya announced his resignation on July 13 in the wake of the protests. At the same time, PM Ranil Wickremesinghe has also announced his resignation to form an all-party government.
Anti-government protesters in Sri Lanka on Sunday stormed the official residence of President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and claimed to have recovered crores of rupees from inside his mansion. A video is being shared on social media in which protesters are seen counting recovered notes. Sources said that the recovered money has been handed over to security units. Gotabaya reportedly went into hiding at the Army headquarters last night, but according to media reports, he has also changed his whereabouts from there. It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post. Defense sources have claimed that President Rajapaksa has fled. The protesters vandalized the residence. Violent clashes erupted between police and protesters during the demonstration. More than 100 people were injured in the violence.
Two Sri Lankan government ministers have resigned
Amid violent protests, two Sri Lankan government ministers, Harin Fernando and Manusha Nanayakkara, have resigned. On the other hand, the Sri Lankan Army Chief has appealed to the people. Sri Lankan army chief General Shavendra Silva said on Sunday that the current political crisis should be resolved peacefully. He urged the people to come together and solve this problem.
The US made this appeal to the leaders of Sri Lanka
The United States has called on Sri Lankan leaders to take immediate steps to achieve economic stability. A State Department spokesman said any new government should act quickly to identify and implement solutions that could achieve long-term economic stability and address the grievances of the Sri Lankan people.
Protesters set fire to the prime minister’s private residence in Colombo
Thousands of protesters stormed the official residence of the Sri Lankan president and set fire to the prime minister’s private residence in Colombo on Saturday as anger over the country’s worst economic crisis in seven decades intensified.
The IMF gave confidence in the bailout package
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said it expects a solution to Sri Lanka’s political turmoil that would allow it to resume talks on a bailout package after protests turned violent. “We look forward to resolving the current situation that will allow us to resume our negotiations on the IMF-backed program,” the IMF said in a statement.
