Today, thousands of protesters surrounded the president’s home in Colombo, the country’s capital, in protest of how the government has handled the country’s economic situation.
Thousands of enraged protesters broke over police barricades and charged into the presidential compound and the president of Sri Lanka, Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s office adjacent, turning the scheduled event, one of the largest anti-government marches in the crisis-ridden nation this year, violent.
Video from the local TV news NewsFirst channel revealed that some demonstrators broke into the president’s mansion while carrying Sri Lankan flags and helmets, even going so far as to swim in the pool.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was reportedly evacuated from the workplace on Friday for his safety ahead of the scheduled demonstration over the weekend, according to two officials in the defense ministry. Government spokesman Mohan Samaranayake was not aware of Rajapaksa’s location.
The 22 million-person island is experiencing its biggest economic crisis since gaining independence in 1948 as a result of a severe foreign exchange shortage that has restricted imports of gasoline, food, and medication.
As the nation struggles to survive with aid from India and other nations and its officials attempt to arrange a bailout with the International Monetary Fund, many blame President Gotabaya Rajapaksa for the country’s decline.
In May, the president’s older brother, who had fled to a naval base for protection due to violent protests, resigned from his position as prime minister; three other Rajapaksa family had already left their positions in the Cabinet.
The Rajapaksa family has come under heavy criticism from the public, with protesters accusing them of mismanaging the country and causing disorder through claims of corruption and nepotism.
Ranil Wickremesinghe, a new prime minister, assumed office in May to assist in guiding the nation out of the crisis. Despite mainly nonviolent demonstrations calling for Rajapaksa’s resignation since March, he has continued to hold onto power.
Thousands of protesters descended on Colombo’s government district, chanting anti-presidential chants and tearing down multiple police barricades to get to Rajapaksa’s home, according to a witness.
There were even rumours that enraged out-of-town protestors had forced railroad workers to operate trains to transport them to Colombo.
For the past three months, protesters have been camped out in front of his office door.
Social media videos showed demonstrators swarming the home, yelling “Gota go home,” and referring to the president by his nickname.
Numerous people were spotted lounging around the residence, watching television, and jumping into the pool. Barricades were knocked over outside the structure, and a black flag was raised on a pole.
Security guards at the president’s office attempted to halt protesters who broke through fences and ran across the lawns and inside the colonial-era structure.
The enraged mob surrounded the presidential palace, broke down gates, ran through the lawns, and entered the colonial-era structure despite police firing guns into the air.
As demonstrators attempted to enter the home, scuffles resulted in at least 34 injuries, including two police officers.
An official at the Colombo National Hospital who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not permitted to speak to the media claimed that two of the injured are in critical condition and that other people had suffered minor injuries.
On Saturday morning, thousands more demonstrators arrived in the city from the outskirts after the authorities lifted an overnight curfew.
Due to a lack of gasoline, many people crammed onto buses and trains to get to the city to protest, while others traveled on foot and on bicycles.
Rajapaksa was urged to resign by protest and religious leaders who claimed he had lost the support of the populace.
According to Ven. Omalpe Sobitha, a well-known Buddhist leader, “His claim that he was elected by the Sinhala Buddhists is no longer valid.” He encouraged Parliament to meet right away to choose an interim leader but claimed that Wickremesinghe was unpopular with the populace.
In their declaration, protest leaders sought the resignation of all government officials, including the ambassadors of the nation, in addition to the president and the government. They claimed that the demonstrators ought to be allowed to exert pressure on government.
Ranil Wickremesinghe, the prime minister of Sri Lanka, has called an urgent meeting of party leaders today in reaction.
Wickremesinghe claimed that the nation’s economy had collapsed last month. He claimed that due to Sri Lanka’s current financial situation, conversations with the IMF have been difficult.
Sri Lanka declared in April that it will put off repaying its international debt because of a lack of foreign cash. $51 billion is the total amount of its foreign debt, of which $28 billion must be repaid by the end of 2027.
On Friday night, police imposed a curfew in Colombo and many other major urban centers, but they lifted it early on Saturday morning when attorneys and opposition lawmakers objected, claiming it was unlawful.
Julie Chung, the American ambassador to Sri Lanka, urged on the military and police to “provide nonviolent protestors the space and security to do so” on Friday.
In a tweet, Chung stated that “chaos & force would not restore the economy or offer the political stability that Sri Lankans need right now.”
Demonstrators from all over the country crammed into buses, trains, and trucks to travel to Colombo in protest of the government’s refusal to save people from financial disaster despite a severe fuel scarcity that has halted transportation services.
Since the cash-strapped nation ceased receiving fuel shipments, forcing school closures and rationing of gasoline and diesel for basic services, discontent has gotten worse.
Sampath Perera, a 37-year-old fisherman, traveled 45 kilometers (24 miles) north of Colombo on a crowded bus to participate in the demonstration.
We have often urged Gota to return home, but he stubbornly holds onto his position of authority. Perera declared, “We won’t stop until he pays attention to us.
He is one of the many people who are being squeezed by ongoing fuel shortages and inflation that reached 54.6% in June.
Sri Lanka’s negotiations with the IMF for a $3 billion rescue, a restructuring of part of its foreign debt, and money-raising from multilateral and bilateral sources to address the dollar shortage could be hampered by political uncertainty.