Protesters against the Sri Lankan government on Wednesday opposed tear gas, water jets and the declaration of a state of emergency to occupy the prime minister’s office after President Gotabaya fled the country.
Protesters are demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, as well as Rajapaksa, who promised to formally announce his departure on Wednesday, after this southern Indian island has been cornered by the most serious economic and political crisis in its history.
Several protesters broke through the military barrier and occupied the prime minister’s office with national flags, despite pressure from police and army with tear gas and water.
Other protesters also stormed the headquarters of Sri Lanka’s main public television station, Rupavahini, and appeared on the air for several minutes.
Last Saturday, a crowd stormed the presidential palace. The head of state had left the scene a few minutes ago. Rajapaksa fled to the Maldives by plane on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Wickremesinghe, who was appointed acting president by parliament, urged the army and police to “do whatever it takes to restore order” in a televised speech.
“The protesters want to prevent me from fulfilling my responsibilities as interim president. We can’t let the fascists take control,” he said.
Picture: ADNAN ABIDI/REUTERS
Recently, a spokesperson from Wickremesinghe’s office announced that a state of emergency has been declared to address the situation in the country.
Police declared an indefinite curfew in the Western province of Colombo to contain the protests.
The constitution provides that if the president resigns – which Rajapaksa promised to do during the day – the prime minister takes over the post temporarily until the election of a deputy by Parliament to act as head of state. end of current period, November 2024.
Celebration
Rajapaksa, 73, his wife and a bodyguard left the country on an Antonov-32 flight departing from Colombo’s international airport, immigration officials told AFP.
“Their passports were stamped and they boarded a private Air Force flight,” a source said.
A source from the airport in Maldives’ capital, Malé, confirmed to AFP that the Sri Lankan president had arrived, who had been taken to an undisclosed location in the archipelago southeast of Sri Lanka.
Confused about permission to land in the Maldives, the plane could not stay on the runway for more than an hour.
The crowd continued to celebrate in a festive mood at the presidential palace.
“People are very happy that these people are stealing our country,” said Kingsley Samarakoon, a 74-year-old retired civil servant.
“They stole a lot of money, billions,” he added.
At the same time, the elderly have little hope that Sri Lanka will emerge from the crisis quickly. “How are they going to run the country without money? That’s a problem,” he said.
VIP room
The president’s departure was complicated. On Tuesday, he was humiliated by immigration officials at the Colombo airport.
Immigration authorities blocked access to the VIP lounge to stamp your passport. Rajapaksa wanted to avoid the public terminal, fearing Sinhalese backlash.
Rajapaksa still enjoys presidential immunity because he did not resign.
The president and his wife spent the night at a military base near the international airport after missing four flights to the United Arab Emirates.
His brother Basil, who resigned as finance minister in April, was also unable to board a flight to Dubai.
As the president fled, he left behind a suitcase of documents and 17.85 million rupees ($50,000), which was handed over to the authorities.
Rajapaksa is accused of mismanaging the economy, which has plunged the country into a scenario of chaos and a deep crisis due to the lack of foreign exchange, making it impossible to finance the imports of essential goods for a population of 22 million.
Sri Lanka defaulted on $51 billion in debt in April and is in talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to get a loan.
In addition, the country has nearly depleted its fuel reserves, and the government has ordered the closure of non-essential administrations and schools to reduce displacement.
source: Noticias
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