Sri Lankan Crisis: Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of the capital Colombo and entered President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s residence and surrounding office on Saturday to express their anger against a leader whom they call the island country’s worst economic crisis. held responsible for.
Videos that surfaced on social media showed dozens of protesters jumping into Rajapaksa’s swimming pool. The protesters were watching television at the Rashtrapati Bhavan and were moving around on the President’s bed. Barricades were overturned outside the building and a black flag was hoisted on a pole. Videos shared by state media showed protesters swimming in a pool.
In another video accessed by India TV, protesters are shown lifting items from the dressing table in Rajapaksa’s bedroom. The President ran away earlier today and left behind all his belongings.
Rajapaksa fled
President Rajapaksa had earlier fled his residence. The footage showed hundreds of people in and out of the well fortified house, some taking a dip in the garden pool and others in a happy mood.
A government management, Mohana Samaranayake, said he had No information about Rajapaksa’s whereabouts,
Videos posted on social media showed protesters storming the residence, shouting “go home” while calling out the president’s surname. Dozens of people were seen jumping into the pool, walking around the house and watching TV. Barricades were overturned outside the building and a black flag was hoisted on a pole.
Lanka’s terrible economic crisis
Sri Lanka’s economy is on the verge of collapse, aided by India and other countries collapsing as its leaders try to negotiate a bailout with the International Monetary Fund. The economic slowdown has led to a severe shortage of essential commodities, forcing people to struggle to buy food, fuel and other necessities.
In April, Sri Lanka announced that it was suspending repayment of foreign debt due to a lack of foreign currency. Its total external debt is $51 billion, of which it will have to pay $28 billion by the end of 2027.
Police imposed a curfew in Colombo and several other main urban areas on Friday night, but lifted it on Saturday morning amid objections from lawyers and opposition leaders, who called it illegal.