SFor months, protesters had been camping out in front of the official residence of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in the Sri Lankan capital, demanding his resignation. On Saturday they stormed the residence and offices of the head of state in Colombo. Footage circulated by the Newswire agency showed protesters cooling off in his pool, lying on a bed and taking selfies in amusement. Another video allegedly showed the president’s motor pool: a garage with more than a dozen sedans.
Before the storm, thousands of people had gathered on the streets of Colombo. Many had traveled from the suburbs. Sri Lankan police lifted a curfew after calling it “illegal”. She had tried to push people back with tear gas and water cannons. The demonstrators tore down barricades and eventually gained access to the buildings.
At least 33 people were injured and taken to hospital, according to Newsfirst TV. According to a spokesman, the head of state had been brought to safety. Images released by the TV station showed thousands of people entering the old colonial building on the Galle Face seafront, which houses the head of state’s offices, via the stairway entrance. Many of them carried national flags and chanted slogans such as “Gota, go home!” Such slogans, in which protesters nicknamed the President, have been repeated on the streets of Colombo for many weeks.
Emergency meeting of party leaders
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe called the party leaders to an emergency meeting to discuss the situation. The prime minister, who is in office for the sixth time, was appointed head of cabinet after the resignation of the president’s brother, Mahinda Rajapaksa.
The largest opposition party initially rejected a meeting. Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa accused the prime minister of shielding the Rajapaksas from popular anger. The clan of politicians had ruled from 2005 to 2015 and returned to power with the 2019 election. People blame the Rajapaksas for the catastrophic economic situation in the South Asian island nation. High debts, a series of unprofitable large-scale investments, a slump in agricultural production and tourism have meant that the country can no longer afford to import fuel, gas, medicines and much food. Endless queues form in front of the gas stations, and the electricity is shut off for several hours every day.
Prime Minister Wickremesinghe recently announced the country’s “bankruptcy” in parliament. Sir Lanka has not been servicing its foreign debt since April. The government is hoping for help from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), but negotiations appear to be difficult. The American Ambassador Julie Chung asked people on Friday to remain peaceful despite everything. “Chaos and violence will not save the economy and bring the political stability Sri Lanka now needs,” she wrote on Twitter.
The office of the UN human rights commissioner had asked the security forces to exercise restraint. “Sri Lanka’s people are already suffering tremendously and living with insecurity to meet basic needs such as food, health and education,” said a spokeswoman. “You have the right to protest peacefully, demanding a better life and an end to economic and social hardship.”