Sri Lanka Crisis: Angry protesters continue to occupy Presidential palace, CDS seeks support to armed forces

International

oi-Deepika S

Colombo, July 10: Angry protestors continue to occupy Sri Lanka President’s house, a day after Gotabaya Rajapaksa was forced out of power amid a deepening economic crisis in the country. Sri Lanka’s embattled President Gotabaya would resign on Wednesday.

Sri Lanka: Protesters storm Presidential palace amid economic crisis | Oneindia news *International

Meanwhile, Sri Lankan Army chief General Shavendra Silva on Sunday said that an opportunity to resolve the current political crisis in a peaceful manner is now available and sought the people’s support to maintain peace in the island nation.

In a brief statement, Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Silva said that an opportunity has arisen to resolve the current crisis in a peaceful manner. He requested all Sri Lankans to support the Armed Forces and the Police to ensure that peace is maintained in the country, Colombo Gazette news portal reported.

President Rajapaksa informed the Speaker about his decision to quit after Abeywardena wrote to him seeking his resignation following the all-party meeting of leaders held Saturday evening.

The party leaders had demanded the immediate resignation of President Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to make way for Abeywardena to become acting president until Parliament appointed a successor.

Wickremesinghe, 73, has already expressed his willingness to resign. But an angry mob did not spare his private home here and set it on fire. Rajapaksa, 73, responded to the Speaker’s letter, saying he would quit on July 13.

Rajapaksa became Sri Lankan President in November 2020.

Sri Lankan President Rajapaksa to resign on July 13, says Parliament Speaker

Rajapaksa appears to have gone underground in the face of massive public anger over an unprecedented economic crisis since the country became independent in 1948.

On Saturday, thousands of protesters stormed the official residence of President Rajapaksa. It is believed that President Rajapaksa left the house before the massive crowd arrived.

At least 45 people, including seven security personnel, were injured in clashes between security forces and the protesters, some of them holding Sri Lankan flags and helmets – who had gathered in large numbers in the Fort area, demanding President Rajapaksa’s resignation.

Sri Lanka, a country of 22 million people, is under the grip of an unprecedented economic turmoil, the worst in seven decades, crippled by an acute shortage of foreign exchange that has left it struggling to pay for essential imports of fuel, and other essentials.

The country, with an acute foreign currency crisis that resulted in foreign debt default, had announced in April that it is suspending nearly USD 7 billion foreign debt repayment due for this year out of about USD 25 billion due through 2026.

Sri Lanka’s total foreign debt stands at USD 51 billion.