Sri Lanka crisis: President’s house still occupied protesters; all-party meeting called

Protesters continued to occupy the official residence of Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Sunday, as they raised demands of him and his deputy Ranil Wickremesinghe stepping down immediately.
“The president has to resign, the prime miner has to resign and the government has to go,” playwright Ruwanthie de Chickera, one of the leaders of the protest movement, said during a press conference, as quoted Reuters.
Both President Rajapaksa and Prime Miner Wickremesinghe have offered to resign after they were forced out of their residences protestors on Saturday.
Sri Lanka’s main Opposition parties are expected to hold a special party meeting to forge a consensus on establishing an all-party government. Another meeting of the leaders of nine parties, including the National Freedom Front, has been planned to discuss the emerging political situation.

Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena had asked Rajapaksa and Wickremesinghe to resign immediately to make way for an all-party government.
At least four Cabinet miners offered their resignations. Agriculture Miner Mahinda Amaraweera said he would be quitting when he ceremonially received the stock of fertiliser due on Sunday from India.
“I will resign today after receiving the 40,000 MT of urea which we have received under the Indian credit line yesterday,” Amaraweera told reporters.
Sri Lankan police arrested three people for setting Prime Miner’s private residence on fire a day earlier. Among those arrested include a 19-year-old Mount Lavinia resident and two residents of Galle, aged 24 and 28 respectively.
A demonstrator poses for a photograph after entering into the President’s House during a protest, after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled, amid the country’s economic crisis, in Colombo, Sri Lanka (REUTERS)
Meanwhile, the Colombo national hospital said 102 people had been admitted with injuries. Among them are 11 media personnel.
The police’s special task force was accused of brutally assaulting two television journals at the prime miner’s private residence protest. The attack triggered the backlash, resulting in the prime miner’s residence being set on fire.
The political turmoil could complicate efforts to pull Sri Lanka out of its worst economic since Independence in 1948, triggered a severe shortage of foreign currency that has stalled the imports of essentials such as fuel, food and medicines.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF), which has been in talks with the Sri Lankan government for a possible $3 billion bailout, said it was monitoring events closely.
“We hope for a resolution of the current situation that will allow for resumption of our dialogue on an IMF-supported programme,” the global lender said in a statement.
The United States urged Sri Lanka’s political fraternity to come forward and work quickly to achieve long-term economic and political solutions to address the people’s discontent.
Sri Lankan army members leave after demonstrators entered into the President’s House, after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled, amid the country’s economic crisis, in Colombo, Sri Lanka. (REUTERS)
“The United States calls on the Sri Lankan parliament to approach this juncture with a commitment to the betterment of the nation — not any one political party,” a US State Department spokesperson said.
In Brussels, the European Union, in an official statement said, “It is the responsibility of all party leaders to pave the way to a solution to the current crisis and return back to normalcy,”.
The frustration among the masses over the economic crisis peaked on Saturday when hundreds of protestors broke the security cordon of the presidential palace and took it over.
The colonial-ear heritage building was ransacked while some took the opportunity to frolic in its swimming pool, take pictures with artifacts and relax on sofas.
(With inputs from PTI, Reuters)