Sri Lanka Protesters Plan to Occupy President and Prime Minister’s Residences Until They Quit

Reuters
By Reuters
July 10, 2022Asia & Pacific
share
Sri Lanka Protesters Plan to Occupy President and Prime Minister’s Residences Until They Quit
Demonstrators protest inside the President’s House, after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled, amid the country’s economic crisis, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on July 9, 2022. (Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters)

COLOMBO—Leaders of the protest movement in Sri Lanka who have forced the president and prime minister out of their official residences said on Sunday they will occupy the buildings until the two quit office.

“The president has to resign, the prime minister has to resign and the government has to go,” said playwright Ruwanthie de Chickera at a news conference at the protest site, flanked by other leaders helping coordinate the movement against the government.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe plan to step down, the country’s parliamentary speaker said on Saturday, bowing to intense pressure after a day of protests in which demonstrators stormed the president’s official residence and set fire to the prime minister’s home in Colombo.

Sri Lanka protesters
A man sleeps on a couch inside the president’s house on the following day after demonstrators entered the building, after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled, amid the country’s economic crisis, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on July 10, 2022. (Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters)
ntd newsletter icon
Sign up for NTD Daily
What you need to know, summarized in one email.
Stay informed with accurate news you can trust.
By registering for the newsletter, you agree to the Privacy Policy.
Comments