Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa left his official residence in the capital Colombo yesterday, shortly before protesters, angered by the unprecedented economic crisis, stormed the Presidential Complex and adjacent offices of the President.
Thousands of people have gathered around the president’s residence demanding his resignation, blaming the government for not coping with a suffocating crisis that has been going on for months. air to stop their advance until Rajapaksa was brought to safety.
A source in the Ministry of Defense said that “the president has been transferred to a safe place”, adding that “he is still the president, the military unit provides him with protection.”
Live broadcasts on social media showed hundreds of people walking around the palace, some of whom jumped into the pool.
Others were seen laughing and sitting in the luxurious bedrooms of the presidential residence.
The colonial-era palace is one of Sri Lanka’s most important symbols of power, and officials said Rajapaksa’s departure cast doubt on his desire to remain in office.
According to a spokesman for Colombo General Hospital, three people were taken to hospital after being injured and 36 people were being treated for shortness of breath due to tear gas.
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who will succeed Rajapaksa if he resigns, called an emergency cabinet meeting to discuss a “quick fix” to a potential power vacuum, his office said.
