Sri Lanka prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe resigned on Saturday. (AP/PTI)Sri Lanka Protests Live News: Sri Lanka Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Saturday announced his resignation to make way for an all-party government to take over. “To ensure the continuation of the Government including the safety of all citizens I accept the best recommendation of the Party Leaders today, to make way for an All-Party Government. To facilitate this I will resign as Prime Minister,” he wrote on Twitter.
Earlier in the day, thousands of protesters in Sri Lanka’s commercial capital Colombo broke through police barricades and stormed President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s official residence in one of the largest anti-government marches in the crisis-hit country this year, according to news agency Reuters. This came after reports of the President fleeing his home surfaced, according to news agency AFP. Some protesters, holding Sri Lankan flags and helmets, broke into the president’s residence, video footage from local TV news NewsFirst channel showed.
The island of 22 million people is struggling under a severe foreign exchange shortage that has limited essential imports of fuel, food and medicine, plunging it into the worst financial turmoil in seven decades. Thousands of people swarmed into Colombo’s government district, shouting slogans against the president and dismantling several police barricades to reach Rajapaksa’s house, a witness was quoted as saying by news agency Reuters. Police fired shots in the air but were unable to stop the angry crowd from surrounding the presidential residence, the witness added.
Students shout anti-government slogans during a protest march in Colombo on Friday. (AP)
Sri Lanka Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Saturday announced his resignation to make way for an all-party government to take over. “To ensure the continuation of the Government including the safety of all citizens I accept the best recommendation of the Party Leaders today, to make way for an All-Party Government. To facilitate this I will resign as Prime Minister,” he wrote on Twitter.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Saturday offered to resign from his post and make way for an all-party government to take over, the prime minister's office in Sri Lanka said in a statement. Wickremesinghe had called an all-party meet to resolve the escalating crisis in the island nation.
Protesters at Gotabaya's residence taking a dip in the pool.
With protests against the Sri Lanka government intensifying over the country’s worst economic crisis, a number of demonstrators stormed the President’s official residence and his secretariat in commercial capital Colombo on Saturday.
Video clips of the same went viral on social media showing thousands of protesters marching towards the palatial building. According to news agency Reuters, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was removed from the official residence Friday for his safety ahead of the planned rally over the weekend. Watch more videos here
“I am a part of the protest and stand with the people’s demand… this protest has been going on for over three months,” Sri Lankan former cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya tells news agency ANI on the recent protest in Colombo.
Former Sri Lanka cricket team captain Kumar Sangakkara shares a video of the protests in Colombo, while writing: “This is for our future.”
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa tells PM Ranil Wickremesinghe that he will respect any decision taken at Party Leaders' meeting, the Prime Minister's office was quoted as saying by Sri Lanla-based media outlet Daily Mirror.
Sri Lanka-based media organisation Daily Mirror shares footage circulating on social media claiming that luggage belonging to the President was hurriedly packed into a Navy ship (SLNS Gajabahu) at the Colombo Port.
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister on Saturday summoned an emergency meeting of political party leaders after protesters stormed the president's house in the commercial capital Colombo amid growing anger over the government's handling of an economic crisis. Ranil Wickremesinghe also requested the speaker to summon parliament, a statement from the prime minister's office said. (Reuters)
Former Minister Rajitha Senerath was beaten up by protestors as he tried to join the protest march at Galle Face, reports Sri Lanka-based media outlet Daily Mirror.
At least seven persons, including two policemen, were injured in clashes between security forces and anti-government protesters who had gathered in large numbers in the central Colombo's Fort area demanding the resignation of President Gotabya Rajapaksa.
Tens of thousands of protesters broke police barriers blocking the President's House where Rajapaksa has been housed since late March when the island-wide protests raged calling for his resignation. At least seven persons, including 2 policemen, were injured and admitted to the Colombo national hospital on Saturday, officials said. The police fired tear gas at two access roads to the President's House — Chatham Street and Lotus Road, but the defiant protesters continued unabated. (Reuters)
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has summoned an emergency Party Leaders meeting to discuss the situation and come to a swift resolution, according to local media reports. He is also requesting the Speaker to summon the Parliament.