Protesters storm Sri Lankan president’s house, encircle cricket ground
Colombo: Thousands of protesters in Sri Lanka’s commercial capital Colombo broke through police barricades and stormed the president’s official residence on Saturday in one of the largest anti-government marches in the crisis-hit country this year.
Some protesters, holding Sri Lankan flags and helmets, broke into the palace, video footage from local TV news NewsFirst channel showed.
Anti Government protesters shout slogans outside the Galle International Cricket Stadium during the second day of the second test cricket match between Australia and Sri Lanka in Galle on Saturday.Credit:AP
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.
Many blame the country’s decline on President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Largely peaceful protests since March have demanded his resignation.
Thousands of people swarmed into Colombo’s government district, shouting slogans against the president and dismantling several police barricades to reach Rajapaksa’s house.
Police fired shots in the air but were unable to stop the angry crowd from surrounding the presidential residence, a witness said.
Reuters could not immediately confirm the president’s whereabouts.
Earlier large protests overshadowed Australia’s second Test against the country, with thousands marching outside the Galle International Stadium, in Galle, south of Colombo.
Demosntrators first marched around the ground chanting “Go home Gota” in Sinhalese, before heading to the top of the iconic fort that overlooks the cricket venue.
Steve Smith bats while protesters converge atop the Dutch fort behind Galle stadium.Credit:AP
Television broadcasters had managed to block out the protesters’ chants in the opening hour of play while they refused to show vision.
At least one protester held a banner reading “Thank you Cricket Australia, you’ve got to go home Gota.”
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has been contacted for comment.
Despite a severe shortage of fuel that has stalled transportation services, demonstrators packed into buses, trains and trucks from several parts of the country to reach the capital to protest the government’s failure to protect them from economic ruin.
Protesters arrive in mass at the Sri Lankan president’s residence in Colombo on Saturday July 9. Credit:Screengrab/NewsFirst
Discontent has worsened in recent weeks as the cash-strapped country stopped receiving fuel shipments, forcing school closures and rationing of petrol and diesel for essential services.
Sampath Perera, a 37-year-old fisherman took an overcrowded bus from the seaside town of Negombo 45 kilometres north of Colombo, to join the protest.
“We have told Gota over and over again to go home but he is still clinging onto power. We will not stop until he listens to us,” Perera said.
He is among the millions squeezed by chronic fuel shortages and inflation that hit 54.6 per cent in June.
Political instability could undermine Sri Lanka’s talks with the International Monetary Fund seeking a $US3 billion ($4.3 billion) bailout, a restructuring of some foreign debt and fund-raising from multilateral and bilateral sources to ease the dollar drought.
Reuters, AP
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