Police use tear gas to disperse the protesters who stormed the compound of prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe 's office, demanding he resign after president Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country amid economic crisis in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, July 13, 2022. (AP)Sri Lanka crisis Highlights: Amid the political turmoil, Sri Lanka today imposed a nationwide curfew until Thursday morning, Reuters reported. Meanwhile, nation’s Prime Minister and acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe has asked Parliament speaker to nominate a Prime Minister acceptable to both govt and opposition. In a statement, the Prime Minister’s Office said that he held a meeting with the Members of the Cabinet at his office on Monday.
Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is likely to head to Singapore after fleeing to the Maldives in the early hours of Wednesday. Rajapaksa, as per the report, could send his resignation to the speaker of Sri Lankan parliament after landing in Singapore.
Amid an escalating political crisis triggered by the fleeing of Rajapaksa from the country, Sri Lanka’s military and the police on Wednesday urged the Parliament Speaker to call an all-party meeting and inform them of the steps they will take to ensure a political resolution to the “current conflict” in the run up to the appointment of a new president. Soon after President Rajapaksa fled the country, hundreds of people stormed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s office in Colombo, calling for his resignation as well as that of the president. The police fired tear gas on protesters who broke through a barricade and stormed the prime minister’s office.
A man stands in the swimming pool as people visit the President's house on the day after demonstrators entered the building, after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled, amid the country's economic crisis, in Colombo, Sri Lanka July 10, 2022. (Reuters)
The Swiss government advised travellers on Wednesday to avoid unnecessary trips to Sri Lanka given the country's political turmoil.
"Tourist and other non-urgent travel to Sri Lanka is discouraged (except for air transit via Colombo International Airport)," the Swiss foreign ministry posted on its website, noting the country's declared state of emergency.
"The political situation is confused and tensions have increased. A deterioration of the situation must be expected," it added. (Reuters)
Amid the deepening political turmoil, Sri Lanka today imposed a nationwide curfew until Thursday morning, Reuters reported.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa issued a Gazette Extraordinary, appointing Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to exercise, perform & discharge the powers, duties & functions of the Office of President with effect from July 13, 2022.
Sri Lanka's opposition leaders have asked Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to quit ahead of the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa who has promised to step down on Wednesday, according to a media report.
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP M. A. Sumanthiran said on Wednesday that the decision was taken at an all party meeting which was attended by leaders excluding those from the Government, News 1st channel reported.
He said two unanimous decisions were taken at the meeting, and one was for Wickremesinghe to resign immediately, while the other was for the speaker to sack the Prime Minister before the President's resignation takes effect, the channel reported. (PTI)
(Express Photos by Shubhajit Roy)
Sri Lanka's PM and acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe has asked Parliament speaker to nominate a Prime Minister acceptable to both govt and opposition, Reuters reported
A 26-year-old protestor who was hospitalized after being tear-gassed outside the Prime Minister's office in Flower Road today has died after developing breathing difficulties, Daily Mirror reported.
"We strongly request the acting President & security forces to immediately establish full law & order in the country and we're ready to support that. Our opinion is that the behaviour of the violent groups facing the country should be taken seriously," Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna said in a statement.
Hundreds of protesters have broken the first line of barricades outside Parliament, Daily Mirror reported.
Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is headed to Singapore via Maldives after fleeing his country, Maldives media reported.
Sri Lanka's former Army chief and Member of Parliament Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka on Wednesday urged the country's armed forces to not take orders from the acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe as directives issued by him were “against the Constitution.”
Sri Lanka's embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled to the Maldives on a military jet on Wednesday morning, hours before he was supposed to quit in the face of a public revolt against his government for mishandling the economy that has bankrupted the country.
From the Maldives, Rajapaksa appointed Prime Minister Wickremesinghe as the acting President, citing Article 37(1) of the Constitution that allows a premier to "discharge the powers, duties and functions of the office of president" when the president is ill or "absent" from the country. (PTI)
Here is the video people cleaning up presidential palace as they finish their sightseeing and leave. Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country today, hours before he was due to officially resign.
Lanka IOC, the unit of India's biggest oil firm, has asked all its 216 petrol pumps in Sri Lanka to maintain a separate fuel stockpile for supply to ambulances in the crisis-hit island nation.
The company, which is a subsidiary of state-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), is operating all its petrol pumps normally and is provisioning to meet the increased rush, Lanka IOC Managing Director Manoj Gupta told PTI.
Sri Lanka plunged into a fresh crisis on Monday after its President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country in the face of massive protests and the economy's collapse.
Lanka IOC, which sources its petroleum product from the parent company in India, has ramped up operations to meet the increased fuel demand.
It is selling some 1,500 kilolitres (1.5 million litres) of petrol and diesel from its petrol pumps daily, Gupta said. (PTI)
Sri Lanka's defence chief, General Shavendra Silva, said on Wednesday the armed forces and police would respect the constitution, and called for calm after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled to the Maldives.
"We have requested political leaders to decide the way forward till a new president is sworn in and notify us and the public by this evening," Silva said. (Reuters)
Protests were held in Male city against the Maldivian govt's decision to allow Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa into the island. The Maldives National Party (MNP) had earlier expressed "unhappiness" over the same.
Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa who left for the Maldives early this morning will leave for Singapore later today, Daily Mirror reported quoting sources in Maldives.
The Maldives National Party (MNP) on Wednesday expressed "unhappiness" over the Maldivian government's decision to allow Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to travel to the country, and said it will move a motion, seeking the explanation from the Solih dispensation.
In an interview with PTI, MNP leader and former Maldives foreign minister Dunya Maumoon said it was very disappointing that the Maldivian government did not care about the sentiments of the Sri Lankan people.
Rajapaksa, the 73-year-old leader who enjoys immunity from prosecution while he is president, fled to the Maldives along with his wife and two security officials to avoid the possibility of arrest by the new government. (PTI)
Acting President of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe on Wednesday said there was a fascist threat to democracy in the country and vowed to restore normalcy as well as stop the destruction of state property, hours after anti-government protesters stormed his office.
In his first televised address since being appointed to the post after embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled to the Maldives, Wickremesinghe said he had ordered military commanders and the police chief to do what is necessary to restore order.
“We must end this fascist threat to democracy. We can't allow the destruction of state property. The President's office, the President's Secretariat and the Prime Minister's official residence must be returned to proper custody,” he said.
“Those who are in my office want to stop me from discharging my responsibilities as acting president. We can't let them tear up our Constitution. We can't allow fascists to take over. Some mainstream politicians too seem to be supporting these extremists. That is why I declared a nation-wide emergency and a curfew,” Wickremesinghe said. (PTI)
Acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe said armed forces and police instructed to bring current situation under control as protesters stormed his office today, Daily Mirror reported.
"Imagine Mr Bean brought into the team despite selectors rejected him because he is an ACTOR & not a cricketer! However, not only does he play when umpire rules him out refuses to leave the crease ! No more games. Last man has no chance to bat alone in cricket. Leave GRACEFULLY" Cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya tweeted reacting to PM ordering police to impose a curfew in Western Province. Western Province is one of the nine provinces in Sri Lanka and includes Colombo district where protesters have gathered outside the PM's office and residence and are demanding his resignation.
Protesters stormed Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's office today and raised flags atop the building. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena said President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will resign today as promised.
Sri Lanka’s state-owned television channel Rupavihini suspended its telecast on Wednesday as protesters stormed the building, amidst the deepening political turmoil and economic crisis in the crisis-hit country.
The Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) said that its engineers have suspended their live and recorded telecasts as the corporation premises are being surrounded by protesters.
Later, the channel resumed its transmission. Read More
Protesters took over Srilankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's office today. Fresh protests erupted in Sri Lanka today after president Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled to the Maldives.
Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa called the Speaker of the Parliament and said the resignation letter is coming on Wednesday, reported Reuters quoting the Speaker.
The Maldives' Foreign Ministry on Wednesday refused to comment on embattled Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's arrival in the country along with his wife and two security officers on board a military aircraft that took off from Colombo's main international airport.
Maldives Foreign Ministry Communications Director Miuwan Mohamed refused to comment on Rajapaksa's arrival in the country. "The Foreign Ministry will not comment on this issue [regarding Sri Lankan President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa's arrival in the Maldives] at this time," Mohamed said.
Communications Director at the Parliament Secretariat, Hassan Ziyau, said Parliament was not aware of the matter. "The parliament office has not been informed," he said in a message sent to the Parliament's WhatsApp group, Maldives online newspaper Avas reported. (PTI)
Thousands of protesters gathered outside Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's office calling for his resignation after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled amid the economic crisis in Colombo, Sri Lanka. (Photos via AP)
Don't fall ill or get into accidents: That's the advice doctors in Sri Lanka are giving patients as the country's economic crisis leaves its health care system short of drugs and other vital supplies.
Some doctors have turned to social media to try to get donations of supplies or the funds to buy them. They're also urging Sri Lankans living overseas to help. So far there's no sign of an end to the crisis that has thrust the country into an economic and political meltdown. Cancer hospitals, too, are struggling to maintain stocks of essential drugs to ensure uninterrupted treatment. (Read more)
Amidst protests by a sea of Sri Lankans in the capital city of Colombo, photographs of protestors offering to help an injured security personnel were shared by news agency ANI.
The US Embassy in Colombo on Wednesday cancelled its consular services as a precaution for the next two days, amidst the deepening political turmoil and economic crisis in Sri Lanka.
"Out of an abundance of caution, Consular is canceling our Wednesday afternoon services (American citizen services and NIV passback) as well as all consular services on Thursday," the embassy tweeted.
"We apologise for any inconvenience and will reschedule all canceled appointments," it added. (PTI)
Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has authorised the prime minister to carry out presidential duties, the speaker of parliament said on Wednesday after the president fled to the Maldives amid protests.
Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena said Rajapaksa notified him of the change. (Reuters)
President Gotabaya Rajapaksha arrived in the capital of the Maldives, Male, at around 03:00 local time (22:00 GMT), BBC reported.
He was received by a Maldivian government representative at the Velana airport and taken to an undisclosed location under police escort, sources said, quoting Maldivian officials.
Rajapaksa is expected to be in the Maldives on transit before flying to another destination which is yet to be known. He is likely to send his resignation letter only after reaching his final destination on Wednesday evening, Sri Lanka's The Morning news portal reported, citing highly placed government sources. (Reuters)
The Prime Minister has declared a curfew in the Western Province, PM Ranil Wickremesinghe's media secretary, Dinouk Colombage, told Reuters. The curfew comes into effect immediately.
Western Province is one of the nine provinces in Sri Lanka and includes Colombo district where protesters have gathered outside the PM's office and residence and are demanding his resignation.
Protesters marched to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's office, urging him to resign after the news came in that President Rajapaksa had left for the Maldives.
They broke through a barricade despite tear gas before storming the prime minister's office, demanding his resignation. Prime Minister Wickremesinghe has already said he was willing to resign and make way for an all-party government to take over.
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has declared a state of emergency as the acting president after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled to the Maldives on Wednesday, leading to more protests amid an economic crisis.
"The prime minister as acting president has declared a state of emergency (countrywide) and imposed a curfew in the western province," Wickremesinghe's media secretary, Dinouk Colombage, told Reuters.
The Sri Lankan stock market is closed on Wednesday, July 13, for a holiday. Market will resume trade on Thursday, July 14.
The CSE All-Share index settled 0.87% higher at 7,365.67 on Tuesday in its third straight session of gains. (Reuters)
Sri Lanka has declared a state of emergency after the President fled the country, said an AFP report quoting the Prime Minister's office.
Sri Lankan protesters have stormed the Prime Minister's office demanding Ranil Wickremesinghe's resignation, reports Reuters.
Protesters gathered outside the Prime Minister's office and residence in Sri Lanka's capital city of Colombo.
A former Advisor to Sri Lankan Foreign Affairs ministry told news agency ANI that people want the PM to leave as the President did. "We want the PM to resign because as per our constitution if the President resigns PM becomes the acting President. People want both of them to leave. Police took action by tear gas shelling. Army troops moved in," he told ANI.
Sri Lanka's embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's escape from the country to the Maldives was negotiated by the Maldivian Parliament Speaker and former president Mohamed Nasheed, sources said on Wednesday.
The 73-year-old President fled to the Maldives along with his wife and two security officers on a military jet early Wednesday in the face of a public revolt against his government for mishandling the country's economy.
President Rajapaksa's escape from Colombo was negotiated by Majlis (Parliament) Speaker Nasheed, sources in the Maldives capital Male said. The Maldivian government's argument is that Rajapaksa is still the President of Sri Lanka, and that he hasn't resigned or handed over his powers to a successor. Therefore, if he wanted to travel to the Maldives, it could not have been denied, sources said.(Read more)
People arrive at the official residence of president Gotabaya Rajapaksa four days after it was stormed by anti-government protesters in Colombo, Sri Lanka. President Gotabaya fled the country earlier on Wednesday and is currently in the Maldives.
Protests have broken out in Colombo again after it emerged that President Gotabaya Rajapaksha has fled the country without handing in his resignation letter to the Speaker.
Sri Lankan police have fired tear gas to scatter protesters near Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's office, said a Bloomberg report on Wednesday.
Several of Sri Lanka's sovereign dollar bonds extended recent declines on Wednesday and touched record lows, as President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country for the Maldives hours before he was due to step down.
The 2025 bond, fell half a cent from the previous day's close to 26 cents on the dollar, according to Tradeweb data.
Sri Lanka's dollar-denominated bonds, which are already in default due to its widespread economic crisis, have been tumbling alongside widespread protests over Rajapaksa's handling of a devastating economic crisis. (Reuters)
The Rajapaksa family, whose members include Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister and President, hails from Hambantota district in the south. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his brothers Chamal, PM Mahinda, and Basil are third-generation politicians, while the fourth generation is represented by Mahinda and Chamal’s sons Namal, Yositha and Shashindra.
In South Asia, no other political dynasty has been as confidently nepotistic. During Mahinda Rajapaksa’s second term as President from 2010-15, there were said to be more than 40 Rajapaksa family members in government posts, apart from the cabinet. Many of them faced enquiries for financial fraud after Mahinda’s government was voted out. Basil, who is also a US citizen, was arrested, and his wife and eldest daughter were questioned. (Read more)
Key members of Sri Lanka's ruling party are keen to back Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as the presidential nominee, but no final decision yet, a ruling party source told Reuters.
Sri Lanka's parliamentary speaker could receive President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's resignation letter by Wednesday midday, a top ruling party source told Reuters, after the leader fled to the Maldives following widespread protests.
Protesters have warned of a "decisive fight" if both Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe did not resign by the afternoon. (Reuters)
As Sri Lanka waits for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to resign as promised on Wednesday (July 13), hectic efforts are ongoing in various political camps to lay claim to the office. Meanwhile, GoGotaGo protesters are readying to ensure that no one in the current dispensation is able to stay on.
In anticipation of more protests, and in view of reported demands by some GoGotaGo protesters that they should be allowed to address the nation live on state television, the Sri Lankan Army was on Tuesday (July 12) evening deployed at the offices of the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation, the state broadcaster. (Read more)
Sri Lankan Speaker has said that while he has not received President Gotabaya's resignation till now, he is hopeful of getting it in a day, reported news agency ANI.
It wasn’t only demonstrators that wanted Gotabaya Rajapaksa out of office: Even other members of his family saw him as a lame-duck leader. And one in particular, his 36-year-old nephew Namal Rajapaksa, has already been thinking of how the dynasty can restore its reputation over the long term even as the increasingly violent protests had some observers wondering if the whole family would be forced into exile.
In a recent interview at the ruling party’s office in Colombo, which was vandalised by a mob during the May 9 violence, Namal said that Gotabaya “should complete his term and then go.” He described the family’s current predicament as a “temporary setback,” adding that the goal now was “to provide as much stability as we can to address the basic needs of the people, and in the meantime work on long-term strategies.” (Read more)
The Sri Lanka Air Force confirmed that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his wife left for the Maldives on Wednesday.
"Under the provisions of the Constitution and on a request by the government, the Sri Lanka Air Force provided a plane early today to fly the president, his wife and two security officials to the Maldives," the statement said. (Reuters)
Sources close to Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, the speaker of Sri Lanka's parliament, said he was yet to receive any communication from Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The source close to Rajapaksa said he would send in a letter of resignation later on Wednesday.
That would make Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe the acting president, although he has also offered to resign. If he does, the speaker will be the acting president until a new president is elected, as per the constitution.
A statement from protests leaders however has warned of a "decisive fight" if Wickremesinghe does not resign by Wednesday afternoon. Parliament will reconvene on Friday and will vote to elect a new president five days later, Abeywardena has previously said. (Reuters)
The Indian High Commission in Colombo said on Twitter it "categorically denies baseless and speculative media reports that India facilitated the recent reported travel of @gotabayar @Realbrajapaksa out of Sri Lanka".
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has landed in Male, Maldives after fleeing from Sri Lanka, said Daily Mirror journalist Jamila Husain on Twitter. She added that he was heavily guarded by armed forces and added that Male is likely to be a transit destination than a final one.
News agency AFP said that on arrival in the Maldives, President Rajapaksa was driven to an undisclosed location under police escort.
Sri Lankan presidents are protected from arrest while in power, and it is likely Rajapaksa planned his escape while he still had constitutional immunity.
A corruption lawsuit against him in his former role as a defense official was withdrawn when he was elected president in 2019. (AP)
Sri Lanka's parliamentary speaker had yet to receive President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's resignation letter though he has fled the country, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Wednesday.
Rajapaksa left the country early on Wednesday for the Maldives, said a source close to him. Asked if the president had sent his resignation, the source said: "Today evening he will send it." (Reuters)
Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country early on Wednesday, two sources told Reuters, hours before he was due to step down amid widespread protests over his handling of a devastating economic crisis.
Rajapaksa, his wife and two bodyguards left aboard a Sri Lankan Air Force plane, an immigration official told Reuters.
A government source said he left for the city of Male, the capital of the Maldives. The president would most likely proceed to another Asian country from there, the source said.
The immigration official said authorities could not under law prevent a sitting president from leaving the country. (Read more)