Sri Lankan: Commoners Occupy President, PM Residence Till They Resign
Sri Lankan protesters who have occupied the residences of the President and Prime Minister have cleared that they will continue to occupy their houses until they resign from their posts.
Despite President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe agreeing to resign, protesters continue to protest outside the premises of the Sri Lankan Presidential Secretariat in Colombo as they don’t trust him.
The protesters held demonstrations and sloganeered against the economic crisis, outside the Presidential Secretariat, which was stormed by a sea of protestors on Saturday.
Speaking to ANI, one of the protesters, named Akushla Fernando said that the President had announced his resignation but they all are still waiting for the official confirmation. “We will be here till 13th July as we don’t trust President, he has already sold our country. We just entered the premises and showed that people have more power than politicians,” she added.
Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa agreed to step down from his post on Wednesday. Rajapaksa has informed that he will resign from the Presidency on July 13, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena announced in a press conference this evening, according to Sri Lanka’s news outlet Newswire.
Meanwhile, another protester said that they will continue the protest till July 13, the time President resigns. “For 6 months a group of people will stay here while others will move back. We want justice, we are protesting for our rights,” he added.
One of the protesters also said that they don’t have faith in the president. He further said that the president had informed them about his resignation but didn’t give the confirmation in writing.
“We will be here at the protest site at Galle’s face for more than six months after the president’s resignation…” protestors told ANI.
Meanwhile, the President’s house has become a new tourist spot in Colombo as enraged protestors after taking over the residence entirely are unwinding — strolling through the balconies, relaxing in bedrooms, dining in the kitchen and taking a dip in the swimming pool.
People inside the president’s house can be seen taking selfies with expensive cars as the backdrop.
Dramatic visuals from outside Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapakse’s residence on Saturday showed a sea of demonstrators storming into the compound, tearing down security cordons placed by police, taking a dip in the swimming pool and romping through his kitchen and home.
With the demand for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s resignation, they stormed into the President’s house, tore down security cordons placed by police, took a dip in the swimming pool and romped through his kitchen and home.
Wickremesinghe, who was appointed as Prime Minister in May, announced that he will resign from his post in order to ensure the continuation of the government and the safety of all the citizens but still the protesters broke into Wickremesinghe’s private residence and set it on fire. (ANI)
