Thousands occupying the presidential palace are determined to stay until both the president and PM step down officially.
10 Jul 2022
Protesters in Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo continue to occupy the offices of the president and prime minister for a second consecutive day, vowing they will stay put until both officially have resigned.
Determined to see the country’s top leaders step down amid an unprecedented economic crisis, thousands of people stormed the president’s residence on Saturday and later set fire to the prime minister’s house, forcing the two leaders into hiding.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said he will leave office once a new government is in place, while Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena said President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, 73, would step down as president on Wednesday.
But protesters are refusing to budge until the two leaders have officially left their posts.
“Our struggle is not over,” student leader Lahiru Weerasekara told reporters on Sunday.
“We won’t give up this struggle until he actually leaves.”
Playwright Ruwanthie de Chickera told a news conference at the main protest site in Colombo: “The president has to resign, the prime minister has to resign and the government has to go”.
Flanked by other leaders helping coordinate the movement against the government, she said the crowds would not move out of the official residences of the president and prime minister until then.
Recent Comments