Nationwide curfew imposed to prevent further unrest : Sri Lanka crisis: Gotabaya goes but pours Ranil into fire

 Wickremesinghe's appointment is unlikely to satisfy the demands of protesters calling for wholesale change of political leadership

Ranil Wickremesinghe.: File photo

New York Times News Service, Reuters And PTI   |   TT  |  Colombo   |   14.07.22 : Sri Lanka plunged deeper into crisis on Wednesday as President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country, instead of resigning, and left his ally Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in charge as acting President.

Protesters who drove out Gotabaya appeared to be losing patience with a political leadership that was not bending to their demands.

There was no clear sign of who was in charge for hours on Wednesday. With the uncertainty over who led the country, the protesters surrounded the Prime Minister’s residence in Colombo where they were met with tear gas. The protesters stormed the Premier’s office demanding that he go too.

The appointment of Wickremesinghe is unlikely to satisfy the demands of the protesters calling for a wholesale change of the political leadership, who they blame for nearly running the country into bankruptcy. The movement against Rajapaksa and his allies has been building for months as fuel, food and other basics have dwindled and become more expensive.

Wickremesinghe has asked the Speaker of parliament to nominate a new Prime Minister, his media team said.

Wickremesinghe’s office initially declared a state of emergency and a curfew with immediate effect, then cancelled them but said the measures would be announced again.

Wickremesinghe later  declared a nationwide curfew until Thursday morning to prevent further unrest after protesters invaded his office. Authorities declined to reveal Wickremesinghe’s whereabouts.

Sri Lanka’s defence chief, Gen. Shavendra Silva, said the armed forces and police would respect the Constitution, and called for calm. “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.

The situation is fragile and any military crackdown on the protesters could further worsen the overall atmosphere, strategic affairs experts warned on Wednesday.

Rajapaksa, his wife and two bodyguards left the main international airport near Colombo aboard an air force plane early on Wednesday, the air force said in a statement.

After arriving in the Maldives, he was expected to head next to Singapore, a government source said.

Despite his flight, Rajapaksa’s own resignation was not yet confirmed by late Wednesday. Earlier, the parliament Speaker, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, had said Rajapaksa had phoned him and told him his resignation letter would arrive later on Wednesday. An aide to Abeywardena had no update on the letter late in the day.

Maldives media reported that Singapore was likely to give Rajapaksa asylum.

An aide to Rajapaksa and the Singapore government did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Police stationed outside Wickremesinghe’s office had fired several rounds of tear gas, but the protesters were not deterred and surged into the compound.

“It feels pretty marvellous, people were trying to take this place for about three hours,” said college student Sanchuka Kavinda, 25, standing next to a mangled, open gate at the Prime Minister’s office. “No matter what, everyone in this crowd will be here until Ranil also steps down.”

Local media said a 26-year-old protester who was hospitalised after being tear-gassed died of breathing difficulties.

In a statement, Wickremesinghe said the protesters had no reason to storm his office.

“They want to stop the parliamentary process. But we must respect the Constitution,” he said.

On the lower floor of the whitewashed colonial-era building, dozens of protesters sang Sinhala pop songs. A large group of security personnel armed with assault rifles sat in a room.

Protest organisers and security personnel manned a central wooden staircase at the heart of the building, guiding sightseers to and from the upper floor where the Prime Minister’s room is located.

At an adjoining room on the top floor, the plush furniture had been hastily pushed to the corners and a line of armed security personnel ushered visitors through.

Parliament is expected to name a new full-time President next week, and a top ruling party source told Reuters that Wickremesinghe was the party’s first choice, although no decision had been taken.

An attempt by Wickremesinghe to cling on would infuriate the protesters who say he is a close ally of the Rajapaksa family, which has dominated the country since Rajapaksa’s older brother Mahinda became President in 2005.

“An MP with one seat is appointed as PM. Now the same person is appointed as acting President,” the Opposition presidential nominee, Sajith Premadasa, said on Twitter. “This is the Rajapaksa style of democracy. What a farce. What a tragedy.”

Government sources and aides said the President’s brothers, former President and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and former finance minister Basil Rajapaksa, were still in Sri Lanka.

The US embassy in Colombo said it was cancelling consular services for the afternoon and for Thursday as a precautionary measure.