COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lankan protesters withdrew on Thursday from three major government buildings they had occupied, just a day after violent clashes with security forces, and even as President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was yet to resign.
Sri Lanka protesters withdraw from key buildings, with president yet to resign
The military barricaded the road leading to Parliament, one of the few political landmarks that protesters had not seized. Dozens were injured in Wednesday’s clashes, including a police officer and a soldier. A 26-year-old protester was killed, according to the prime minister’s office.
Rajapaksa, who had said he would resign on Wednesday but let the deadline lapse, flew to the Maldives to escape public fury over an economy in free fall. The appointment of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as acting president further incensed demonstrators, who stormed his office after a confrontation with security forces. Later, protesters and security clashed near Parliament, and opposition leaders called on Wickremesinghe to resign as prime minister.
The protesters’ decision to withdraw from three buildings, including the residences of the president and the prime minister, was a surprise. They will keep occupying the presidential office, as a symbol of what they call a people’s movement.
At the colonial-era presidential residence, police locked the main building’s large white doors as people scrambled for a final selfie. Protesters in black t-shirts packed up a sound system and picked trash from the gardens.
Oshantha Dabare, a protester who had been there since Saturday, said they were leaving voluntarily. “Our objective of deposing the president has been achieved. We are leaving in strength,” he said.
Even as the site was cleared of protest paraphernalia, a bright yellow banner spread across a roof screamed: “Chase out the government. Save the system.”
The protesters have vowed to continue pushing for political change. Their demands include an interim government that will investigate allegations of corruption levied against Rajapaksa and his powerful family, as well as assistance with acquiring food and cooking gas.
“There was an attempt to paint us as violent yesterday,” said Swasthika Arulingam, a lawyer who has been involved with the protest since it began. “We are a nonviolent movement.”
Rajapaksa’s departure without resigning had intensified chaos on the streets and among the political class. Many were happy that their longtime demand of ridding the country of Rajapaksa’s presence had been met, but the loss of public faith in the country’s political leaders has left officials shaken.
Sri Lanka’s top uniformed official, Gen. Shavendra Silva Sr., asked the public during a Wednesday night news conference to maintain order. He was flanked by the chiefs of the army, navy and air force.
“We call on all the people and the youth to be peaceful during this period until a new president is appointed,” he said.
Rajapaksa’s future also hangs in the balance. He is looking for passage out of the Maldives, which has delayed the timing of his resignation, according to a former minister in the Rajapaksa government, who spoke on the condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the matter.
Experts say an agreement with the IMF, which is essential for economic recovery, can only be formalized when there is stable political leadership.
Ongoing negotiations with the IMF have been disrupted by the recent turmoil, concerning Sri Lanka’s international creditors.
Manjuka Fernandopulle, a lawyer specializing in debt restructuring, said bondholders are “looking for a partner that believes in continuity, has credibility, legitimacy and confidence reposed in them by the people.”
The economic crisis has left Sri Lanka unable to repay its foreign debt, and with little money to import much-needed fuel and food. Fuel is in dangerously short supply and prices for essential items like rice have doubled from a year ago.
Source: WP
