Information reaching Kossyderrickent has it that Sri Lanka protest has continued as protesters were seen swimming in presidential swimming pool after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled.
The president was moved from his official premises to a secure location as a safety precaution, according to two defence ministry sources, ahead of a planned rally at the weekend.
Hundreds of flag-bearing protestors were seen packed inside the sea-front property and using the swimming pool on a Facebook livestream.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe – who has also been moved to a secure location – summoned political party leaders for an emergency meeting in the wake of the violence.
He has also requested parliament to be summoned by the speaker, a statement from his office said.
US ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung called on people to protest peacefully and for police to give demonstrators space – as she warned “chaos and force will not fix the economy”.
Thousands of protesters in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo have taken over the president’s residence.
BBC footage shows demonstrators taking a swim in President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s pool.
Demonstrators have been demanding his resignation after months of protests over Sri Lanka’s economic crisis.
At least 39 people, including two police officers, have been hospitalised with injuries amid the protests, officials said. Reports indicate Rajapaksa was moved to a safer location, though the Sri Lankan government has not provided information on his whereabouts.
Despite a severe shortage of fuel that has stalled transportation services, demonstrators packed into buses, trains and trucks from several parts of the country to reach Colombo to protest the government’s failure to protect them from economic ruin.
Sampath Perera, a 37-year-old fisherman took an overcrowded bus from the seaside town of Negombo 45 km (30 miles) north of Colombo to join the protest, said: “We have told Gota over and over again to go home but he is still clinging onto powGotabaya Rajapaksa
Video below:
Protesters enjoying Sri Lanka’s absconding President’s swimming pool! No dictator should remain in illusion that the power is for ever, and when the end comes, it is always violent and nasty. pic.twitter.com/T3ePbkA0gM
— Ashok Swain (@ashoswai) July 9, 2022
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