BackSri Lanka Crisis: Protestors swim in President Rajapaksa's pool, watch video
Earlier on 8 July, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was moved to the Army headquarters after intelligence reports suggested that situation may go out of control.
PremiumWith the economic crisis situation in Sri Lanka becoming grim, protestors on 9 July entered President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's official residence and started swimming to register their protest.
The video surfacing in the social media shows that the pool was surrounded by a mob of protesters waving the country's national flags.
Earlier on 8 July, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was moved to the Army headquarters after intelligence reports suggested that situation may go ‘out of control’.
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Meanwhile, thousands of anti-government protesters poured into the capital on Friday demanding Rajapaksa to quit over the country’s worsening economic crisis.
On 8 July, an indefinite curfew was imposed across Sri Lanka’s capital and the military placed on alert ahead of a planned rally demanding the ouster of embattled President.
Police chief Chandana Wickramaratne urged the residents to remain indoors, as Colombo and its suburbs would be under a blanket curfew from 15:30 GMT until further notice.
Since the beginning of 2022, Sri Lanka is suffering through an unprecedented shortage of essentials and its people have endured runaway inflation and prolonged blackouts.
With the anti-government protesters vowing to storm on Saturday, thousands of soldiers with assault rifles were bussed into Colombo to reinforce police guarding Rajapaksa’s official residence.
Also, the United Nations has requested both the Sri Lankan authorities and the protesters to ensure that Saturday’s demonstrations went off peacefully.
“We urge Sri Lankan authorities to show restraint in the policing of assemblies and ensure every necessary effort to prevent violence," the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said.
In the 9 July protests, nine people were killed and and hundreds wounded.
The island nation has defaulted on its $51 billion external debt and has been in bailout talks with the International Monetary Fund.
With agency inputs.
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