How Sri Lanka PM Rajapaksa was evacuated as protesters stormed his home
Sri Lanka prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa had to be rescued by heavily armed troops from his official residence in Colombo this morning after thousands of protesters stormed the main gates.
Protesters then tried to force their way into ‘Temple Trees’ – the two-storey colonial-era building that serves as the Lankan PM’s home and where Rajapaksa and his family were sheltering.
“After a pre-dawn operation, the former PM and his family were evacuated to safety by the army,” a security official told news agency AFP. “At least 10 petrol bombs were thrown into the compound.”
How did Sri Lankan forces evacuate ex PM Rajapaksa?
Police fired tear gas and warning shots in the air to hold back mobs as security forces moved Rajapaksa and his family out of ‘Temple Trees’.
Where is Mahinda Rajapaksa now?
The former PM has been moved to an undisclosed location, officials told AFP.
What happened?
Sri Lanka this week saw its most violent protests yet as the island nation battles its worst economic crisis in living memory. At least eight people have died so far, according to news agency PTI, and over 200 others have been injured as citizens clash with security forces. One of the dead is a MP from the ruling party – Amarakeerthi Athukorala – who shot himself after killing a protester.
The ancestral home of the Rajapaksas, in the southern Hambantota district, was set on fire, as were dozens of buildings belonging to his loyalists and others.
Faced with increasingly violent demonstrations, Rajapaksa on Monday quit his post after clashes between those loyal to him and the protestors.
On Friday embattled president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the former PM’s younger brother, imposed another ‘state of emergency’ and gave sweeping powers to the military as protests demanding the brothers’ resignations escalated sharply.
Why are there protests in Sri Lanka?
Sri Lanka is fighting a massive economic crisis made worse by rapidly depleting foreign exchange reserves, which means it cannot even afford to buy food, fuel, medicines and other essential goods.
It has been bailed out so far by India, which has offered over $3 billion in basic goods, including petrol and diesel. The Lankan government has also secured $600 million in aid from the World Bank.
However, with forex reserves below $50 million (from over $2 billion in February), the situation in Sri Lanka is dire; finance minister Ali Sabry last week said the nation was on the brink of bankruptcy.
The crisis has triggered a shortage of essential goods – food, fuel, and medicines – and skyrocketing prices for what little remains on shelves.
It also triggered violent clashes between police and furious Lankans demanding the government led by president Gotabaya Rajapaksa be held responsible.