Sri Lankan President Rajapaksa, wife flee :: State of emergency declared as protesters reject PM acting as president

"Kudos Trivandrum & Kochi airports for demonstrating the Indian spirit of वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम्!

The airports have gone beyond their call of duty by allowing technical landing to 120+ aircraft bound for Sri Lanka. The gesture will go a long way in furthering ties with our neighbour," tweets Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia 

"Standing with #SriLanka in multiple ways!! Airports in #trivandrum and Kochi allowed technical landing of more than 120 flights bound for Sri Lanka" - tweets Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka tagging Scindia's missive. 

In scenes reminiscent of the weekend, when protesters took over the president’s residential palace and offices, on Wednesday the crowds managed to breach the army barriers and stormed into Wickremesinghe’s offices. As the armed forces were overrun, people poured into the corridors and waved flags from the balconies.

Ranil Wickremesinghe, who took over as a caretaker prime minister just two months ago, has been accused of propping up the Rajapaksa regime and the demand from protesters is that he resign immediately to make way for a new government.

“It’s important that the international community does not just watch and wait until this descends into violence, they need to urge Ranil Wickremesinghe to step down so someone who has the trust of the people can take over,” said Shanakiyan Rasamanickam, an MP from the Tamil National Alliance. “He is not the executive, it is illegal for him to be declaring a state of emergency.”

Sri Lanka: furious protesters breach PM’s offices after president flees

State of emergency declared as protesters reject PM acting as president and demand he and Gotabaya Rajapaksa resign

Protests erupted in Sri Lanka on Wednesday after the president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, fled to the Maldives on a military jet – but neither he nor the prime minster officially resigned, throwing the country into political chaos.

After Gotabaya’s clandestine departure, a Sri Lankan official said that the prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, had been appointed by Rajapaksa to be acting president. Wickremesinghe declared a state of emergency as protesters breached the prime minister’s offices and took over the state television broadcaster.

Protesters, who have demanded that both Rajapaksa and Wickremesinghe step down, were infuriated by the announcement that Wickremesinghe was now acting president. 

Thousands congregated outside the prime minister’s office, where they were hit with dozens of rounds of teargas by police as they tried to break through the gates. People could be seen running with their eyes streaming and blood coming from their heads.

 

New Delhi 

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country early on Wednesday, July 13. 

The President, his wife and two bodyguards left aboard a Sri Lankan Air Force plane bound for the city of Male, the capital of the Maldives. 

Though Rajapaksa had agreed to step down under pressure and large scale unprecedented protest, Sri Lanka’s Parliamentary Speaker is yet to receive the President’s resignation letter. 

Sri Lanka’s main opposition party will nominate its leader, Sajith Premadasa, as the country’s next president when elections are held in parliament on July 20.

Meanwhile, Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka "categorically denied baseless and speculative media reports" that India facilitated the reported travel of Gotabaya Rajapaksa out of Sri Lanka. 

"It is reiterated that India will continue to support the people of Sri Lanka....as they seek to realize their aspirations for prosperity and progress through democratic means and values , established democratic institutions and constitutional framework," the High Commission in Colombo said in a series of tweets.

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