Posts
Violence and arson continue in Sri Lanka Leaders fear for their lives Ambush: Army concentrates in capital Colombo
Colombo: As the public struggle against the government intensifies in Sri Lanka, ruling party political leaders are lurking in secret for fear of their lives. The army is concentrated in key cities, including the capital Colombo, to quell the violence. Army soldiers patrol the main roads with tanks. Thus, a tense situation prevails in Sri Lanka. Following the unprecedented economic crisis in Sri Lanka, civilians have taken to the streets to protest against the ruling Rajapaksa government.
Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned on the 9th due to the escalating crisis in many quarters. But shortly before his resignation, more than 3,000 Mahinda supporters launched a deadly attack on protesters near the Prime Minister's House. The enraged public chased away Mahinda supporters. Thus great riots broke out in Sri Lanka. The public, already outraged against the government, was further outraged by the attack and set fire to the houses of MPs, former ministers and proxies of the Rajapaksa family of the ruling Sri Lanka People's Alliance.
The ancestral houses of President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and former Finance Minister Chamal Rajapaksa were also set on fire. The army blocked the protesters as they tried to enter the Prime Minister's house. The violence has turned the country into a battleground, killing eight people, including a ruling party MP. In this extraordinary environment, former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and his party leaders have gone into hiding, fearing for their lives if they are trapped by the general public.
The whereabouts of Mahinda Rajapaksa were a secret as his family was reportedly hiding in the Trincomalee naval base. The roads leading to the airport were cordoned off by the public and checkpoints were set up to prevent any political leaders from fleeing. In this context, Sri Lankan Defense Secretary General Kamal Gunaratne yesterday confirmed that Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is believed to have fled abroad fearing for his life, is also at the Trincomalee naval base.
In an interview, he said, “It is the duty of the three forces to provide Mahinda Rajapaksa with due protection as the former Prime Minister elected by the people. Therefore, he has been kept at the Trincomalee naval base for his safety. Appropriate security arrangements have been made for him and his family there. Once the security situation in the country improves, Mahinda will be sent wherever he wants, "he said.
Thus, it is certain that Mahinda did not escape abroad. Similarly, as public protests across the country continued unabated yesterday, other leaders of the ruling party are lurking in different places for fear of their lives. In particular, the whereabouts of leaders, including former finance minister and Rajapaksa brother Chamal, remain a mystery. With no one to knock on the door as the public burns down their homes, former ministers and MPs are left wondering who will guarantee their lives. Thus, they are said to be lurking like refugees at home, unable to escape abroad.
Meanwhile, people across the country continue to flock to the streets despite the curfew. As a result of the violence, the army is actively mobilizing.
The army has been ordered to shoot people involved in the violence. Tanks are parked on major city roads, including the capital Colombo. Soldiers are concentrated on security. The army's special forces to suppress the protesters are also concentrated in Colombo. Intensive patrols are being carried out with army tanks and armored vehicles.
Army chief Shavendra Silva said the army was concentrated on the roads to ensure the safety of civilians. Young people should avoid violence. Avoid setting fire to public and private property. The people must fight in a democratic and peaceful manner. The military will take stern action against those who use the current extraordinary circumstances to damage or steal public property, ”he said.
Similarly, the army sounded the alarm through a loudspeaker at the Presidential Secretariat near the vacant lot. It urged people to avoid gathering in public places as the curfew was in force and to disperse from there. But, regardless of that, the protesters continue to camp in the empty face. They have announced that their struggle will continue until President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa steps down, and that they will continue to fight peacefully and will not disperse. Meanwhile, police have warned people to avoid violating the curfew, which is set to intensify from today. This has further increased tensions in Sri Lanka.
* Prime Minister's appointment within this week - Gotabhaya announcement.
In a tense political situation, President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa addressed the nation on television at 9 last night after meeting former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. He promised, "I will appoint a new prime minister and cabinet with a majority in parliament this week." The names of Anura Kumara Dissanayake, MA Sumanthiran and Sajith Premadasa have been nominated for the post of Prime Minister at the all party meeting.
* Permission to shoot the protesters
The police have been ordered to shoot the rioters yesterday, as the army has been given special authority to shoot the protesters in Sri Lanka. The Ministry of Defense has explained that this will not become a military regime, except that the military has been given more power to control the escalating violence in the country.
* I will be responsible only if Gotabhaya resigns
With Mahinda Rajapaksa stepping down as Prime Minister, talks have been underway for the past two days to form an interim government. President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa is in talks with ruling party dissidents and the main opposition party, the Samaki Jana Balawegaya (SJP). But so far no progress has been made. SJP leader Sajid Predasa has already rejected President Gotabhaya's call for an all-party interim coalition government
In this context, Sajid Premadasa said in a statement yesterday that ‘the majority of the people in the country are demanding the resignation of President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. Gotabhaya must fulfill that request. Gotabhaya has lost support both domestically and internationally. Therefore, following his resignation, I am ready to take charge of governing the country and find the solution that the people expect under the right agenda. "We are not ready to have Gotabhaya as prime minister," he said. Due to this, the next post of President Gotabhaya is in danger.
* China 'Silence'
China has not seen Mahinda Rajapaksa, who lost his post today and is lurking for his life at home. In the Chinese capital, Beijing, a foreign ministry spokesman, Lijian, declined to comment on Mahinda's resignation. He said, “We are closely monitoring the recent developments in Sri Lanka. We want the government and the opposition to work together to resolve this issue. " Meanwhile, Sri Lankan opposition leader Sajid Premadasa has met with the Chinese ambassador in Colombo and urged China to help Sri Lanka with its economic problems.
* Opposing MPs endanger Gotabhaya's position
An all party MPs meeting chaired by Sri Lankan Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena was held via video yesterday. Most of the participating MPs have demanded the resignation of Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. They say that only then can the extraordinary situation in the country be resolved. The MPs also demanded that the no-confidence motion against the Chancellor be passed in Parliament to ensure that Parliament does not trust him. Thus came the danger of Gotabhaya's next position.
