People's power to force in Srilanka !

Sri Lankan citizens in their thousands flocked to Fort in Colombo yesterday (9) to mark yet another milestone in the country’s history as they braved many obstacles – from transport issues to barriers and tear gas attacks – to take charge of the President’s House and the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo. 

This comes following months of protests which started on 31 March this year when citizens surrounded President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s private residence in Mirihana.

The breach of the President’s House by protesters was a culmination of the ‘Gota Go Home’ protests that also led to former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s resignation on 9 May, former Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa’s resignation on 9 June, until yesterday, when people’s power emerged supreme in the country. It is understood that the President was not at his residence at the time the protesters breached the gates.

The people’s protest commenced in full force at around 9 a.m. yesterday and by mid-day, thousands of protesters had managed to break down several barricades around the President’s House and make their way to the gates of the mansion for the final confrontation with the security forces.

By around 12.50 p.m. the protesters had breached the defences and made their way into the President’s House. Almost at the same time, another group of protesters entered the Presidential Secretariat, symbolising the people’s power over the Executive.

Soon after the fall of the President’s House and the Presidential Secretariat, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe called for a party leaders’ meeting at 4 p.m., which was to be held online due to security concerns. The Premier also asked Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena to discuss with the party leaders and convene an urgent session of Parliament this week.

However, the main Opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) and the National People’s Power (NPP) announced that the parties would not participate in the meeting called by the Prime Minister. The SJB stated that it would attend the meeting convened by the Speaker.

Ultimately, all party leaders participated in the meeting convened by the Speaker at the Speaker’s house. Several party leaders participated in the meeting through Zoom.

Four key decisions were reached at the party leaders’ meeting. They were: for President Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Wickremesinghe to resign immediately; the Speaker to act as president for a maximum of 30 days; Parliament to elect a parliamentarian as interim president for the remainder of the term; and appoint an all-party interim government.

After the party leaders’ meeting, Justice Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe stated that a majority of the party leaders had proposed that the President and Prime Minister both resign and allow the Speaker to temporarily serve as president. These sentiments were shared by opposition MPs Rauff Hakeem, M.A. Sumanthiran PC, and ruling party MP Dullas Alahapperuma.

However, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe announced afterwards that he was prepared to resign, making way for an all-party government to ensure the safety of all citizens. Accordingly, PM Wickremesinghe is to step down once the interim government is prepared to take over the reins.

“To ensure the continuation of the Government including the safety of all citizens I accept the best recommendation of the Party Leaders today, to make way for an All-Party Government. To facilitate this I will resign as Prime Minister,” Wickremesinghe said in a Twitter statement.

The Prime Minister had earlier reported that President Rajapaksa was ready to step down if the party leaders called for his (the President’s) resignation.

Speaker Abeywardena last evening officially informed President Rajapaksa in writing of the decision reached at the party leaders’ meeting calling for his immediate resignation.

The Speaker’s letter noted the decisions reached at the party leaders’ meeting as follows: “1. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to resign immediately; 2. Parliament to be convened in seven days to appoint an acting president; 3. Appoint an interim all-party government under a new Prime Minister commanding majority in Parliament; and 4. Call for elections within a short period of time and appoint a new government.”

The letter also noted several alternative proposals presented by the Prime Minister: “The President to resign and the Prime Minister to be appointed as acting President, appoint an interim government under a new Prime Minister afterwards, or for the President and Prime Minister to both resign and appoint an acting President from Parliament while appointing an interim government.”

Meanwhile, ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MP Dr. Bandula Gunawardena announced yesterday that he would resign from his portfolio and SLPP membership while continuing to function as an independent MP.

Last evening saw crowds from the Fort protest sites making their way to Prime Minister Wickremesinghe’s private residence in Colombo 3 and the Prime Minister’s Office in Colombo 7 demanding his resignation. The protests against Wickremesinghe intensified following an attack by several Special Task Force (STF) personnel on a group of journalists representing a private electronic media institution.

The Prime Minister however expressed his grave regret over the assault on journalists who were covering protests and noted the importance of freedom of media to democracy.

While the protests continue, footage of luggage being hurriedly loaded into SLNS Gajabahu, a navy offshore patrol vessel, was widely circulated on social media yesterday, indicating that a VVIP was making a hasty exit.

Sri Lanka Navy Spokesperson Captain Indika De Silva denied the allegations, saying the vessel was on a routine deployment and that the President was not on board.

However, yesterday’s protest campaign resulted in 49 persons being hospitalised for treatment. A number of Police officers and members of the armed forces were also reported to have suffered injuries.

The protest planned for yesterday, the latest in a series, began to gather steam earlier in the week as a wide cross-section of the population pledged their support for it. 

The journey to Colombo for the final people’s power protest started for many on Friday (8), cycling and marching in groups. Political parties, student and trade unions, and community groups rallied around the call from the ‘Aragalaya’ to come join them and oust the President and the Government. Some were able to convince train drivers and station masters to reactivate suspended train services to travel to Colombo from Kandy and Galle.

Attempts by the Police to obtain court orders against protesters – mainly near the President’s House and Office in Fort – proved futile as the Magistrate turned down their request several times.

However, the Police Department in a last-ditch effort declared that ‘Police curfew’ would be declared from Friday evening until further notice for several parts of the Western Province. The Police curfew triggered Sri Lanka Railways to suspend a number of scheduled train journeys to Colombo over the weekend.

However, the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL), the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL), legal experts, and Opposition politicians objected to the curfew, pointing out that the move by the Police was illegal and was a blatant violation of the fundamental rights of Sri Lankan citizens.

RW’s house set on fire

The residence of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in Colombo 3 was set on fire last night (9) by a group of protesters.

“Protesters have broken into the private residence of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and have set it on fire,” the Premier’s Media Unit stated yesterday.

Wickremesinghe was not at the residence when the protesters stormed in.

Police Media Spokesperson SSP Nihal Thalduwa said that the Police had been unable to control the protesters and that they had broken into the Prime Minister’s residence.

Protesters gathered outside the Prime Minister’s residence following the assault on several journalists attached to a private electronic media station by a group of Police Special Task Force (STF) personnel near the residence.