President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe both announced they would resign in the face of the protests. The Prime Minister’s private residence was set on fire on Saturday afternoon after a day of unrest in Colombo. Calm returned to the city on Sunday. Thousands of people gather in and around the presidential palace with their families, and streams of people with small children and food block the line to go to the president’s home. Speakers have been set up in the trees telling visitors to be patient and queue in a one-way system for a “curious” tour around the palace. Indika Jayawaradana, who visits the residence with his wife and two children, says, “They thought we got independence from the British in 1948, but today is our real Independence Day.” Image: Indika Jayawaradana with his wife and children visit the president’s home in Sri Lanka Image: Protesters look around the president’s official residence. Photo: AP Image: Women using the presidential gym in Sri Lanka Of the president, he adds: “He can leave but he can be replaced by someone loyal to him. I’m worried about that.” The protest organizers, who were among the first to storm the residence, have turned into tour guides. The crowds rush to move and follow the instructions from the loudspeakers. They have complete control of the building. Some cops are outside – other cops are roaming the crowds, taking pictures like everyone else. 39 people were injured during protests Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player 1:40 Tear gas and water cannons at Sri Lankan protesters No attempt seems to be made to stop this. During Saturday’s protests, 39 people were injured, including two police officers. Police fired shots into the air but failed to stop the enraged crowd from surrounding the president’s residence. Hundreds of flag-waving protesters gathered inside the president’s beachfront property and used the pool in a live stream on Facebook. Picnic and relax in the palace Image: Women take selfies by the pool at the presidential residence Image: People cook in the garden of the prime minister’s residence Image: Protesters rest on couches in the living room of the prime minister’s official residence. Photo: AP Protesters also gathered outside the Presidential Secretariat, the president’s office and the prime minister’s house. Both Mr Rajapaksa and Mr Wickremesinghe had been taken to a safe location. Sri Lanka, home to 22 million people, is facing its worst economic crisis in seven decades since it gained independence in 1948. Inflation hit a record high of 54.6% in June and is expected to soar to 70%, piling pressure on the cash-strapped population. The country is struggling under a severe foreign exchange shortage that has limited essential imports of fuel, food and medicine. Many blame the fall on Mr Rajapaksa.
