The country’s Presidential Secretariat, the heart of government, was stormed by thousands of protesters. Many with the nation’s flag draped over them ran up the steps and into the iconic building. Later, the prime minister’s home was set on fire by protesters, hours after he announced his resignation. The president, under intense pressure to follow suit, did so at around 11pm local time. Since the morning there have been clashes between protesters and security forces across the capital Colombo. Undaunted by tear gas, police firing in the air and water cannons, protesters gathered to march on the president’s home to force him to resign from office. Many are reportedly injured. Their patience ran out as they argued with the military who tried to stop them. With sheer numbers, momentum and determination they made the final push and broke through the multi-layered police barricades in their path. They broke into the heavily fortified president’s home and walked unhindered through the gardens, corridors and many rooms of the building. As they drove around taking pictures and selfies, they warned their president to go. And a few didn’t miss an opportunity to cool off by jumping into the pool of the country’s safest address. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player 0:53 Protesters swim in the president’s pool Mr Rajapaksa had earlier been evacuated to an undisclosed location and there were reports that he had been taken to a navy ship. Temple Tree, the official residence of Prime Minister Ranil Wikremesinghe, has not been spared either – and this has gone down a storm. In an emergency meeting, the prime minister agreed to resign to form an all-party government. A lawyer who did not want to be named said: “Right now I think the people’s struggle is going on successfully. And I wish the best for the struggle and in the end we will make a good change for our country.” Sri Lanka’s 22 million people are facing their worst economic crisis ever, which has driven up prices and caused shortages of food, medicine and fuel. The deep-seated economic crisis has gone unnoticed for decades by successive governments. The reckless and mismanaged economic policies of the Rajapaksa government have deepened the crisis. Image: Crowds gathered outside the president’s office in Colombo. Photo: AP Image: Protesters inside President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s home in Colombo. Photo: AP Tax cuts, severe import restrictions, and reluctance to make prudent economic reforms exposed the structural inadequacy in the government’s economic policy. With a severe balance of payments crisis, international organizations have downgraded the country, further hampering the chances of foreign investment. Image: Protesters came prepared with gas masks. Photo: AP Tourism generates more than $4 billion annually, but the industry has been hit hard by the COVID pandemic. To keep going in the short term, the government borrowed heavily, forcing the country into a debt trap. The country is effectively bankrupt with no foreign exchange reserves to buy vital commodities. It has defaulted on $51 billion in foreign debt and is now in talks about a $3 billion bailout with the International Monetary Fund. However, the scale of the crisis is such that these loans may not be enough to get out of the balance of payments problems anytime soon, as the current deficit is gigantic. But for now, ordinary Sri Lankans will have to bear the brunt of the country’s worst man-made disaster.
