Sri Lanka Declares State Of Emergency After President Escapes To Maldives

Mumbai: Sri Lanka has declared a state of emergency after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s escape to the Maldives, the Prime Minister’s office said. Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo, demanding Rajapaksa’s immediate resignation.

The Prime Minister’s Office informed media organizations that a state of emergency has been imposed in the country and a curfew has been imposed in the Western Province.

Meanwhile, protesters marched to the office of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and urged him to resign after news of President Rajapaksa’s visit to the Maldives broke out.

Despite firing tear gas shells, he stormed the Prime Minister’s Office and demanded his resignation.

Prime Minister Wickremesinghe has already said that he is ready to resign and form an all-party government.

Parliament will elect a new Speaker from amongst its members within 30 days, who will hold office for the remaining two years of the current term.

Anti-government protesters continue to demand his resignation at the three main buildings in the capital, the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the President’s Secretariat and the Prime Minister’s official residence, Temple Trees.

Sri Lanka, a country of 22 million people, is under the grip of an unprecedented economic turmoil, the worst in seven decades, leaving millions struggling to buy food, medicine, fuel and other essentials. Prime Minister Wickremesinghe last week said Sri Lanka is now a bankrupt country.

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