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In Pictures

Gallery|Protests

Photos: All that happened in Sri Lanka on big day of protests

On the island’s most chaotic day in months, protesters storm president’s residence and set PM’s home on fire in rage over the economic crisis.

Protesters demanding the resignation of Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa
Protesters demanding the resignation of Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa swim in a pool inside the compound of the President's House in Colombo. [AFP]
Published On 10 Jul 202210 Jul 2022
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Outrage over Sri Lanka’s collapsing economy came to a boil on Saturday when tens of thousands of protesters stormed the colonial-era residence of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and later set the prime minister’s house on fire.

The protesters, many holding the Sri Lankan flag, swarmed into Rajapaksa’s colonial-era fortified residence and the presidential secretariat.

Video images showed jubilant crowds splashing in the garden pool, lying on beds and using their mobile phone cameras to capture the moment.

Some made tea, while others issued statements from a conference room demanding that the president and the prime minister go for mismanaging the nation’s finances, and for the crippling food and fuel shortages.

The protesters later broke into Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s private residence and set it on fire.

Rajapaksa and Wickremesinghe were not in their residences when the buildings were attacked.

The events on Saturday were the culmination of months of anti-government protests fuelled by an unprecedented economic crisis that bankrupted the South Asian island nation.

Security forces attempted to disperse the huge crowds that had mobbed Colombo’s administrative district earlier in the day, with dozens injured in the resulting clashes.

A spokeswoman for Colombo’s main hospital said three people were being treated for gunshot wounds, along with 36 others suffering breathing difficulties after being caught up in tear gas barrages.

Wickremesinghe announced his resignation but said he would not step down until a new government is formed, angering protesters who demanded his immediate departure.

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Sri Lanka has suffered through months of shortages of basic goods, lengthy blackouts and galloping inflation after running out of foreign currency to import necessities.

The government has defaulted on its $51bn external debt and is seeking an International Monetary Fund bailout.

Protesters storm in at the Sri Lankan president's official residence
Protesters storm the Sri Lankan president's official residence in Colombo. [Eranga Jayawardena/AP Photo]
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Demonstrators protest inside the President's House premises
Demonstrators inside the presidential house after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa reportedly fled. [Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters]
Protesters gather inside the premises of Sri Lankan presidents
Protesters gather inside the Sri Lankan president's official residence in Colombo. [Amitha Thennakoon/AP Photo]
A demonstrator poses for a photograph after entering into the President's House
A demonstrator poses for a photograph after entering the president's house. [Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters]
Sri Lankan army members leave after demonstrators entered into the President's House,
Sri Lankan army members leave after demonstrators entered the president's official residence. [Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters]
Firefighters try to douse a fire at the Sri Lankan prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's private residence
Firefighters try to extinguish a fire at Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's private residence in Colombo. [Eranga Jayawardana/AP Photo]
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Police uses water cannons to disperse demonstrators near President's residence during a protest
Police use water cannon to disperse demonstrators near the president's residence. [Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters]
Protesters react after police fired tear gas to disperse them in Colombo
Protesters react after police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd gathered in Colombo. [Amitha Thennakoon/AP Photo]
Police fire tear gas canisters to disperse protesters
A spokeswoman for Colombo's main hospital said three people were being treated for gunshot wounds along with 36 others suffering breathing difficulties after being caught up in tear gas barrages. [AFP]
Protesters stand on a vandalised police water canon truck
Protesters stand on a vandalised police water cannon truck and shout slogans at the entrance to the president's official residence. [Eranga Jayawardena/AP Photo]


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