Sri Lanka Crisis Lanka declares emergency after President flees, massive protests: 10 points

Sri Lanka Crisis: Gotabaya Rajapaksa had announced to step down on Wednesday after thousands of protesters overran his official residence, blaming him for the unprecedented economic crisis.

Colombo: Sri Lanka declared a state of emergency today as massive protests engulfed Colombo after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa flew to the Maldives following months of protests against an economic crisis.

Here are the top 10 updates on this big story

1. Teargas shells were fired as thousands of people mobbed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s office and pushed against the gates of the Lankan parliament.
   An indefinite curfew has been imposed across the Western Province, including Colombo, to contain the escalating protests. The Prime Minister ordered security forces to arrest rioters, his office said.
2. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had promised at the weekend to resign on Wednesday and clear the way for a “peaceful transition of power” after fleeing his official residence in Colombo just before protesters broke into it.
3. Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena announced that Gotabaya Rajapaksa has appointed Prime Minister Wickremesinghe as the acting President while he is abroad.
4. As president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa enjoys immunity from arrest, and he reportedly wanted to go abroad before stepping down to avoid the possibility of being detained. He, his wife and two bodyguards were the four passengers on board a military aircraft that took off from Lanka’s main international airport, said news agency AFP quoting sources.
5. Police fired shots in the air and used tear gas, and water cannons to prevent crowds from overrunning the Prime Minister’s office. Mr Wickremesinghe has already said he will step down once an all-party government is ready to take over. Sri Lanka’s political parties have stepped up efforts to form an all-party government and elect a new President on July 20.
6. Defence officials of the island nation have told NDTV that Mr Rajapaksa requested a plane last night and insisted they were “obligated” to provide him with one. As President, Mr Rajapaksa continues to be the supreme commander of the defence forces.
7. On their arrival in the Maldives, President Rajapaksa, his wife and bodyguards were driven to an undisclosed location under police escort, an airport official in Male said.
8. Reports claim the President’s younger brother and former finance minister Basil Rajapaksa has also left the country.
9. The Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka today dismissed reports claiming that India had helped President Rajapaksa and his brother Basil flee.
10. Earlier, both Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Basil Rajapaksa failed to leave the country as immigration officials did not clear their journey and other fliers protested. Anti-government protesters blame the Rajapaksas for mishandling the island’s economy.