Sri Lanka: President’s office to reopen on Monday following crackdown

The besieged presidential office in Sri Lanka will reopen on Monday (July 25)after anti-government protesters were driven away by a military response that drew international criticism. The protesters stormed and occupied the colonial-era building earlier this month during a widespread outrage over the catastrophic situation on the island. The former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled to Singapore and resigned later. Gotabaya’s successor Ranil Wickremesinghe ordered the troops armed with automatic rifles and batons to empty the 92-year-old building, AFP reported.

Less than 24 hours after Wickremesinghe took the oath of office and just before a new government was named, the military operation started to evacuate the secretariat building and surroundings.

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However, the leader has been under criticism from Western nations, the UN, and human rights organisation for employing force against unarmed protesters who had made it known they will leave the area.

Watch |Sri Lanka crisis: First cabinet meeting under newly-elected President Ranil Wickremesinghe

A police spokeswoman said, “They can remain at the official protest site. The government may even open a few more places for demonstrators in the city,” AFP reported.

The 22 million residents of the South Asian country had been dealing with month-long blackouts, record inflation, and shortages of food, fuel, and medicines.

In August, the new president Wickremesinghe will present a revised budget for the remainder of the year because the prior revenue and expense projections were too optimistic. The government also said that it will reopen schools that had been closed for more than a month.

(With inputs from agencies)

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