Sri Lanka: Protest in search of resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa enters fiftieth day

As the continuing anti-government protest demanding the resignation of Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa over the worst financial disaster entered its fiftieth day, organisers on Saturday stated the day can be marked with extra intense agitation marches with wider participation.

Sri Lanka is close to chapter and has extreme shortages of necessities from meals, gas, medicines and cooking fuel to bathroom paper and matchsticks. For months, individuals have been pressured to remain in lengthy strains to purchase the restricted shares.

Sri Lanka’s financial disaster has created political unrest with a protest occupying the doorway to the president’s workplace demanding his resignation persevering with for the previous 49 days. The disaster has already pressured prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, the elder brother of the president, to resign on May 9.

There has been an intense name for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to additionally resign nevertheless, he has refused to take action.

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Saturday marks the fiftieth day of the “Go Rajapaksa” protest which has additionally seen the demise of a parliamentarian.

The Sri Lankan police have on events used drive to manage the unrest.

Sri Lankans protest demanding president Gotabaya Rajakasa resign and decrying the appointment of Prime Minister Ranil Wickeremesinghe in Colombo, May 13, 2022. (AP)

“The continuous protest demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has reached its 50th day today. The day is to be marked with protest marches with wider participation,” the organisers stated.

The motion began on April 9 when protesters walked into the Galle Face promenade in central Colombo and camped there blocking the entry gate to Rajapaksa’s presidential workplace.

They expanded actions on the website by naming it GGG ‘Gota Go Gama (village).

A reference library, a theater, a political podium with cultural and spiritual occasions. Volunteers delivered food and drinks on the website as numbers swelled in participation with each passing day.

The refrain for the resignation of Rajapaksa gathered momentum as individuals got here to be hit by the continuing worsening financial circumstances – lengthy queues at gas pumps and cooking fuel shops, scarcities of necessities, companies slumping, and prolonged hours of energy cuts.

The contributors feared a crackdown on the protest on a couple of events. But the backing of the authorized group noticed authorities restraining themselves in opposition to bodily attacking the location for concern of going through rights abuse expenses.

However, on May 9 a gaggle of presidency supporters did assault the location injuring the protesters.

A backlash adopted with forcing the nation into an island-wide curfew. In the violence ensued not less than 10 individuals died. Properties of some 78 ruling celebration politicians have been attacked or suffered arson.

On the identical night prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned and Ranil Wickremesinghe an Opposition politician, changed him. Mahinda Rajapaksa, his son Namal and a number of other seniors are nonetheless being quizzed on the violence.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa (proper) greets Ranil Wickremesinghe through the latter’s oath taking ceremony as the brand new prime minister, in Colombo. (Photo: AP)

At least two ruling parliamentarians are remanded for his or her duty to assault the peaceable protesters.

Meanwhile, the police stated they’d obtained a courtroom order stopping the protesters from coming into sure key roads of central Colombo’s Fort space.

Protesters are to collect on the website from 2 pm native time carrying black flags for a March to underline the necessity for Rajapaksa’s resignation.

“Our struggle would only end when the Rajapaksa family leaves the political arena and be hauled before the people’s court for all the wrongs they have done,” Chameera Jeewantha, a protester who has been on the website all 50 days stated.