Sri Lankan prime minister's house on fire

Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has announced his resignation, hours after a crowd of angry protesters chased him from his residence and set the prime minister's home on fire, as months of frustration brought on by an unprecedented economic crisis boiled over.

Hundreds of thousands of people massed in the capital Colombo to demand the government take responsibility for mismanaging the nation's finances, and for crippling food and fuel shortages.
After storming the gates of the presidential palace, a throng of protesters walked through its rooms, with some among the boisterous crowd jumping into the compound's pool.

Others were seen laughing and lounging in the stately bedrooms of the residence, with one pulling out what he claimed was a pair of Rajapaksa's underwear.

At around the same time, the leader had boarded a naval craft at the Colombo port and was taken to the island's southern waters, where he let it be known he was finally bowing to months of calls for his resignation.

'To ensure a peaceful transition, the president said he will step down on July 13,' parliamentary speaker Mahinda Abeywardana said in a televised statement.

Rajapaksa had to be extracted from his residence by troops who fired into the air to keep the crowd outside at bay.

Soon after they stormed the presidential palace, Rajapaksa's nearby seafront office also fell into the hands of protesters.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, the first person in line to succeed Rajapaksa, called a meeting with political leaders and said he was willing to step down to pave the way for a unity government.

But that failed to placate protesters, who stormed the premier's private residence and set it alight after night fell.

Footage shared on social media showed a crowd cheering the blaze, which broke out shortly after a security detachment guarding Wickremesinghe attacked several journalists outside the home.

No casualties have been reported in the fire so far, and police said Wickremesinghe and his family were away at the time.

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.
The fire came hours after the Prime Minister he said he would resign over a worsening economic crisis. In videos on social media, red smoke can be seen rising into the sky, as flames take hold.

The office of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the protesters forced their way into his Colombo home on Saturday evening. He said earlier that he will resign only when all parties have agreed on a new government.

He was responding to a call by leaders of political parties represented in Parliament that he and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa quit, after tens of thousands of people trooped to the capital to vent their fury at the leaders they hold responsible for the nation's worst economic and political crisis.

'Today in this country we have a fuel crisis, a food shortage, we have the head of the World Food Program coming here and we have several matters to discuss with the IMF. Therefore, if this government leaves there should be another government,' he said.

But he made it clear he will not step down before a new government is formed, angering crowds that moved near his home to force him to leave office immediately.

Two defence ministry sources said President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was removed from the official premises on Friday for his safety ahead of the planned rally over the weekend, with government spokesman Mohan Samaranayake unsure of Rajapaksa's whereabouts.

The island of 22 million people is struggling under a severe foreign exchange shortage that has limited essential imports of fuel, food and medicine, plunging it into the worst economic crisis since independence in 1948.

Many blame the country's decline on President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, as it muddles through with aid from India and other countries and its leaders try to negotiate a bailout with the International Monetary Fund.

The president's older brother resigned as prime minister in May after violent protests saw him seek safety at a naval base, while three other Rajapaksa relatives had quit their Cabinet posts earlier.

Much of the public ire has been pointed at the Rajapaksa family, with protesters blaming them for dragging Sri Lanka into chaos with poor management and allegations of corruption and nepotism.

A new prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, took over in May to help steer the country out of the crisis. Meanwhile, Rajapaksa has held on to power despite largely peaceful protests since March demanding his resignation.

Thousands of people swarmed into Colombo's government district, shouting slogans against the president and dismantling several police barricades to reach Rajapaksa's house, a witness said.

There were even reports that angry protesters from out of town had forced railway staff to run trains to take them to Colombo.

Thousands of people broke through barricades and entered President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's residence and nearby office to vent their anger against a leader they hold responsible for the nation's worst crisis.

Footage showed people in a jubilant mood taking a dip in the garden pool of the residence. Some lay on beds, others made tea and drank, and made 'statements' from the conference room that Rajapaksa and Wickremesinghe must immediately quit.

Wickremesinghe said he suggested to the president to have an all-party government, but didn't say anything about Rajapaksa's whereabouts. Opposition parties in Parliament were currently discussing the formation of a new government.

Rajapaksa appointed Wickremesinghe as prime minister in May in the hope that the career politician would use his diplomacy and contacts to resuscitate a collapsed economy. But people's patience wore thin as shortages of fuel, medicine and cooking gas only increased and oil reserves ran dry.

Many protesters accuse Wickremesinghe of trying to save Rajapaksa when he came under pressure to resign and every other member of his powerful political dynasty quit the Cabinet.

Later Saturday evening, protesters to Wickremesinghe's home in a bid to force him to quit immediately.

Privately-owned Sirasa Television reported that at least six of their staff members including four reporters were hospitalised after they were beaten by police while covering the protest near Wickremesinghe's home.

Sri Lanka Medical Council, the country's top professional body, warned that the country's hospitals were running with minimum resources and will not be able to handle any mass casualties from the unrest.

Demonstrators have been camped outside the entrance to his office for the past three months.

Videos posted on social media showed protesters storming the residence, chanting 'Gota go home,' calling the president by his nickname. Dozens were seen jumping into the pool, milling about the house and and watching television. Outside the building, barricades were overturned and a black flag was hoisted on a pole.

At the president's office, security personnel tried to stop demonstrators who pushed through fences to run across the lawns and inside the colonial-era building.

Police fired shots in the air but were unable to stop the angry crowd from surrounding the presidential residence and pushing through fences to run across the lawns and inside the colonial-era building.

At least 34 people including two police officers were wounded in scuffles as protesters tried to enter the residence. Two of the injured are in critical condition while others sustained minor injuries, said an official at the Colombo National Hospital who spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to the media.

Sri Lanka Medical Council said that the president, prime minister and the government would be held responsible if people died or were maimed. It urged the leaders to heed the cry of the people, resign and hand over the reins to an all-party government.