Sri Lanka

The SLAF said a video released by Ajith Dharmapala, a former police officer who claims to be the President of the International Organisation to Devoid Sri Lankan Police from Politics, claimed that the President is staying in a private house belonging to the Air Force Commander. The SLAF Spokesman Dushan Wijesinghe said that there is no truth behind the reports and it was a "propaganda" to tarnish the image of the SLAF and its Chief.

The resignation letter of the President was signed and handed over to a senior government official who will hand it over to the Parliament Speaker. Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena who has been informed of the letter will then make a public announcement on Wednesday ending Gotabaya Rajapaksa's presidency, the Daily Mirror reported.

Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena made the announcement after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa informed him officially that he would resign on July 13, as he promised earlier. The Speaker had summoned more than 35 political party leaders from both government and the opposition to decide the next steps to appoint an all-party government. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was also at the meeting.

In discussions held with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in state capital Colombo, all the ministers who participated in the discussion were of the opinion that as soon as there is an agreement to form an all-party government, they are ready to hand over their responsibilities to the new government. Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Saturday said he will step down from duty on July 13.

In an exclusive virtual interview, former UN Environment Programme executive director Solheim told IANS that after establishing an all-party government it will start negotiations with the international financial institutions and call upon friendly governments like India, China, Japan and the West to provide financial support. "Deep economic reforms will be a necessary part of the process," he said.

Hundreds have occupied the houses of the President and PM and seen cooking and freely using the facilities there. Since Saturday night, people from far-away areas have been visiting both the President's House and the Temple Trees. The protesters, who recovered several millions of (Sri Lanka) rupees from the President's house, have handed the cash over to police. Protesters asserted on Sunday that they would not vacate the houses they have taken over until and unless the President and the PM step down immediately.

Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardene announced that President Rajapaksa had informed him about his decision to resign. People set off fire-crackers as soon as the news broke. Following a massive public march to Colombo on Saturday morning and forcible occupation of the President's House, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe asked the Speaker to summon the leaders of all political parties and decide on the way to resolve the crisis.

"In response to Sri Lanka's financial crisis, China employed its devious 'Debt Trap Diplomacy' to gain a strategic edge over the nation and hold its economy hostage. The port cities of Hambantota and Colombo have been leased to China for 100 years. China is now the second largest lender to Sri Lanka, holding more than 10 per cent of Sri Lanka's outstanding foreign debt in 2019," Red Lantern Analytica said in a statement.

The protesters, who marched to Colombo on Saturday morning demanding resignation of President Gotobaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Wickremesinghe, stormed the President's official residence, braving police, and later occupied the Prime Minister's official resident, the Temple Trees. Later, the protesters marched to Wickremesinghe's private residence in Colombo 7 and surrounded it, demanding that he step down.

Thousands of protesters in Colombo broke through police barricades and stormed President Rajapaksa's official residence in one of the largest anti-government marches in the crisis-hit country this year. In the visuals, protesters, holding Sri Lankan flags and helmets were seen breaking into the President's residence, tearing down security cordons placed by police, taking a dip in the swimming pool and romping through his kitchen and home.