Sri Lanka president flees as protesters surround residence, PM calls emergency meet

Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has reportedly fled after protesters stormed into his residence on Saturday, international media reports suggest.

Protesters demanding President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s resignation surrounded his residence following which the top Lankan leader escaped, country’s defence sources were quoted as saying by news agency AFP.

Thousands of protesters carrying Sri Lankan flags rode on the relatively few vehicles on the roads due to an acute fuel shortage, while others rode bicycles and many walked to protest sites in the capital, Colombo.

This comes a day after Sri Lankan police lifted an overnight curfew. Protesters blame Rajapaksa for the economic woes and have occupied the entrance to his office for three months. Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said last month that the country’s economy has collapsed.

Earlier, PM Ranil Wickremesinghe called an emergency meeting with the participation of party leaders to discuss the current situation and to find an immediate solution, Sri Lanka’s Daily Mirror reported quoting Prime Minister’s Media Division.