Sri Lanka crisis: Protestors storm PM Wickremesinghe's residence

Colombo, July 13: Thousands of protestors took to the street and some of them stormed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's residence on Wednesday soon after Sri Lanka's Parliament Speaker said that he has not received President Rajapaksa's resignation.

The video clips doing rounds on social media sites show the huge military present inside the Prime Minister house failing to prevent the protesters from barging into the house.

To control the situation, the security forces used tear gas to disperse the protestors, who are demanding the resignation of the President as well as the Prime Minister.

"We want the PM to resign because as per our constitution if the President resigns PM becomes the acting President. People want both of them to leave. Police took action by tear gas shelling. Army troops moved in," news agency ANI quoted Former Advisor to Sri Lankan Foreign Affairs ministry as saying.

As per a report on Reuters, Sri Lankan prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Wednesday took over as the acting president, after Rajapaksa fled to the Maldives.

"The prime minister as acting president has declared a state of emergency (countrywide) and imposed a curfew in the western province," Wickremesinghe's media secretary, Dinouk Colombage, told Reuters.

Rajapaksa with his wife along with two bodyguards fled the country to the Maldives on Wednesday. "Sri Lankan President, the first lady along with two bodyguards were subjected to full approval by Ministry of Defense for immigration, customs and other laws to fly to the Maldives. Air Force aircraft was provided to them in the early morning of July 13," Sri Lankan Air Force Media Director said in a statement.

Speaking to news agency ANI, Sri Lankan Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena said, "We haven't received President Gotabaya's resignation yet, but we hope to get one in a day."

He is expected to be in the Maldives on transit before flying to another destination which is yet to be known. Rajapaksa is likely to send his resignation letter only after reaching his final destination on Wednesday evening, Sri Lanka's The Morning news portal reported, citing highly placed government sources. It is learnt that Rajapaksa's resignation letter would be sent to Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena at around 8 pm Sri Lanka time, it added.