The police and military troops of the Sri Lanka forcibly removed anti-government protesters camped outside the presidential office in Colombo in a pre-dawn operation on Friday, at the behest of the country’s new president.
Social media posts show police dressed in riot gear tearing down protest tents and arresting protesters outside presidential offices in Galle Face, two days after the crisis-hit country swore in a new leader.
Former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was officially sworn in as the country’s president on Wednesday (20) and issued an “Extraordinary Diary” urging the armed forces to maintain public order.
Police spokesman Nihal Thalduwa confirmed that nine men had been arrested and will appear in court on Friday.
Protesters have camped outside the presidential office for months, demanding the resignation of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled the country in the early hours of July 13, and Wickremesinghe, a key ally of Rajapksa.
Both men presided over an economic crisis that left the country’s 22 million people struggling to buy fuel, food and basic necessities.
On Friday, Wickremesinghe swore in Dinesh Gunawardena, another Rajapaksa ally, as prime minister. Wickremesinghe and Gunawardena were elite classmates at the Royal College of Columbus.
A team from CNN in the capital confirmed that the situation on the streets was calm after the morning clash, but a strong military and police presence remained in and around the main protest site.
All roads and lanes leading to the area have been cordoned off and occupied by security forces.
The armed forces now guard the entrance to the Presidential Secretariat and appear to have complete control of the building. The banners that were hanging from the top of the secretariat were also removed.
Some observers raised concerns about the level of force used in the attack.
The Sri Lanka Bar Association also said in a statement that it “strongly and unreservedly” condemns “the use of force and violence” by the authorities “in the attack on the protesters”.
The Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission also condemned the clash, calling it a “brutal and despicable attack on peaceful protesters” and a “total violation of the people’s fundamental rights”.
American and British diplomats also expressed concern.
“We ask for restraint by the authorities and immediate access to medical care for the injured,” tweeted US Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Julie Chung.
British High Commissioner for Sri Lanka Sarah Hulton was “very concerned” by reports of a crackdown at the protest site. “We made clear the importance of the right to peaceful protest,” she added.
Source: CNN Brasil
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