Sri Lanka president flees as angry protesters storm his residence amid worsened crisis

News Network
July 9, 2022

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Colombo, July 9: Thousands of protesters broke through police barricades in Colombo and barged into the president's official residence today, the latest expression of public anger in the nation of 22 million people battling an unprecedented economic crisis.

Latest Developments

>> Beleaguered President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled his official residence in Colombo before protesters gathered to demand his resignation stormed the compound.

>> "The President was escorted to safety," the source said, adding that troops fired in the air to prevent angry crowds from overrunning the President's Palace.

>> Gotabaya Rajapaksa was moved to the Army headquarters last night following intelligence reports that the situation at Saturday's planned rally "would go out of control", a top government source said. On Friday, three judges refused police requests to outlaw Saturday's protests.

>> Thousands of protesters -- many of whom packed into buses, trains and trucks from several parts of the country to reach Colombo -- surrounded the president's official residence this morning after breaking barricades set up by the police. Several military personnel have also joined citizens as they demand the resignation of President Rajapaksa.

>> The police fired shots in the air but were unable to stop the angry crowd from surrounding the building, a witness was quoted as saying by news agency AFP.

>> "We have told Gota over and over again to go home but he is still clinging onto power. We will not stop until he listens to us," said Sampath Perera, a 37-year-old fisherman who took an overcrowded bus from the seaside town of Negombo 45 km (30 miles) north of Colombo, to join the protest. The protesters even forced railway authorities to operate trains to take them to Colombo for Saturday's rally, officials said.

>> "The curfew was not a deterrent, in fact it encouraged more people to get on the streets in defiance," a top defence official was quoted as saying by news agency AFP. 

>> "In my entire life I have never seen the country United like this with one goal to throw out a failed Leader. The writing is now on YOUR official house WALL. Please go in peace," Sanath Jayasuriya, a former cricketer, tweeted with #GoHomeGota.

>> Sixteen MPs from Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) have requested the president to resign immediately.

>> Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who would assume the presidency in the event of Mr Rajapaksa's resignation, has called an urgent cabinet meeting to discuss a "swift resolution" to the political crisis, his office said.

>> Sri Lanka is facing severe foreign exchange shortage that has limited supplies of fuel, food and medicine, plunging it into the worst financial turmoil in seven decades.

>> The country has sought a $3 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund to ease the dollar drought.

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News Network
November 18,2024

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Mangaluru: The Ullal police have arrested Manohar, the owner of Vazco Beach Resort, and its manager Bharath in connection with the drowning of three college girls from Mysuru at the resort’s swimming pool on November 17.

City Commissioner of Police Anupam Agrawal confirmed the arrests, stating that a case has been registered under Section 106 of BNS. The bodies of the victims, all in their twenties, have been handed over to their parents. The women had arrived at the resort for a weekend getaway on November 16.

Following the tragic incident, the resort was sealed by officials led by Mangaluru Assistant Commissioner Harshavardhan. The trade license of the resort, issued on June 13, 2024, has been suspended, and the tourism department has temporarily revoked the resort's registration. These actions prohibit the resort from engaging in any tourism-related activities until further notice.

Someshwara TMC Chief Officer stated that the suspension was due to the resort's failure to implement adequate safety measures, which resulted in the loss of three lives. Further investigations are underway.

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News Network
November 17,2024

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An Israeli airstrike on the office of Syria’s Baath party in Lebanon’s capital Beirut has killed the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah's Media Relations Officer, Mohammad Afif, reports say.

Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA) reported that the Israeli raid struck the Ba'ath party’s building in central Beirut district of Ras Al-Naba'a on Sunday, adding that the strike was an attempt to assassinate the leader of the resistance media front.

According to Baath Secretary-General Ali Hijazi, Afif was having a meeting in the Baath Party headquarters when Israel carried out the attack.

"Afif did not fight with weapons and did not lead a military unit in Hezbollah. Rather, he led a media unit," he said.

Reuters, Sky News, Al Jazeera and a number of Henrew-language media reported that Afif was killed in the Israeli strike.

However, Hezbollah has not yet confirmed Afif’s death or whether he was present at the site or not.

Earlier, the Lebanese Health Ministry said at least one person was killed and three others injured after an Israeli strike targeted a central district in Beirut.

Lebanon's al-Mayadeen television network reported that five people were killed in the attack.

The latest development came after Afif said Hezbollah was behind the Caesarea operation and targeting Netanyahu’s home during a speech at the Ghobeiry area in the southern suburbs of Beirut on October 22.

This was the second assassination attempt on Afif in the last two months, after he survived an attack on the Hezbollah media relations office several weeks ago.

Israel launched a ground assault and massive air campaign against Lebanon in late September after a year of exchanging fire across the Lebanese border in parallel with the Gaza war.

At least 3,287 people have been killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon over the past year, with the vast majority in the past seven weeks. Another 14,222 have been wounded, mostly women and children.

In response to the ongoing aggression, the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah has been staging hundreds of retaliatory strikes against the occupied Palestinian territories and the Israeli forces trying to advance on southern Lebanese areas.

The movement has vowed to sustain its strikes until the regime ends the escalation.

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