The atmosphere became increasingly chaotic when thousands of demonstrators stormed the prime minister’s office today. Police had to fire tear gas to keep them from entering the compound.
“There are ongoing protests outside the prime minister’s office in Colombo and we need a curfew to contain the situation,” said a senior police officer.
Read: Sri Lanka goes bankrupt due to mismanagement
Last weekend, tens of thousands of residents broke into Rajapaksa’s official residence. This forced the president to flee to a military base and leave Sri Lanka for Maldives.
Government officials said the president had promised to step down today. His departure before his planned resignation was believed by many to be taken an attempt to evade arrest and prosecution. (un)