Colombo: Sri Lanka declared a nationwide state of emergency on Wednesday, hours after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country after massive protests, the Prime Minister’s office said.
“Since the president is out of the country, an emergency has been declared to deal with the situation in the country,” Prime Minister’s spokesman Dinouk Colombage said.
Earlier today, thousands of protesters took to the streets of Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo, demanding Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s immediate resignation as news emerged that he has fled to the Maldives.
Security forces were seen using teargas shells and water cannons to disperse the crowd when they tried to enter Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s home.
The citizens of Srilanka have continued to demand the resignation of President Rajapaksa, whose government has been blamed for the chronic mismanagement of the country’s finances.
Ms Kalinga