Colombo:Â Sri Lanka today declared a state of emergency after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled to Maldives. With the declaration, security forces have been given powers to deal with escalating anti-government protests.
Fresh protests erupted in the country today after hundreds of citizens marched on the prime minister’s office in Colombo to demand his resignation.
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.
Earlier, Gotabaya Rajapaksa had promised to resign on Wednesday and clear the way for a “peaceful transition of power”.
It is believed that he wanted to leave the country before resigning to avoid the possibility of being detained.
On Tuesday night, President Rajapaksa, his wife and two bodyguards fled to Maldives. On their arrival, they were driven to an undisclosed location.
