Sri Lanka: Ex-PM Mahinda flees Colombo; military gets emergency powers
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: A day after he resigned and his ancestral house outside Colombo was set afire by a rampaging mob, and the killing of a lawmaker of his party, former Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and his family allegedly ‘fled’ the national capital amid curfew, the media reported on Tuesday.
The Indian Ocean country is facing unprecedented political unrest and economic crisis since March as severe shortages of essential commodities, including fuel and food, have sparked nationwide turbulence. A financially crippled Sri Lanka also defaulted on its USD 50 billion foreign loans in April.
According to reports, the ex-PM and his family had taken refuge on Tuesday at a naval base in Trincomalee after leaving Colombo under heavy security, as widespread violence and arson raged across the island nation. Seven people were reported dead and over 200 injured when the military, given extraordinary powers under a national emergency, opened fire on protesters.
Former PM Mahinda, his wife Shiranthi, and their youngest son Rohitha and his family, left the Prime Minister’s official residence, Temple Trees, early Tuesday morning on board an Air Force helicopter to reach the heavily guarded naval base, a military source was quoted as saying.
Mahinda’s second son, Yositha, who was also his father’s secretary, and his family, had left the country on Monday, the reports said.
Following his resignation on Monday and the ensuing violence started by the pro-government protesters, the anti-government demonstrators surrounded the PM’s residence, Temple Trees, and tried to forcibly enter the premises. This incident, and the torching of the Rajapaksas’ ancestral house, panicked Mahinda and his family forcing them to take shelter elsewhere.
They rushed armed troops to his protection, and the police fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse the violent mob.
Sri Lanka, which imposed a nationwide emergency for the second time in a month, gave extraordinary powers to the armed forces and police on Tuesday to detain people without warrants.
As the Indian Ocean nation battles its worst economic crisis since independence from Britain in 1948, thousands of protesters defied curfew to attack government officials, setting ablaze homes, shops, and businesses owned by ruling party lawmakers and provincial politicians.
Sri Lanka’s next-door neighbor India is worried about the possible fallout of turbulence in the island country, lest it pushes Sri Lankan refugees into Tamil Nadu or other states. On Tuesday, New Delhi said it was “fully supportive” of Sri Lanka’s democracy, stability, and economic recovery.
External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, “India will always be guided by the best interests of the people of Sri Lanka expressed through democratic processes.”
“As a close neighbor of Sri Lanka, with historical ties, India is fully supportive of its democracy, stability, and economic recovery,” Bagchi said while recalling the assistance New Delhi provided to help Colombo deal with the economic crisis.
Meanwhile, the United Nations has urged Sri Lanka to sort out its problems peacefully. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the Sri Lankan people to find a solution through dialogue to the crisis in their country. “We continue to encourage all Sri Lankan stakeholders to find a solution to the current challenges through dialogue and with the interests of the country and the people in mind.”
