(ANSA) — COLOMBO, July 10 — Sri Lankan protesters refused to leave President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s residence after the attack that forced him to flee and vowed he would resign on Wednesday.
“Our fight is not over yet,” said student leader Lahiru Weerasekara, “we will not give up this fight until it is truly over.”
Thousands of people still enter the residence today, a legacy from the colonial era that symbolized state authority for more than 200 years. Since this morning, many protesters have been queuing to sit upstairs in the President’s chair while children play on the grand piano downstairs.
“When rulers live in such luxury, they have no idea how ordinary citizens are doing,” said Sri Sumeda, a monk who walked 50 kilometers on his first visit to the palace. According to him, “this shows what can be done when people decide to exercise their power”.
Rajapaksa, 73, escaped through a gate at the back of the building under military protection yesterday. A few minutes later, a crowd of protesters entered the gates and challenged police armed with live ammunition, tear gas and water cannons. The President is now on a ship that has reached the southern waters of the island. (HAND).
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