Former Sri Lankan President and chairman of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party Maithripala Sirisena said that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Wickremesinghe have "no moral right" to remain in power and warned that "a very dangerous situation" will arise if they don't quit immediately.
A day after anti-government protesters stormed Gotabaya Rajapaksa's residence, the police arrested three persons for setting Prime Minister Wickremesinghe's house on fire, local media stated on Sunday, 10 July.
Sri Lanka's army chief, General Shavendra Silva, meanwhile, appealed to people to support the military to ensure that the crisis is peacefully resolved.
Rajapaksa is set to resign on 13 July, the country's parliamentary speaker said. His whereabouts, however, are still unknown.
Amid the worsening economic crisis in Sri Lanka, Minister of Investment Promotion Dhammika Perera resigned from his position on Sunday
He is the fourth minister to resign from the Cabinet after Harin Fernando, Manusha Nanayakkara, and Bandula Gunawardena
The International Monetary Fund on Sunday said that it was closely monitoring the situation, hoping for talks on a bailout deal to resume
Thousands stormed the residence of Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in Colombo on Saturday
At least 30 people were injured in the unrest
Protesters also torched the private residence of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe even as he offered to resign.
Sri Lanka is going through the worst economic crisis since Independence in 1948 and needs at least USD 4 billion to tide over the shortage in foreign exchange reserves.
Police use water cannons and tear gas to disperse the protesters in Sri Lanka, on Saturday, 9 July. Sri Lankan protesters demanding that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa resign, forced their way into his official residence on Saturday.
(Photo: PTI/Amitha Thennakoon)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)
'We Have Pledged $3.8 Billion in Support to Sri Lanka': EAM Jaishankar
Calling the crisis in Sri Lanka a "serious matter", India's External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr S Jaishankar said on Sunday, "It is something which has been built over a period of time. PM Modi has a policy called 'Neighbourhood First.' We try and support our neighbours in a way which meets their requirements."
He added that India had "given Sri Lanka a line of credit, which has kept essential commodities flowing to them for the past several months. We have also provided them a line of credit for the purchase of fuel. This year alone, we have pledged $3.8 billion in support to Sri Lanka," ANI reported.
'A Very Dangerous Situation': Former Sri Lankan President Asks Rajapaksa, Wickremesinghe To Quit Immediately
Former Sri Lankan President and chairman of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party Maithripala Sirisena said that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Wickremesinghe have "no moral right" to remain in power and warned that "a very dangerous situation" will arise if they don't quit immediately.
"It is clear that a very dangerous situation is likely to arise in the country if they continue to act without understanding the opposition coming from the people,” he said.
President Rajapaksa Orders Officials To Ensure Smooth Distribution of Cooking Gas
Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, whose location is still unknown since the protesters overran both his office and the official residence, has ordered officials to ensure the smooth distribution of cooking gas after the fuel-starved country received 3,700 metric tonnes of LP gas, his office said on Sunday, 10 July.
'India Stands With People Of Sri Lanka': MEA
Responding to the situation in Sri Lanka, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a statement saying that being Sri Lanka's closest neighbour, India stands with the people of Sri Lanka as they "seek to realise their aspirations for prosperity and progress through democratic means."