This ex-Lankan cricketer shares video of protesters outside Rajapaksa's palace

Sri Lanka economy crisis: Sri Lanka is witnessing the largest protests calling for the resignation of president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who has reportedly fled amid the stir. Protesters shouted ‘Gota! Go Home’s as they stormed the presidential palace.

Published on: Jul 9, 2022, 16:21:22 IST

By HT News Desk | Written by Aryan Prakash

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Former Sri Lankan cricket captain Kumar Sangakkara on Saturday tweeted a video of protesters outside president Gotabaya Rakapaksa's residence in Colombo. “,” said Sangakkara while sharing the video of thousands of protesters standing outside the presidential palace. Several protesters also stood at the threshold of the presidential residence.

The former wicketkeeper-batsman's tweet has garnered nearly 5,000 likes and has been retweeted by about 900 Twitter users.

Protesters gather inside the premises of Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa's official residence in Colombo. (AP)

Police had imposed a curfew in Colombo and several other main urban areas on Friday night but withdrew it Saturday morning amid objections by lawyers and opposition politicians who called it illegal.

Sri Lanka is witnessing the largest protests calling for the resignation of president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who has reportedly fled amid the stir. Protesters shouted ‘Gota! Go Home’s as they stormed the presidential palace. The island nation is witnessing the worst economic crisis since 1948. Due to shortage of foreign reserves, the Lankans are struggling for fuel, food and medicines.

Sanath Jayasuriya, Sangakkara's teammate and former captain, also joined the protests calling for Rajapaksa's resignation. “I always stand with the People of Sri Lanka. And will celebrate victory soon. This should be continue without any violation," he tweeted.

The economic crisis has triggered massive protests ongoing for the past several months, with the protesters blaming the ruling Rajapaksa family. Rajapaksa's brother Mahinda Rajapaksa had resigned as the prime minister in May after violent protests led to him seek safety at a naval base.

A new prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, took over in May to help steer the country out of the crisis. Meanwhile, Rajapaksa has held on to power despite growing calls for him to quit.

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