Lanka protesters stay put in Prez, PM's residences until they quit

Colombo: The leaders of the anti-government protest movement in Sri Lanka, who have prompted the President and Prime Minister flee their official residences, said that they will occupy the mansions until the two quit office. "The President has to resign, the PM has to resign and the government has to go," playwright Ruwanthie de Chickera told a presser on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's Opposition parties are set to meet later on Sunday to discuss the formation of the new government following the President and Prime Minister's decision to resign from their posts.

According to the Parliamentary Speaker, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will step down on July 13, following violent protests that shook the capital on Saturday. Demonstrators stormed the President's official residence and set fire to the Prime Minister's home in Colombo.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe also said he is willing to resign to make way for an all-party government, his office said in a statement later on Saturday.

On Sunday, the Sri Lankan police arrested three people for setting Wickremesinghe's private residence on fire during the Saturday violence. According to news reports, protesters entered Wickremesinghe's private residence at Cambridge Place and set it on fire, inflicting extensive damage to the property and damaging a luxury sedan.

Meanwhile, the present political instability could undermine Lanka's talks with the International Monetary Fund seeking a $3 billion bailout, a restructuring of some foreign debt and fund-raising from multilateral and bilateral sources to ease the dollar drought.

India stands with people of Lanka

In its first reaction to the developments in Sri Lanka — a day after thousands of protesters stormed Lanka President Rajapaksa's residence on Saturday — India on Sunday said that it "stands with the people of Sri Lanka" as they seek to realise their aspirations for prosperity and progress through "democratic means and values, established institutions and constitutional framework."

Missing Rajapaksa back in action

Embattled President 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.

Protesters enjoy in pool of Prez

Protesters enjoy as they dive into the swimming pool of the Sri Lankan Presidential Palace in Colombo. Lankans roamed through a ransacked palace on Sunday as calm returned to Colombo, a day after protesters stormed the building.

Amazed ordinary folk took the opportunity to inspect the colonial-era building. Members of the security forces, some with assault rifles, stood outside the compound but did not stop people going in. Among those taking a look was 61-year-old handkerchief seller BM Chandrawathi, who sauntered into a first-floor bedroom accompanied by her daughter and grandchildren.

"I've never seen a place like this in my life," she said as she tried out a plush sofa. "They enjoyed super luxury while we suffered," she said. "We were hoodwinked. I wanted my kids and grandkids to see the luxurious lifestyles they were enjoying."