• Ranil W appointed Acting President
• Curfew declared in WP as armed forces, police receive orders to ‘clear’ protesters
• Party leaders’ decision to elect new Prez on 20 July stands

By Shamindra Ferdinando

The crisis took an unexpected and violent turn as President Gotabaya Rajapaksa left the country without resigning. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is functioning as the Acting President. Wickremesinghe’s appointment was announced by Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena around 12.45 pm, hours after the Air Force confirmed that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his wife, Iyoma left for the Maldives.

The Speaker’s Office said the President hadn’t tendered his letter of resignation. Instead, the Speaker had been informed of PM Wickremesinghe’s appointment as the Acting President.In his capacity as the Acting President, Wickremesinghe imposed a curfew in the Western Province comprising Colombo, Gampaha and Kalutara Districts and declared a state of Emergency.

Wickremesinghe’s Office issued instructions to the armed forces and the police to bring the situation under control as thousands of protesters surrounded the Prime Minister’s Office. Fresh protests erupted in the wake of the Speaker’s announcement. Police fired tear gas, water cannon, followed by a baton charge, but protesters regrouped and forced themselves into the Prime Minister’s Office as heavily armed troops looked on.

Earlier in the day, groups of youth launched protests outside Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s Office, demanding his immediate resignation as the Air Force headquarters confirmed President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and wife, Iyoma, left the country.

An authoritative official told The Island that the first couple, accompanied by two bodyguards, had been flown out in an AN-32 transport aircraft following clearance given by relevant authorities. “The flight time was approximately two hours and the aircraft returned to the country,” the official said.

Responding to another query, the official said that the first couple had arrived at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) from the Akuregoda Defence Complex, where they were staying. According to him, they had moved to a few places before taking refuge at Akuregoda. They left the country at 1 am and landed in Male around 3 am.

At the onset of clashes between police backed by anti-riots squads, protesters captured a heavy police vehicle as the crew abandoned it.The Speaker’s Office quoted Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena as having said that President Rajapaksa had informed him that PM Wickremesinghe had been appointed the Acting President in terms of article 37(1) of the Constitution.

In spite of the declaration of curfew thousands of protesters remained in the city while they refused to vacate the President’s House, the Presidential Secretariat and Temple Trees or leave the city. Thousands of protesters arrived in Colombo from the provinces and more continued to arrive disregarding the curfew.

Air Force helicopters flew low over the Galle Face in the afternoon. The Air Force headquarters said that it was to monitor the gathering of people.However, some sources said that the President would transmit his letter of resignation from the Maldives during the day. During yesterday’s disturbances, a group of protesters stormed Rupavahini forcing the suspension of services. According to some reports they have effectively taken over the national TV.

As violence spread, Speaker Abeywardena issued a second statement within three hours after the first that dealt with Wickremesinghe’s appointment. the Speaker said that he had received a call from President Rajapaksa reiterating his original promise to resign on 13 July. The Speaker said that the President had reassured him that he would send his letter of resignation as promised and the election of a new President could take place on 20 July.