Night raid with incriminations and 9 arrests in the square occupied for more than 100 days in front of the Secretariat of the Presidency. The show of force was carried out despite the fact that the activists – who also oppose the election of the new head of state – had already announced their intention to evict her. Among those arrested is the lawyer Nuwan Bogape, one of the leaders of the protest.
Colombo () – A few hours after the inauguration of the new president Ranil Wickremesinghe, special police forces and army troops stormed “Gate Zero”, the place near the Secretariat of the Presidency occupied for more than 100 days in Colombo. It was at the heart of the GotaGoGama protest that led to the resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa in a country wracked by economic crisis. The demonstrators were violently expelled and the tents were destroyed.
The onslaught occurred around one in the morning, despite the fact that yesterday the demonstrators – who also oppose the election of Wickremesinghe – had announced their willingness to withdraw from the site. They had also called a meeting with the press for 2:00 p.m. today.
Most of the tents around the Presidential Secretariat were demolished; only a few remain near the Shangri-La, where the protest continues this morning. Many activists and journalists who recorded the violence live were attacked. They arrested nine people, including the lawyer Nuwan Bopage, one of the main activists who have encouraged the protests in recent months.
Sri Lankan police said in a statement that the Presidency Secretariat had been “rescued” in a joint operation by security forces. A large number of soldiers and police have been deployed and all the streets leading to Galle Face – Colombo’s large seaside park where protesters often gathered – have been closed off with heavy barricades through which no one can enter or leave.
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