| May 10, 2022 | IANS - Colombo, Sri Lanka |
Former Sri Lanka prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has sought refuge at a naval base in the southern town of Trincomalee, Bloomberg reported Tuesday afternoon, hours after security forces evacuated him from Colombo from the clutches of furious protesters who set fire to military vehicles and stormed the gates of his residence. Bloomberg cited local reports that said a mob had gathered outside the base on speculation the ex-PM and his family were inside.
As Sri Lanka continues to reel under economic crisis, the ancestral home of politically-influential Rajapaksa family in Hambantota has been set on fire by protesters.
This comes after Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned from his post in the backdrop of violent clashes that erupted between pro- and anti-government protesters outside President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's office in Colombo.
Following his resignation, mobs supporting Mahinda Rajapaksa attacked peaceful protesters. Then protesters attacked pro-Rajapaksa supporters as they were leaving the capital to go back home.
Additionally, the homes of several ministers and ex-ministers were attacked and set on fire. The police fired tear gas to disperse both pro- and anti-government protesters.
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