COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Security forces raided the protest camp on Friday at the heart of the uprising that toppled Sri Lanka’s president. bankrupt nation seeks stability.
The protesters, many of whom were asleep, were taken by surprise. Hundreds of police and military personnel closed the roads leading to the protest site outside the presidential offices in Colombo, then began cleaning a large jet around it.
Police said in a statement that they had detained nine protesters, two of whom were taken to a hospital “after sustaining minor injuries”.
Activists and protest organizers reacted with shock to the raid, questioning its timing and necessity. They had already announced that they would leave the area Friday afternoon and hand over the Presidential Secretariat, the last of the buildings they had occupied, and the surrounding area back to authorities.
“They came at 1:30 in the morning,” said Ranga Silva, one of the protesters who were present when the raid took place. “Everyone was asleep.”
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Sentencing was swift, with Sri Lanka’s Human Rights Commission calling the raid a “cruel and despicable attack”. Diplomatic missions in Colombo, the capital, have expressed concerns.
“We urge authorities to exercise restraint and immediate access to medical care for the injured,” US Ambassador Julie Chung said. said on Twitter.
The raid came a day after Sri Lanka swore in a new president, Ranil Wickremesinghe, to replace Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled the country this month and stepped down. Protesters accuse Mr Rajapaksa and his family, who had dominated Sri Lankan politics for years, for having worked the economy to the ground. The island nation of 22 million people has been plagued in recent months by shortages of fuel, food and medicine.
Wickremesinghe’s rise to the presidency marked a remarkable comeback for a leader whose party had just one unelected seat in parliament two years ago. When Mr Rajapaksa appointed him Prime Minister in May, Mr Wickremesinghe pledged support for the protest movement.
But his tone changed dramatically after protesters ousted Mr Rajapaksa and Mr Wickremesinghe became the acting president. Protesters called for him to resign as well, as they saw him as an ally and protector of the Rajapaksa dynasty.
Mr Wickremesinghe – whose private home was burned down on the day of anger that forced Mr Rajapaksa into hiding – said there were “fascists” among the protesters and promised to restore order, which protesters saw as a signal that a crackdown would be on come.
“It is embarrassing that President Ranil Wickremesinghe made it a priority a day after his election to order a midnight attack on peaceful protesters,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, Human Rights Watch’s South Asia director.
“There are the huge social and economic challenges to be solved that led to the protests in the first place, something he has promised donors and diplomats,” Ms Ganguly said. “And yet it seems he wants to prove his critics right by compromising fundamental freedoms to silence dissent.”
As the sun rose on Friday, security forces had cordoned off the area around the presidential offices and more troops were brought in. Lawyers and activists at the site said police assaulted two lawyers during the raid, while video footage showed journalists also being assaulted. The BBC said one of its journalists was one of those beaten.
“When we got back from the area, a plainclothes man surrounded by troops yelled at my colleague and said he wanted to delete the videos from his phone,” said Anbarasan Ethirajan, the BBC’s South Asia editor, who reported. did from the BBC. scene. “Within seconds, the man hit my colleague and snatched his phone.”
Witnesses said that the security forces had closed all roads from the campsite and that injured people were stranded there without medical attention.
During the protests condemning the raid on another part of the city, Mr. Wickremesinghe Dinesh Gunawardena, a high-ranking member of the SLPP party of the Rajapaksas, as the country’s new prime minister.
Skandha Gunasekara contributed reporting from Colombo, Sri Lanka, and Emily Schmall from New Delhi.