Lagatar24 Desk
New York, July 14: Antonio Guterres, secretary-general of the UN, said on Thursday that it is crucial to resolve the dispute and the protesters’ complaints amid the upheaval in Sri Lanka.
The UN chief called on all Sri Lankan party leaders to reach an agreement for a smooth and democratic transition on Twitter.
“I continue to follow the situation in Sri Lanka very closely. It is important that the root causes of the conflict and protestors’ grievances are addressed. I urge all party leaders to embrace the spirit of compromise for a peaceful and democratic transition,” he tweeted.
On Wednesday, a sizable crowd of protesters gathered in front of the Sri Lankan prime minister’s home and occupied his office. To disperse protesters from Colombo’s streets, security personnel used tear gas shells.
This comes after the besieged President Gotabaya Rajapaksa named Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as the acting President of Sri Lanka today and fled to the Maldives.
After receiving full authorisation from Sri Lanka’s Defense Ministry, Gotabaya Rajapaksa previously departed for the Maldives on Wednesday with his wife and two bodyguards. He is now anticipated to travel to Singapore.
Rajapaksa was supposed to travel tonight from Male to Singapore on board SQ437 with his wife Ioma Rajapaksa and two security guards, but sources told the Daily Mirror that they were unable to board the plane because of security concerns. A private aircraft for the President, who is under fire, is also being discussed, according to Maldivian media.
The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) requested that the protesters immediately hand back the Prime Minister’s office to the appropriate authorities in response to the incident, stating that “attempts to occupy Government Offices and to cause destruction or damage to property do not constitute peaceful protests.” Wickremesinghe issued a curfew till Thursday am that applied to the entire island.
