Sri Lanka crisis: PM Ranil Wickremesinghe extends support to protesters demanding Prez Rajapaksa's resignation
India Today
The new Sri Lankan PM, Ranil Wickremesinghe, on Saturday said that a committee has been appointed to look after the interests of the 'Gota Go Home' protesters who have been camping at Colombo's Galle Face Green since April 9.
In an unusual move, Sri Lanka's new Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has extended public support to the protesters, who have been camping at a popular beachfront here for over a month calling for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's resignation for mishandling the country's worst economic crisis.
The Prime Minister on Saturday said he had appointed a committee to look after the interests of the 'Gota Go Home' village protesters who have been camping at Colombo's Galle Face Green since April 9.
Wickremesinghe, who was appointed by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa as Prime Minister after asking his elder brother Mahinda Rajapaksa to quit, said the young protesters in the village would be safeguarded and their views would be sought for the shaping of future policy.
In an interview with the BBC Sinhala Service, the Prime Minister said the 'Gota Go Gama' protest should be continued to bring a change in the political system in the country and let the country’s youth take the responsibility for leading.
Also Read: Sri Lankan situation is similar to that of India’s 1991 economic crisis, says opposition MP Harsha de Silva
Wickremesinghe, the 73-year-old United National Party (UNP) leader, was appointed as Sri Lanka's 26th prime minister on Thursday as the country has been without a government since Monday when prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned after violence erupted following an attack on the anti-government protesters by his supporters.
The attack triggered widespread violence against Rajapaksa loyalists, leaving nine people dead and wounding over 200 others.
