Sri Lanka’s Presidential Secretariat set to resume operations after 100 days

Cleaning and repair work was underway to ready the Presidential Secretariat over the weekend as security forces opened Galle Road in front of the Secretariat for traffic

Sri Lanka's Presidential Secretariat, which was stormed by a sea of anti-government protesters in early July, is set to return to functioning from Monday under a tight security cover, according to a media report.

Cleaning and repair work was underway to ready the Presidential Secretariat over the weekend as security forces opened Galle Road in front of the Secretariat for traffic, a senior police official was quoted by the Sunday Times newspaper as saying.

The site, which had been blocked by protesters for more than 100 days, saw an excessive rampage by protesters on July 9, forcing Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee the country and resign as president.

Security forces have already opened Galle road for traffic in front of the Secretariat, the report said.

In a pre-dawn raid on Friday, Sri Lankan security forces attacked a site of anti-government protesters at Galle Face, where several government offices are located, after they were given permission to take whatever action is necessary to stop people from illegally storming public facilities and obstructing the Parliament.

Protestors on Saturday stayed about 100 metres away from the Presidential Secretariat and held no protest during the day. Some of them were also seen playing cricket, the report said.

The protest, also known as the Aragalaya — a Sinhalese word for "struggle" — disrupted work for a prolonged period at the Presidential Secretariat, which has gone through heavy damages during the agitation and requires necessary renovations.