Sri Lankan protesters mark traditional new year outside President Rajapaksa's office as stir enters 6th day
India Today
Sri Lankan protesters occupying the entrance and surroundings of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa 's office welcomed the traditional Sinhala and Tamil New Year outside the presidential secretariat.
Sri Lankan protestors, including some celebrities, welcomed the traditional Sinhala and Tamil New Year outside the presidential secretariat by boiling milk and distributing traditional sweets on Thursday, the sixth day of their anti-government stir demanding resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his powerful family for mishandling the country’s worst economic crisis.
Protesters are occupying the entrance and surroundings of President Gotabaya's office, holding him responsible for the economic situation.
The protesters on Wednesday rejected Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapksa’s offer for talks and demanded the resignation of President Gotabaya and all members of his family from the government.
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The protestors hailed the dawning of the new year at 8.41 am and then boiled milk at the auspicious time of 9.07 am. The spill of milk at the auspicious time is the indication of well being in the New Year. At 10.17 am, the time for the first meal in the new year, they distributed the traditional sweets outside the president's office where they have been camping since Saturday.
Social media posts from the participants said they were unwilling to have any talks unless the Rajapaksas quit from all positions in the government.
The protest is being carried out round-the-clock by youths demanding a total transformation of the "corrupt political culture", which they claim has been prevailing in the island nation since it gained Independence from Britain in 1948.
