Sirisena supporters shot as tensions rise in Sri Lanka
COLOMBO: Police said three people were injured yesterday when shots were fired here as a constitutional crisis sparked by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s shock sacking turned violent.
Bodyguards for Petroleum Minister Arjuna Ranatunga, a Wickremesinghe loyalist, fired live rounds as a mob allied to the president threatened the cabinet member, police said.
It was the first report of violence since President Maithripala Sirisena sacked Wickremesinghe on Friday and installed former strongman Mahinda Rajapakse as the new prime minister, triggering political chaos in the country.
Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera said the guard had been arrested.
Wickremesinghe, 69, resisted moves to evict him from his official residence yesterday, defiantly summoning allies for a crisis meeting as a thousand supporters stood guard.
Wickremesinghe, who said his dismissal was illegal, ignored a deadline to vacate the colonialera residence, even as his controversial successor sought blessings at a temple ahead of naming a new cabinet. Officials said police will seek a court order to evict Wickremesinghe.
About 1,000 of his supporters gathered outside the Temple Trees residence, with troops nearby, but there was no sign of an intervention into the dispute.
Wickremesinghe’s security and official cars were withdrawn by Sirisena on Saturday, as the ousted prime minister demanded an emergency session to prove he still commanded a majority in Parliament. Instead, Sirisena shut Parliament for three weeks to forestall any challenge against his appointment of Rajapakse.
But in a fresh twist to the crisis, Speaker Karu Jayasuriya yesterday recognised Wickremesinghe as the lawful prime minister.
He said Wickremesinghe’s request to retain the security and privileges of prime minister was fair until another candidate could prove a majority in Parliament.
Jayasuriya also warned Sirisena that shutting Parliament would exacerbate the crisis.
All police leave was cancelled as tensions heightened in the capital here, with soldiers seen near the prime minister’s residence as well as the president’s office.