Lankan Army asks protestors to desist from violence or face consequences
Sri Lanka's anti-govt protesters to hand back iconic govt buildings to authorities
COLOMBO: The Sri Lankan Army on Thursday urged the anti-government protesters to desist from violence immediately or be prepared to face the "consequences", warning that the security forces are "legitimately empowered" to exercise force.
At least 84 people were hospitalised when protesters clashed with the security forces at the prime minister's office and at the main access junction to Parliament on Wednesday after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country. The police fired tear gas and water cannons at the mob who were trying to break barriers and enter the restricted zone. Authorities on Wednesday imposed a curfew in the Western Province following the eruption of violence.
Anticipating more protests after a group attempted to storm Parliament's entrance a day earlier, troops in green military uniforms and camouflage vests reinforced security at the Parliament on Thursday.
The Army in a statement urged the protestors to "desist from all forms of violence immediately or be prepared to face consequences as members of the
Armed Forces are legitimately empowered to exercise their force, if the situation deems necessary as security to the public property, key installations, vulnerable points and human lives, does fall within the purview of their responsibility."
It said that all heads of the armed forces and the police during meetings with the acting President and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Speaker of the Parliament and political party leaders unanimously maintained that peaceful protests should not in anyway be dealt with full force, but with the minimum force as long as those protesters do not resort to violence or damage the public property.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's antigovernment demonstrators on Thursday decided to vacate some of the iconic administrative buildings, including the President's House and the Prime Minister's Office, they have been occupying since April 9 demanding president Gotabaya Rajapaksa's resignation.
We are peacefully withdrawing from all buildings except the old parliament (president's office) and Galle Face (the continuous protest site). We will continue to remain in these places, we will continue to protest until we reach our goals,” a spokesperson for the group told reporters.