Sri Lankans up in arms

Colombo – Thousands of supporters of Sri Lanka’s ousted prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, protested in the capital Colombo yesterday as political turmoil on the island entered its fifth day.

Sri Lanka was plunged into crisis on Friday when the country’s President Maithripala Sirisena sacked Wickremesinghe and swore in ex-president Mahinda Rajapaksa to replace him, breaking up a fragile coalition governing the country.

Sirisena has suspended parliament to the anger of supporters of Wickremesinghe, who say the president is trying to prevent lawmakers from keeping him in power.

Yesterday, thousands of protesters gathered near Wickremesinghe’s residence in the south of the capital, holding signs calling on Sirisena to “protect our democracy”.

“This is a coup. It has all the characteristics of a coup,” one of the protesters, Deepanjalie Abeywardene, said, while holding a sign which read “reconvene the parliament”.

“This is a third-grade act by Sirisena. We voted him as the president to ensure democracy,” said farmer P Ariyadasa, 62.

Sirisena named a new Cabinet on Monday with Rajapaksa in charge of finance.

But some of Wickremesinghe’s ousted ministers have refused to accept his sacking. – Reuters