Sri Lankans set up protest camp, vow to stay till Rajapaksa quits

As protesters dig in for a long haul, tents come up outside President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s office in Colombo

Angry over a worsening economic crisis, residents of Sri Lanka’s capital, Colombo, have transformed the lawns in front of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s office into a protest camp.

Qazet.az reports that hundreds have stayed put there since Saturday despite days of heavy rain, saying they will not leave until the president and his powerful brothers resign.

The waterfront area, known as the Galle Face Green, is home to some of Colombo’s most expensive hotels, including the Shangri-La and the Kingsbury. Now, dozens of colourful tents, many filled with donations to sustain protesters, occupy its lawns and streets.

There are tents for food and water, and others for medicine. Portable toilets have also been brought in.

On Wednesday, a carnival atmosphere prevailed as a truck carrying huge loudspeakers parked in front of the presidential secretariat blared protest slogans and music, including the now-famous chant: “Go home, Gota.”

A group of women handed out steaming cups of kottamalli – a herbal brew – from a large pot on a fire on one corner, as vendors selling ice cream and paan, a mix of betel leaves and areca nut, worked their way through the crowds.