Sri Lanka on Wednesday declared a state of emergency after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled to the Maldives in the face of protests over a crippling economic crisis in the island nation.
The prime minister's office informed the media that the state of emergency in the country and a curfew in the Western province had been imposed. The prime minister has also ordered security forces to arrest people acting in a riotous manner and seize their vehicles.
Earlier, the Sri Lankan police fired tear gas on protesters, who gathered near the office of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe at Flower Road, Colombo, calling for his resignation. This was after it emerged that Rajapaksa had fled to the Maldives in a military jet.
The protesters, however, broke through a barricade despite tear gas and stormed the prime minister's office. PM Wickremesinghe has already said he was willing to resign and make way for an all-party government to take over.
Protestors also gathered around the Parliament Speaker's residence. The military was deployed to control the situation, Colombo Gazette reported.
The US Embassy in Colombo has cancelled its services as a precaution for the next two days.
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