Sri Lanka - Forces Raid Anti-Government Protest Camp - BBC News

05/08/2022, 09:47 Sri Lanka: Forces raid anti-government protest camp - BBC News
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Sri Lanka: Forces raid anti-government protest

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By George Wright & Frances Mao
BBC News
22 July
Watch: Tense scenes in Sri Lanka - BBC reporter on the ground
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-62260678 1/11
Security forces in Sri Lanka raided the main anti-government protest camp in
the capital early on Friday, arresting protesters and dismantling tents.
Hundreds of troops and police

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In on the protesters outside
the presidential offices in Colombo, hours before they were due to leave the
area.

A BBC video journalist was beaten by the army and one soldier snatched his
phone and deleted videos.
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Nine people, including two who are injured, have been arrested by police.
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Police described the incident as a "special operation to take [back] control of
the presidential secretariat".
When asked about the attack on the BBC journalist, one police spokesman
said he was unaware of the incident. Register
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It comes as Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as president on Thursday, after

ex-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country last week.
Mr Wickremesinghe - the former prime minister - is seen as deeply unpopular

with the public and has vowed tough action against demonstrators.
Separately on Friday, Dinesh Gunawardena - a senior politician considered to

be a long-time Rajapaksa loyalist - took the oath as new prime minister,
stepping into Mr Wickremesinghe's former shoes.
Sri Lanka has seen months of mass unrest over an economic crisis and many
blame the former government for mishandling the nation's finances.

Protestors and security forces stood off against each other
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Protests had remained peaceful after Mr Wickremesinghe had been sworn into
office on Thursday. Despite deep distrust, many demonstrators had said they
would give him a chance to lead the country out of its economic crisis.
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In remarks after his inauguration, he said any attempt to topple the
government or occupy government buildings was not "not democracy, it is
against the law".
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On Friday morning, security forces moved in on the protest camp and
reclaimed the building from demonstrators, who had earlier pledged to hand
the building back.
The raid took place in the early hours of Friday, at around 01:00 local time
(19:30 GMT Thursday). Security forces later completely sealed off a section of
the road leading to the site.
Tensions between the two groups continued to simmer in the afternoon as

about 100 protesters stood off against security forces lined up in rows near
the presidential offices.
BBC journalists attacked

By Anbarasan Ethirajan, BBC News, Colombo
When we heard that troops might be raiding the anti-government protest site
in Colombo after midnight, we went to the spot just in front of the Sri Lankan
president's office.
Soon, hundreds of heavily armed soldiers and police commandos with riot
gear descended from two directions, their faces covered.
When activists raised objections to their presence, the security personnel

marched on and became aggressive. The protesters were pushed back.
Within seconds, we saw soldiers shouting, dismantling and destroying

makeshift tents and other items on the pavement. Troops also moved into the
president's office, which was stormed by huge crowds last week.
Activists had earlier said they would hand over the building on Friday
afternoon. As we followed the soldiers, we could see they were clearing
everything in their way.
The protesters were pushed up to the designated protest site less than 100m
away and steel barricades were set up to stop the activists.
When we were returning from

Already Havethe area, a Sign
An Account? manIn in civilian clothes, surrounded
by troops, shouted at my colleague and said he wanted to delete the videos
from his phone. Within seconds, the man punched my colleague and snatched
his phone.
Although I explained to them we were journalists and simply doing our job,
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they wouldn't listen. My colleague was attacked further and we raised strong
objections. The microphone of another
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The phone was returned after the videos were deleted from the device.
Another army officer intervened and let us go.
My colleague was shaken, but was able to walk Register

back to the hotel, a few
hundred metres away.
The BBC tried to get a response from the military and police on the attack, but
no-one answered our calls. A state of emergency declared last week is still in
place.
The government's violence against protesters has already been criticised by

civil and legal groups.
"Unnecessary use of brute force will not help this country and its international
image," said the nation's Bar Association leader, Saliya Peiris, in a statement.
GETTY IMAGES
Members of Sri Lankan security outside the Presidential Secretariat on Friday
The British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Sarah Hulton, also expressed
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protest site.
"We have made clear the importance of the right to peaceful protest," she
tweeted.
Protesters and people on new president
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Why is Sri Lanka in crisis?
Can Sri Lanka's new president bring unity? more
Sri Lanka has been wracked with protests for months, because the country is
effectively bankrupt and facing acute shortages of food, fuel and other basic
supplies. Register
The country is in a state of emergency, which gives police and military the
power to arrest and detain people without warrants.
It also allows for the detention of people without proof or the presumption of
innocence and severely restricts fundamental rights, such as the freedom of
movement and expression.
Sri Lanka: The basics

Sri Lanka is an island nation off southern India: It won independence from
British rule in 1948. Three ethnic groups - Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim -
make up 99% of the country's 22 million population.
One family of brothers has dominated for years: Mahinda Rajapaksa

became a hero among the majority Sinhalese in 2009 when his government
defeated Tamil separatist rebels after years of bitter and bloody civil war.
His brother Gotabaya, who was defence secretary at the time and later
became president, fled the country after mass unrest.
Presidential powers: The president is the head of state, government and

the military in Sri Lanka, but does share a lot of executive responsibilities
with the prime minister, who heads up the ruling party in parliament.
Now an economic crisis has led to fury on the streets: Soaring inflation
has meant some foods, medication and fuel are in short supply, there are
rolling blackouts and ordinary people have taken to the streets in anger,
with many blaming the Rajapaksa family and their government for the
situation.
More on this story


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Protesters and people on new president

20 July
The six-time Sri Lankan PM who became president

20 July
The hard choices Sri Lankans must make now

20 July News you can trust is news
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Why is Sri Lanka in crisis?

14 July
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