The country remains a powder keg, and the military warned Thursday it had powers to respond in case of chaos - a message some found concerning. “We were worried if people would act out – many were angry to see the luxury he had been living in when they were outside, struggling to buy milk for their children.” But it is also a great relief” to leave, she said. “Taking over his residence was a great moment, it showed just how much we wanted him to step down. Visaka Jayaweer, a performing artist, described the bittersweet moment of closing the gate to the presidential palace after the crowds cleared out. Others held a news conference to announce they were also pulling out of the prime minister’s office. Protesters withdrew from the prime minister’s residence and the president’s, where some moved a red carpet they had rolled up back into place. “We’ve shown what power of the people can do, but it doesn’t mean we have to occupy these places.”ĭevinda Kodagode, another protest leader, told The Associated Press they planned to vacate official buildings after the Parliament speaker said he was exploring legal options for the country given that Rajapaksa left without submitting his resignation letter as promised. “The fear was that there could be a crack in the trust they held for the struggle,” said Nuzly, a protest leader who goes by only one name. They initially vowed to hold these places until a new government was in place, but the movement shifted tactics Thursday, apparently concerned that any escalation in violence could undermine their message following clashes the previous night outside the Parliament that left dozens injured. Images of protesters inside the buildings - lounging on elegant sofas and beds, posing at officials’ desks and touring the opulent settings - have captured the world’s attention. On Wednesday, they seized Wickremesinghe’s office. Months of protests reached a frenzied peak over the weekend when demonstrators stormed the president’s home and office and the official residence of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. The family has denied the corruption allegations, but Rajapaksa acknowledged some of his policies contributed to the meltdown. The protesters accuse Rajapaksa and his powerful political family of siphoning money from government coffers for years and his administration of hastening the country’s collapse by mismanaging the economy. Potentially adding to the turmoil, the president was on the move again Thursday, flying from the Maldives to Singapore. But with a fractured opposition and confusion over who was in charge, a solution seemed no closer following Rajapaksa’s departure. Protesters want both men out and a unity government in to address an economic calamity that has triggered widespread shortages of food, fuel and other necessities. But he failed to resign as promised - and further angered the crowds by making his prime minister acting leader.
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Embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled a day earlier under pressure from demonstrators furious over the island nation’s economic collapse.