Sri Lankan police tear-gas students in fresh clashes
#1
Police fired tear gas to disperse thousands of students trying to storm the Sri Lankan president's home Sunday as the government offered an olive branch to demonstrators demanding his resignation.

Anti-riot squads used water cannon followed by tear gas, as furious protesters pulled down yellow iron barricades across a road leading to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's official residence in Colombo.

Nearby, thousands of men and women demonstrated for the 51st straight day outside Rajapaksa's seafront office, demanding he step down over the country's worst economic crisis since independence.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe went on national television on Sunday evening offering young protesters a greater say in how the country is administered.

"The youth are calling for a change in the existing system," Wickremesinghe said, laying out plans for 15 committees that would work with parliament to decide national policies.

The demonstrations led to tense scenes in Colombo, where authorities struggled to disperse large crowds and chemical irritants hung over the streets.

Several men were seen picking up canisters spewing tear gas at the scene and throwing them back toward the police who fired them.

Female medical and science students joined the protests, with many running for cover when authorities unleashed water cannon.

Wickremesinghe is not from Rajapaksa's party, but was given the job after the president's elder brother Mahinda resigned as prime minister on May 9 following weeks of protests, and when no other legislator agreed to step in.



https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202205/1266897.shtml
Reply


Possibly Related Threads…
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
  US: Leaked documents outline DHS’s plans to police disinformation Resurgence 0 5,136 Nov 04, 2022, 11:56 am
Last Post: Resurgence
  Brazil: Indigenous community warns of massacre as police force them off land Resurgence 0 6,547 Jun 30, 2022, 02:17 am
Last Post: Resurgence
  Police linked to hacking campaign to frame Indian activists Resurgence 0 5,685 Jun 18, 2022, 00:08 am
Last Post: Resurgence
  In a first, microplastics are found in fresh Antarctic snow Resurgence 0 5,470 Jun 17, 2022, 23:49 pm
Last Post: Resurgence
  European gas prices jump 25% in one day amid dropping Nord Stream supply Resurgence 0 5,663 Jun 16, 2022, 16:50 pm
Last Post: Resurgence



Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)