Sri Lanka leader flees as protesters storm home, office

Sri Lankas President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled his official residence on Saturday shortly before protesters angered by an unprecedented economic crisis overran the compound and stormed his nearby officeThousands of people had surrounded the leaders home to demand his resignation blaming government mismanagement for a downturn that has subjected the island nations 22 million people to months of bitter hardshipAs the crowd surged at the gates of the presidential palace troops guarding the compound fired in the air to hold them back until Rajapaksa was safely removedThe president was escorted to safety a top defence source told AFP on condition of anonymity He is still the president he is being protected by a military unitAlso Read PHOTOS Angry protestors in Sri Lanka storm inside Presidents houseFootage broadcast live on social media showed hundreds of people walking through the palace with some among the boisterous crowd jumping into the compounds pool for a swimOthers were seen laughing and lounging in the stately bedrooms of the residenceThe colonialera state mansion is one of Sri Lankas key symbols of state power and officials said Rajapaksas departure raised questions as to whether he intended to remain in officeWe are awaiting instructions a top civil servant told AFP We still dont know where he is but we know he is with the Sri Lanka navy and is safePrivate broadcasters showed what appeared to be a vehicle convoy belonging to the president at Sri Lankas main international airport but there was no confirmation on whether he had left the islandSoon after the crowd stormed the presidential palace Rajapaksas nearby office also fell into the hands of protestersSecurity forces attempted to disperse the huge crowds that had mobbed Colombos administrative districtThree people were hospitalised after being shot along with 36 others who suffered breathing difficulties following intense tear gas barrages a spokeswoman for the main hospital in Colombo saidPrime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe who would assume the presidency in the event of Rajapaksas resignation has called an urgent cabinet meeting to discuss a swift resolution to the political crisis Not a deterrent Sri Lanka has suffered through months of food and fuel shortages lengthy blackouts and galloping inflation after running out of foreign currency to import vital goodsThousands of people had poured into the capital for Saturdays demonstration the latest outbreak of unrest sparked by the crisisPolice had withdrawn a curfew issued on Friday after opposition parties rights activists and the bar association threatened to sue the police chiefThousands of antigovernment protesters ignored the stayhome order and even forced railway authorities to operate trains to take them to Colombo for Saturdays rally officials saidThe curfew was not a deterrent in fact it encouraged more people to get on the streets in defiance the defense official saidPassengers had commandeered trains to reach ColomboThe country has nearly exhausted already scarce supplies of petrol but protesters backed by the main opposition parties hired private buses to travel to the capitalDemonstrators had for months been camped outside Rajapaksas seafront office to demand his resignation over the governments mismanagement of the crisisSoldiers armed with assault rifles were bussed into Colombo on Friday to reinforce police guarding Rajapaksas official residenceAuthorities said they had deployed nearly 20000 troops and police officers for a security operation to protect the presidentSri Lanka has defaulted on its 51 billion external debt and has been in bailout talks with the International Monetary FundNine people were killed and hundreds wounded when clashes erupted across the country after Rajapaksa loyalists attacked peaceful protesters outside the presidents office in May