COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – Police and military used tear gas to disperse a growing crowd outside the office of the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, who was the supreme leader in the country after the president fled.
Protesters tried to break through the gates of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s office. A military helicopter flew over. Some people entered the field. Protesters have also demanded that Mr Wickremesinghe resign. A spokesman for Wickremesinghe said the prime minister was not in his office.
Mr Wickremesinghe expects to be sworn in as acting president under the constitution once President Gotabaya Rajapaksa resigns.
Mr Rajapaksa fled to the Maldives on Wednesday morning. Parliament has not yet received an official letter of resignation.
At night, thousands of people arrived in Colombo to join the already massive group of protesters who helped overwhelm the presidential residence on Saturday.