US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Chung urges political fraternity to ensure peaceful transfer of power

Colombo, Jul 13 (PTI) US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung on Wednesday urged Sri Lanka’s political fraternity to ensure peaceful transfer of power and called for the rule of law to be upheld in the crisis-hit island nation.

Sri Lanka declared a state of emergency on Wednesday as angry protesters stormed the prime minister’s office in Colombo, hours after president Gotabaya Rajapksa fled to the Maldives on a military jet, amid the country’s worst economic crisis in decades.

Rajapaksa, the 73-year-old leader who had promised to resign on Wednesday, appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as the acting President hours after he fled the country, escalating the political crisis and triggering a fresh wave of protests.

“We urge all parties to approach this juncture with a commitment to the betterment of the nation and to work quickly to implement solutions that will bring long-term economic & political stability,” Chung said in a tweet.

“We condemn all violence and call for the rule of law to be upheld. A peaceful transfer of power within SL’s democratic & constitutional framework is essential so the people’s demands for accountability, transparency, democratic governance & a better future can be realised,” she added. Announcing that Rajapaksa has appointed Wickremesinghe to perform his functions while he is abroad, Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena said he has informed him over the telephone that he will resign on Wednesday as promised.

The speaker also said the vote for the new president will take place on July 20. Meanwhile, in a special televised statement, Wickremesinghe declared a nationwide emergency and imposed a curfew in the city and surrounding areas.

“We must end this fascist threat to democracy. We can’t allow the destruction of state property. The President’s Office, the President’s Secretariat and the Prime Minister’s official residence must be returned to proper custody,” he said.

“Those who are in my office want to stop me from discharging my responsibilities as acting president. We can’t let them tear up our Constitution. We can’t allow fascists to take over. Some mainstream politicians too seem to be supporting these extremists. That is why I declared a nationwide emergency and a curfew,” Wickremesinghe said.

He said he has instructed the security forces to enforce the emergency and curfew to bring the situation to normalcy, adding that a committee comprising the heads of armed forces has been given the responsibility of doing so with zero political intervention.

However, the development enraged anti-government protesters, who wanted both the President and Prime Minister to quit over mishandling the economy.

Thousands of protesters waving Lankan flags defied the emergency and surrounded the building of the PM Office. The police fired tear gas on protesters who broke through a barricade and stormed the prime minister’s office, calling for his resignation.

On Friday, Chung asked people in Sri Lanka to protest peacefully and called upon the military and the police “to grant peaceful protesters the space and security to do so.” “Chaos and force will not fix the economy or bring political stability that Sri Lankans need right now,” she had tweeted.

Since June, US has committed USD 32 million in economic and humanitarian assistance towards Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka, a country of 22 million people, is under the grip of an unprecedented economic turmoil, the worst in seven decades, leaving millions struggling to buy food, medicine, fuel and other essentials.

Last week, Wickremesinghe said Sri Lanka is now a bankrupt country.