Protesters Burn Home Of Sri Lanka's Prime Minister

Protesters have broken into the private residence of Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and set it on fire, according to the prime minister's office, Iqbal Athas and Rukshan Rizwie reported for CNN early on July 10, 2022.

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Wickremesinghe was not present when the residence was broken into. His office stated that he had been relocated earlier to a safer area. The residence was engulfed in flames as crowds gathered at the scene, according to live video carried by local media and seen by CNN.

The prime minister and his family live in a luxury mansion on Fifth Lane in Colombo's economic hub. It is distinct from the official residence and is known as Temple Trees. Wickremesinghe previously stated his willingness to leave in order for an all-party government to take office.

Wickremesinghe, who assumed office just days after his predecessor Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned due to violent protests, appeared to blame the country's plight on the previous government in comments made in June.

“It is no easy task to revive a country with a completely collapsed economy, especially one that is dangerously low on foreign reserves,” he said.

"If steps had at least been taken to slow down the collapse of the economy at the beginning, we would not be facing this difficult situation today.”

Sri Lanka has primarily relied on neighboring India to stay afloat — it has received $4 billion in credit lines – but Wickremesinghe has stated that this may not be enough.

Sri Lanka is experiencing its greatest financial crisis in seven decades, with foreign exchange reserves at an all-time low and dollars running out to pay for basic imports such as food, medicine, and fuel.

To deal with the situation, the government has implemented harsh measures, such as implementing a four-day work week for public sector employees to provide them time to produce their own crops.

However, the measures are doing nothing to alleviate the hardships that many people in the country are experiencing. Hundreds of people continue to queue for hours in numerous major towns, including the commercial metropolis of Colombo, often clashing with police and the military as they wait in line for fuel.

Trains have become less frequent, forcing commuters to squeeze into compartments and even perch uncomfortably on top of them as they travel to work, according to Rhea Mogul of CNN.

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