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Galle Face protestors expelled the Rajapaksa trio from power and paved the way for democracy, enabling MP Ranil Wickremesinghe to become the president, but what he did was to send the military and the police to wage a barbaric attack on those very same protestors, said MP Patali Champika Ranawaka.

At a media briefing, Ranawaka strongly denounced this dawn’s attack and demanded the Wickremesinghe government accept responsibility.

Wickremesinghe overnight lost his 45 years of credibility of being a democratic, liberal leader, earned the anger of all national and international friends of democracy and brought disgrace to the country, he charged.

This incident is the same as the attack unleashed by the Rajapaksa family thugs in May, said Ranawaka.

Urging the president to keep in mind as to why this struggle came to be, the MP remarked that there may have been minor differences and signs of violence amongst the protestors, but that attacking them was uncivilized and despicable at a time when the suffering masses should be shown sympathy.

It is wholly inappropriate to earn the wrath, instead of building consensus among the parties, forming an all-party government, extending democratic boundaries and extending the hands to international lenders, said Ranawaka.

Actually, most of the peaceful protestors had been planning to vacate the protest site and there was more than enough space to ensure their departure through a peaceful process of negotiation, he said.

Ranawaka asked if they had been brutally repressed in order to give wings to anti-democratic forces who dream of an armed revolution.

History has shown that every time such repressions were unleashed both in the North and the South, armed responses made matters worse, the MP pointed out, leaving thousands murdered, tens of thousands fleeing the country and the lives of many generations left in darkness.

Ranawaka said he was shocked to see the Rajapaksas using the president they brought to power to release the wicked repression they were unable to unleash.

Instead of using the military to attack the protestors or take them before courts, what should be done is to prosecute the political family that took the country to bankruptcy and the group that harboured them, including the former Central Bank governor and the former secretaries to the Treasury, and ensure justice.

Describing today as a day of darkness, he urged all democratic forces in the country, including professionals and religious leaders, to unite unconditionally and journey towards the next democratic revolution.

Saman Ekanayake has been appointed as the Secretary to the President.

The appointment was made by the newly-elected President Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Ekanayake previously was the Secretary to the Prime Minister when Ranil Wickremesinghe was serving as the Premier until Gotabaya Rajapaksa stepped down from the presidency.

He has also served as the Secretary to Prime Minister three times before that, between 2015 and 2019 when Wickremesinghe was in office as the Premier.

Sri Lanka Police in a clarification this evening on the raid on the GotaGoGama protest site in Galle Face said that attempts made by authorities to remove the protestors who were occupying the President's Office on multiple occasions were futile.

Sri Lanka Police said despite making repeated calls for the protestors to vacate the premises peacefully, the protestors refused to comply and behaved impulsively.

The statement said that after considering all other avenues and in the absence of an alternative method to remove the protestors, a decision was taken to remove them from the President's Office in such a manner.

Pointing out that the police officers are authorized under the general law to enter, search and make arrests, Sri Lanka Police said the same power is vested with the Army under the Emergency Regulations.

Leader of the United National Party (UNP) Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as the eighth Executive President of Sri Lanka a short while ago (21).

The six-time Prime Minister was sworn in before Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya at the Parliamentary Complex at 10:00 am today.

Wickremesinghe was elected the President following a secret ballot held in Parliament yesterday (20), which he won by a majority of 134 votes.

State intelligence had received information that Galle Face protestors had been planning to smuggle all state documents out of the Presidential Secretariat by this afternoon (22), Defence Ministry sources say.

The occupants had been told by the defence authorities to vacate the premises by 6.00 am, but they had sought time until 2.00 pm, for which agreement had been given.

However, state intelligence later reported the protestors had been planning to bring more crowds near the Presidential Secretariat and create trouble by the afternoon.

Defence authorities say the unlawful occupants were evicted in order for the protection of the building as well as the state documents being kept in it.

Furthermore, the main agitation site near Shangri-la was not taken down allowing for the peaceful protests to continue.

What happened at the Galle Face protest site at dawn?

Using force, defence authorities evicted the protestors from the Presidential Secretariat and its vicinity at dawn today.

Several journalists, including J. Samuel of the BBC Tamil Service, had come under attack by the armed forces as they had been giving the incident live coverage.

A soldier snatched Samuel’s mobile phone and deleted the visuals he had taken.

The police media spokesman has told the BBC that he was unaware of journalists being attacked, and said he would look into it.

Videos are in wide circulation online showing the armed forces members assaulting protestors, civilians and others, once again bringing international spotlight on Sri Lanka.

Ranil Wickremesinghe has been elected by Parliament as the eighth Executive President of Sri Lanka.

Parliament convened at 10am this morning (20) under the patronage of Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywarden to vote for the election of Sri Lanks’s next President.

Acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna Parliamentarian Dullas Alahapperuma and National People’s Power leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake were nominated for the position.

A total of 223 MPs out of the 225-member parliament cast their votes, out of which, four were declared invalid. Meanwhile, two members namely MPs Selvaraja Gajendran and G.G. Ponnambalam abstained from voting.

Wickremesinghe garnered a total of 134 votes, while MP Dullas Alahapperuma managed to collect 82 votes and MP Dissanayake secured 03 votes.

Newly appointed President Ranil Wickremesinghe has issued an Extraordinary Gazette calling on the tri-forces to maintain public order islandwide.

The Gazette was published yesterday (21) in terms of Section 12 of the Public Security Ordinance (Chapter 40).

Colombo Fort Magistrate Thilina Gamage issued an order barring any faction from entering or gathering within a 50 meter radius of the Bandaranaike Statue located in Galle Face, Colombo.

Sri Lanka Police told the court that there is a possible attempt being made to cause harm to the statue.

The new Cabinet of Ministers was sworn in before President Ranil Wickremesinghe a short while ago (22).

The swearing-in ceremony took place at the Prime Minister’s Office on Flower Road, Colombo. 

Listed below are the 18 new Cabinet Ministers;

1. Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena – Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils, and Local Government
2. Douglas Devananda – Fisheries
3. Susil Premajayantha – Education
4. Bandula Gunawardena – Transport & Highways, and Media
5. Keheliya Rambukwella – Health and Water Supply
6. Mahinda Amaraweera – Agriculture, Wildlife, and Forest Conservations
7. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe – Justice, Prisons, and Constitutional Reforms
8. Harin Fernando – Tourism and Lands
9. Ramesh Pathirana – Plantations and Industries
10. Prasanna Ranatunga – Urban Development and Housing
11. Ali Sabry – External Affairs
12. Vidura Wickramanayake – Buddha Sasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs
13. Kanchana Wijesekera – Power and Energy
14. Naseer Ahamed – Environment
15. Roshan Ranasinghe – Sports & Youth Affairs, and Irrigation
16. Manusha Nanayakkara – Labour and Foreign Employment
17. Tiran Alles – Public Security
18. Nalin Fernando – Trade, Commerce and Food Security

The Education Ministry today decided to extend the school holidays until next Sunday (24) and the schools will open on Monday (25).

A discussion was held on this matter at the ministry with the participation of the additional secretaries, including the Ministry Secretary, National Institute of Education (NIE) Director General, directors and provincial directors of education through online.

The decision was taken based on the current fuel crisis, transportation difficulties and the views of trade unions.

Earlier, the ministry had decided to reopen the schools from on Thursday (21).

Mr. Mayantha Dissanayake has resigned as chairman of the Samagi Youth Force.

Mr. Mayantha Dissanayake stated that the resignation letter was forwarded to the Samagi Jana Balavegaya leader, Mr. Sajith Premadasa, and the Samagi Jana Balavegaye general secretary, Mr. Ranjith Madduma Bandara.

Mr. Mayantha Dissanayake also stated that there will be a discussion about future collaboration with the party.

The bus fares will be reduced by 2.23% with effect from midnight today (July 19) in line with the recent fuel price reduction, the National Transport Commission says.

Accordingly, the minimum bus fare will move down to Rs. 38.00.

On July 17, the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) reduced the fuel prices and Lanka IOC also slashed its prices to mirror the Ceypetco rates.

The price of a litre of Petrol (Octane 92) went down by Rs. 20 and Petrol (Octane 95) by Rs. 10 per litre. Meanwhile, Auto Diesel prices were reduced by Rs. 20 per litre and Super Diesel by Rs. 10 per litre.