斯里蘭卡示威民眾衝進總統官邸(取自推特)
斯里蘭卡9日爆發今年以來規模最大一場反政府示威,在首府可倫坡,有數千人衝破警方設置路障,直搗總統拉賈帕克薩的官邸,高喊要他下台。
根據當地新聞媒體「第一新聞」(NewsFirst)釋出畫面 ,可見部分示威者手拿斯里蘭卡國旗,頭戴安全帽,直接衝進總統官邸。
BREAKING:
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) July 9, 2022
Protesters have now stormed the Presidential Palace.
The president declared Sri Lanka bankrupt due to the energy crisis and has fled for his security.
Government on the verge of collapse
Food & energy prices causing turmoil across the world pic.twitter.com/OUJbXrUNcL
🚨Breaking: Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa flees after he declared the nation as total bankrupt. The moment after that the citizens surrounded the presidential palace and waived black flag along with 🇱🇰. There are no news yet on the whereabouts of President. pic.twitter.com/nPkc9j0mLa
— Real Mac Report (@RealMacReport) July 9, 2022
路透社報導,當地國防部消息來源指出,有鑑於周末計畫舉行的抗議行動,在安全考量下,總統拉賈帕克薩(Gotabaya Rajapaksa)已於8日撤離官方住所。
BREAKING: Thousands of protesters in Sri Lanka have broken through police barricades and stormed the president's official residence, news reports have said.https://t.co/2Emat2dFRW
— Sky News (@SkyNews) July 9, 2022
📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/RI7O2AtXkI
從官邸內的直播影片可見數百名示威者,部分身上披著國旗,接連湧入總統官邸內的房間及走道,高喊反對加賈帕克薩的口號。在這棟殖民時代的白色建築外,也可見到數百位抗議民眾聚集。但並未看到總統的維安官員。
根據當地醫院消息,至少有21人,包括2名警察,在這起仍在進行的示威行動中受傷住院。
斯里蘭卡爆發1948年獨立以來最嚴重的經濟危機,在嚴重外匯短缺下,燃油、糧食及藥物等基本物資進口受限,2200萬人民的日常生活大受衝擊。
多數民眾把國家經濟崩潰的怒火,怪罪到總統拉賈帕克薩頭上,自今年3月開始,大批民眾走上街頭,要求拉賈帕克薩下台,由於他無意為此負責,和平示威逐漸轉變為激烈示威,警民之間爆發流血衝突。