House belonging to Mahinda Rajapaksa set ablaze, protesters attack his Colombo residence

Colombo, May 10 (Representative) Anti-government protesters set ablaze a house belonging to Mahinda Rajapaksa in Kurunegala, in north-western Sri Lanka, on Monday evening, hours after he stepped down as Prime Minister, even as protesters were trying to break into his Temple Trees home in Colombo late at night. News outlets showed videos of the Mahinda Rajapaksa’s house in Kurunegala fully ablaze. Meanwhile, protesters have also set on fire the ancestral home of the Rajapaksas in Medamulana in Hambantota. Video footage showed the ancestral house of the Rajapaksas burning as protestors cheered and hooted. The houses of several Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MPs have also been attacked or set on fire.Police fired gunshots in the air outside Temple Trees, the residence of former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, as a group of protestors attempted to enter the residence by breaking open the gates which are heavily guarded. Video footage showed the rear gate on fire, as protesters tried to break in. The protestors were gathered there since evening and continued to stay in the area despite being hit by several rounds of tear gas. The D.R. Rajapaksa memorial in Madamulana, Hambanthota has been destroyed by protestors, and the statues there smashed.

The development comes hours after Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned as Prime Minister amid spiralling nationwide protests against the Rajapaksas. The violence comes as the curfew which was imposed on the entire country from 7.00 pm today to 7.00 am on Tuesday, has been extended until 7.00 am on Wednesday (May 11), the Presidential Media Division announced.It said that no person is allowed to be on any public road, railway, public park, public recreation ground or other public ground or the seashore except under the authority of a written permit granted by an authorised officer.The houses of North Central province chief minister – Maheepala Herath and his son – Kanaka Herath, have been set on fire by protesters.Earlier in the evening, houses and offices of several SLPP MPs had come under the attack of mobs and some were torched. Earlier, President of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka had stated, “The BASL will take every possible step to ensure that people who launched today’s violence at Galle Face will dealt with according to law. We appeal to the people to remain calm until then.”