Colombo, July 24 (Representative) Sri Lanka’s presidential office which had been besieged by anti-government protesters will reopen on Monday, police said, just days after anti-government demonstrators were cleared out from in and around of the building in a military crackdown that triggered international condemnation. The colonial-era building had been under occupation since earlier this month by protesters who were angry with the president, blaming him for the unprecedented economic crisis. Soldiers rescued then-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa from his nearby residence before it was overrun by an angry crowd the same day, with the leader eventually fleeing to Singapore and resigning.
Troops armed with batons and automatic weapons cleared the presidential secretariat shortly after midnight Friday on the orders of Rajapaksa’s successor, Ranil Wickremesinghe. At least 48 people were wounded and nine arrested in the operation, during which security forces tore down tents set up by protesters outside the complex earlier this year .”The office is ready for reopening from Monday,” a police official told AFP on Sunday, adding that forensics experts had visited the office to gather evidence of damage by protesters. Western governments, the United Nations and human rights groups have condemned Wickremesinghe for using violence against unarmed protesters who had announced their intention to vacate the site later on Friday. Police spokesman Nihal Talduwa said protesters were free to continue their demonstrations at a designated site near the presidential office.