Protesters in Sri Lanka have defied tear gas, water cannon and a state of emergency to storm the prime minister's office after the president fled overseas, with the crowd demanding both men step down in the face of an economic crisis:
Eranga Jayawardena
But footage showed armed security personnel standing by in the grounds of his office as protesters, some holding national flags, milled and took pictures.Other demonstrators at one point broke into state television studios, as the country's months-long political and economic crisis appeared to be moving towards a climax.
Mr Wickremesinghe, also 73, would automatically become acting president if Mr Rajapaksa steps down, but has himself announced his willingness to resign if consensus is reached on forming a unity government. The prime minister's office confirmed that Mr Rajapaksa had left the country, but said it had no schedule for any presidential resignation announcement.
The departure of Rajapaksa, 73 and once known as "The Terminator", had been stymied for more than 24 hours in a humiliating standoff with immigration personnel in Colombo.
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