hello and welcome. celebrations have been taking place in sri lanka after gotabaya rajapaksa became the country s first sitting president to quit. he did so after months of angry protests over the rapidly rising cost of living, and shortages of food and fuel. the delay in handing over his letter of resignation was, it seems, to do with his flight from the maldives to singapore. from colombo, rajini vaidyanathan reports. a moment to savour, after months of struggle. now there s joy. these demonstrators had one key demand, that the man they blame for their economic woes resign. tonight, president gotabaya rajapaksa did. protesters say they are celebrating what represents a victory for people power. it s the end of the rule of the rajapaksas, after a week of turmoil on the island. just yesterday, at the prime minister s office, security forces were overrun by protesters. it was one of a number of government buildings taken over by the masses. today, protesters handed it back to
a country under curfew, streets once packed with protesters, now patrolled by the military. elsewhere, tensions are running high. with the basics still in short supply, only a few weeks of fuel now left in the country. in an exclusive interview, the governor of sri lanka s central bank told me that, without a stable government the suffering will continue. we don t see a way forward and how to get enough foreign exchange to finance essential petroleum for this country. if that doesn t happen, then it will be like the whole country will be closed down. no one will be able to do any activity. the pace of the protests has slowed. a president gone, and a country still in limbo.
soldiers now on guard, authorised to use force to maintain order. sirens. a country under curfew, streets once packed with protesters, now patrolled by the military. elsewhere, tensions are running high, with the basics still in short supply, only a few weeks of fuel now left in the country. in an exclusive interview, the governor of sri lanka s central bank told me that, without a stable government, the suffering will continue. we don t see a way forward and how to get enough foreign exchange to finance essential petroleum for this country. if that doesn t happen, then it will be like the whole country will be closed down. no one will be able to do any activity. the pace of the
soldiers now on guard, authorised to use force to maintain order. sirens. a country under curfew, streets once packed with protesters, now patrolled by the military. elsewhere, tensions are running high, with the basics still in short supply, only a few weeks of fuel now left in the country. in an exclusive interview, the governor of sri lanka s central bank told me that, without a stable government, the suffering will continue. we don t see a way forward and how to get enough foreign exchange to finance essential petroleum for this country. if that doesn t happen, then it will be like the whole country will be closed down. no one will be able to do any activity. the pace of the protests has slowed. a president gone, and
authorised to use force to maintain order. sirens. a country under curfew, streets once packed with protesters, now patrolled by the military. elsewhere, tensions are running high, with the basics still in short supply, only a few weeks of fuel now left in the country. in an exclusive interview, the governor of sri lanka s central bank told me that, without a stable government, the suffering will continue. we don t see a way forward and how to get enough foreign exchange to finance essential petroleum for this country. if that doesn t happen, then it will be like the whole country will be closed down. no one will be able to do any activity. the pace of the