Security tightened in SL's capital after intelligence report on another public protest

Colombo, May 14

Security in Colombo and around Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena's house has been tightened following intelligence reports over another people's protest or 'Aragalaya' in Sri Lanka, a police officer said.

The military, police, Special Task Force and Riot police had been summoned to the capital following unspecified intelligence information that a group of more than 750 people is getting to resort to public protest as happened during last year.

Police media spokesperson SSP Nihal Thalduwa said that the security has been beefed up due to an intelligence information.

He told that the special security arrangement would be in place

until the relevant information is updated by the intelligence agencies.

Security personnel had been deployed around universities, key protest sites where people started protests last year and also surrounding the Temple Trees, Prime Minister's official residence.

Police water cannons and fire trucks with firefighters too had been summoned to several places of Colombo.

Following severe economic crisis without basic needs such as food, fuel, cooking gas and medicine, people resorted to public protest on March 31, 2022.

The protests which were mainly led by university students backed by some Marxist political parties spread across the country leading the protestors taking over public building.

They initially took over President's and Prime Minister's residences and later their official residents forcing former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee the country and his brother Mahinda to step down together with the

government.