Crackdown against protesters in Sri Lanka prompts clearing off camp

The protest camp in Sri Lanka is beginning to clear out in the wake of a crackdown launched against protesters near the President's office in Colombo.

University students and union members said they were taking down their tents and packing their belongings in hopes of evading court charges filed against them.

They have so far withdrawn four court challenges against a police order for them to vacate the area that claimed their tents were a hindrance to nearby hotels.

On July 13, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country to the Maldives in a military aircraft, and Colombo announced an indefinite nationwide state of emergency, according to the Prime Minister's office.

On July 21, lawmakers elected former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as President of Sri Lanka.

Protesters were disappointed with the parliament's election of Wickremesinghe as President. Some protest leaders even called on him to step down from the post.

As soon as Wickremesinghe ascended to the position, security forces raided and partially cleared a protest camp occupying government grounds.

Protesters were arrested by the dozens on charges related to damaging state property.

More than 50 people were injured by security forces in the July 22 early morning raid on the main janatha aragalaya (people’s struggle) site in Colombo.

The number later rose to 80 with serious injuries requiring hospitalization.

Some of the protest leaders, such as Joseph Stalin, Sri Lanka's General Secretary of the Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU), were released on bail.

He was arrested on charges of causing damages worth $90.

Newly elected president Ranil Wickremesinghe claimed that there were two different types of people protesting on the ground; "protesters" and "rioters", arguing that the former category is peaceful, while the latter is made up of "troublemakers" that he deems should be dealt with accordingly.

Soon after protesters overran the palace, there were social media posts of them frolicking in the pool and bouncing on four-poster beds inside the sprawling compound.

Protesters also turned over to authorities around 17.5 million rupees ($46,000) in cash found in one of the rooms.