COLOMBO, May 11 — Sri Lanka’s top defence official today ruled out a military takeover despite the island nation’s political deadlock and thousands of troops on the streets to keep order after two days of deadly mob violence. Weeks of peaceful protests against a crippling economic crisis have...
COLOMBO, May 11 — Sri Lanka’s top defence official today ruled out a military takeover despite the island nation’s political deadlock and thousands of troops on the streets to keep order after two days of deadly mob violence.
Footage of armoured personnel carriers moving around the streets of the capital Colombo have prompted accusations from opposition lawmakers and social media users that the country could be facing an imminent coup. Gunaratne was a top field commander in the final battle that defeated Sri Lanka’s separatist Tamil Tigers movement in 2009, ending a decades-old civil war. The leader has kept to his tightly guarded official residence in recent weeks after huge protests calling on him to step down.
Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa had earlier suggested that the violent unrest had been orchestrated to give the pretext for a coup.
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