Sri Lanka: MPs trapped inside Parliament amid students protest
May 06, 2022
Colombo [Sri Lanka], May 6 : As the ongoing protests of university students in Sri Lanka near the Parliament continue, the parliamentarians of Sri Lanka are trapped inside the Parliament premises, unable to leave.
Harin Fernando, the MP of Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), stated that the student protesters, gathered around the Parliament house have blocked both entrance and exit gates, reported Daily Mirror.
Although the Sri Lankan police had tried to disperse the angry crowd through water cannons and tear gas, it has been rendered futile. This resulted in the Parliament members getting stuck inside. Fernando added that it would take some time for the MPs to leave the premises.
Later, a video was circulated on social media where it was seen that Fernando and Parliament member Manusha Nanayakkara had exchanged in a confrontation with the protesters while they tried to depart from the Parliament using another exit gate, reported Daily Mirror.
Noting the protests, Fernando stated that the SJB had decided to boycott further Parliamentary proceedings until the no-confidence motions against Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, and the government were not tabled in the Parliament.
In addition, the SJB asserted that they were against the decision of Sri Lanka's Parliament speaker to postpone the Parliamentary proceedings till May 17, reported Daily Mirror.
Earlier, Inter-University Students' Federation led the University students' march from near the University of Sri Jayewardenepura to the Parliament Roundabout from Polduwa Junction in an attempt to enter the parliament.
The country's youth have taken to the streets to protest against the government led by the Rajapaksha family. This protest demanded that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his brother Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa should end their rule of the country.
