Ranil Wickremesinghe takes over as acting President of Sri Lanka

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as the Acting President in accordance with the Article 37.1 of the Constitution, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardhane was quoted as saying by Daily Mirror.

He said in a special statement that the President informed him that the Prime Minister was appointed as the Acting President as he was away from the country, the newspaper reported.

Ranil Wickremesinghe ordered a curfew in the Western Province of Sri Lanka with immediate effect and ordered an emergency law island-wide, media reports said on Wednesday.

"The Prime Minister also ordered the security forces to arrest those acting in a riotous manner," Daily Mirror reported.

Sources told IBNS protesters were demonstrating near the PM's office in Colombo on Wednesday morning.

The PM issued the order after the police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse at least 1500 people who were protesting near the Prime Minister's office on Flower Road, Colombo 07 on Wednesday morning demanding resignation of Prime Minister Wickremesinghe.

Despite the PM's order to the security forces to arrest people who were acting in a riotous manner, the protests continued.

These protests were held after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who had promised to submit his resignation on Wednesday, fled the country in the wee hours to Maldives.

The Sri Lankan Air Force had confirmed that it had provided an early morning Air Force flight for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his wife along with two security guards at the Katunayake International Airport to leave for Maldives.

The President had signed his resignation letter and the Speaker of the Parliament was due to announce it on Wednesday.

On Monday, Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) had filed a motion in the Supreme Court to prevent the government leaders including former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and Basil Rajapaksa from fleeing the country.

This motion was filed pursuant to a Fundamental Rights petition filed by Sri Lankan swimmer and coach Julian Bolling, former Chairman of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce Chandra Jayaratne, Transparency International and Jehan Canaga Retna seeking an order to take legal action against those responsible for financial irregularities and mismanagement of the Sri Lanka economy.

The petitioners pointed out that they have been reliably informed that some of the above respondents may leave the country and try to avoid giving information sought by the petitioners and prevent proper investigation.

The Supreme Court will take up the matter on July 14 along with the Fundamental Rights petition against persons responsible for the current economic crisis, Attorney-at-Law K. Upendra Gunasekara said.