Sri Lanka top developments: All-party meet today over govt formation as workers demand President’s ouster

Sri Lankans on Thursday participated in a general strike calling for the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa as the country continues to reel under its worst economic crisis. Protests, which began against the government earlier this month, intensified as workers across sectors joined the strike, leading to shutdowns and disruptions in public transport.
The President has called for a meeting of all political parties Friday to discuss the formation of a government to help tide over the crisis. However, dissenting members have said that they will only attend the meeting if Prime Miner Mahinda Rajapaksa is not present.
Here are the top developments:
🔴 Unions from across sectors, such as state service, health, ports, electricity, education and postal, joined a nationwide strike Thursday. The protesters sought the resignation of the President and Prime Miner, under the slogan, ‘Bow to the people – government go home’.
🔴 Businesses, public transport, including train services, banking services and schools were disrupted as workers participated in the strike. Plantation workers of the tea and rubber industry, too, joined the protest, along with doctors and nurses who participated during their lunch hours. The Miner of Transport Dilum Amunugama asked the police to arrest those who harm public transport or block roads.
🔴 With a call for the formation of an all-party government, President Gotabaya has convened a meeting on Friday, inviting even the dissenting members of the ruling coalition. Vasudeva Nanayakkara, one of the party leaders, however, told reporters Thursday, “We will be going for the meeting but under one condition that it has to be without the presence of the prime miner.” Though Mahinda has refused to resign, the President’s letter to the parties on Wednesday said that an all-party government can be made after the resignation of the PM.
🔴 Following the death of a protester who was allegedly killed in a police firing incident during an anti-government protest in the Rambukkana region last week, the Criminal Investigations Department arrested four cops in connection with the case.
🔴 Two Sri Lankan nationals were detained for entering Tamil Nadu illegally. According to police officials quoted news agency PTI, the two men were allegedly involved in drug trafficking cases in Sri Lanka and had come to India in the wake of the economic crisis.
— with inputs from agencies