Pool parties and picnics galore: What's going on inside the Sri Lankan presidential palace?

“We won’t leave.”

That was the resounding message from protesters who had stormed Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s residence as well as Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s official house — Temple Trees.

The storming of the official houses by protesters was the culmination of months of protests by people enraged by the South Asian island nation’s unprecedented economic crisis and the Rajapaksa clan’s incompetence and corruption.

Also read: Explained: What led to the fall of Sri Lanka’s powerful Rajapaksa clan?

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had fled just moments earlier, assisted by troops who fired into the air to clear his escape. Later, 73-year-old Rajapaksa told the speaker of Parliament he would step down on Wednesday.

Ranil Wickremesinghe also announced his resignation on Saturday as protesters stormed his palatial colonial-era home.

To ensure the continuation of the Government including the safety of all citizens I accept the best recommendation of the Party Leaders today, to make way for an All-Party Government.

To facilitate this I will resign as Prime Minister.

— Ranil Wickremesinghe (@RW_SRILANKA) July 9, 2022

Despite the calls of resignations, the protesters continue to occupy the Sri Lankan presidential and prime ministerial residences.

“Our struggle is not over,” student protest leader Lahiru Weerasekara said, quoted by AFP. “We won’t give up this struggle until [President Rajapaksa] actually leaves,” he said.

As the protesters sit tight, here’s what all has been happening inside the residences of the leaders and what has been found.

Chilling at presidential palace

After storming the presidential palace on Saturday, throngs of Sri Lankans made their way to the sprawling residence and were left awe-struck by the opulence.

The crowds took selfies inside the palace, in front of teakwood desks and paintings, and in living room areas.

An AFP news report mentioned that children were seen banging on a grand piano inside the premises.

The swimming pool attracted a lot of attention from the visitors with families standing around, admiring the pool filled with brown water. Onlookers clapped and shouted when a young man jumped into the water where protesters had been filmed swimming on Saturday.

Current situation of Sri Lanka President's swimming pool pic.twitter.com/ieKF8YVGGL

— NewsWire 🇱🇰 (@NewsWireLK) July 10, 2022

Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s bedroom also received a lot of attention, with the crowds taking a nap on the four-poster bed. Visuals of them working out in the gym at the palace also emerged.

#WATCH | Protestors tour grounds, have lunches, enjoy gym-time at Presidential palace in Colombo, Sri Lanka pic.twitter.com/yUqtracq8t

— ANI (@ANI) July 10, 2022

Outside the mansion, in the ‘Gordon Garden’ park of the palace, hundreds of people were milling around. A family was very casually having their picnic on the green lawn, where they would have never been allowed to sit 24 hours ago.

#WATCH | Country is free of corruption, everything is peaceful. Came here to celebrate with family & children. We are all having lunch here in the Presidential palace: A local in Colombo, Sri Lanka pic.twitter.com/eauC30O6mn

— ANI (@ANI) July 10, 2022

On Saturday, it was also reported that protesters had recovered a large sum of money from the mansion.

A video on social media showed the protesters counting the currency notes that were unearthed. The recovered money was said to be handed over to the security units, the Daily Mirror newspaper reported.

“I’ve never seen a place like this in my life,” Chandrawathi told Reuters as she reclined on a plush sofa. “They enjoyed super luxury while we suffered. We were hoodwinked. I wanted my kids and grandkids to see the luxurious lifestyles they were enjoying.”

Occupy Temple Trees

Similar scenes also unfolded at Temple Trees, the formal residence of the country’s prime minister.

Tens of thousands of people visited the sprawling bungalow, which was now “open to the public”.

People from all walks of life walked around the mansion — there were even visuals of people serving up hot meals from inside the premises.

New videos have also emerged of protesters wrestling on the prime minister’s bed with an added commentary of WWE playing in the backdrop. The intruders can be seen imitating wrestling moves while others surrounding the “arena” have a laugh about it.

Video - #WWE Wrestling on Prime Minister's bed at Temple Trees 😃#LKA #SriLanka #SriLankaCrisis #SriLankaProtests pic.twitter.com/5f2zE9uqLD

— Sri Lanka Tweet 🇱🇰 (@SriLankaTweet) July 10, 2022

Political vacuum continues

Even as Sri Lankans took in the opulence of the formal residences, the political vacuum continued for a second day with opposition leaders yet to agree on who should replace its roundly rejected leaders.

News agency Associated Press reported that opposition party leaders have been in discussion to form an alternative all-party government, an urgent requirement of bankrupt nation to continue discussions with the International Monetary Fund for a bailout program.

Lawmaker Udaya Gammanpila said the main opposition United People’s Front and lawmakers who have defected Rajapaksa’s ruling coalition have had discussions and agreed to work together.

Main opposition leader Sajith Premadasa and Dullas Alahapperuma, who was a minister under Rajapaksa, have been proposed for president and prime minister and they have been requested to decide on how to share the positions before a meeting with the Parliament speaker later Monday.

With inputs from agencies

Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,
India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.