Sri Lanka political chaos persists as talks to form potential 'all-party' govt go on

Hundreds of Sri Lankans continued to flock to the Sri Lankan presidential palace on Tuesday, marveling at the paintings inside and lounging on the beds piled high with pillows.

For many who had traveled on overcrowded trains and buses from outside the capital, Colombo, this was the first time they had laid eyes on a residence so grand.

The colonial-era structure was a staggering sight, with airy verandas, plush living rooms and spacious bedrooms, a garden swimming pool and neatly manicured lawns.

On Saturday, thousands of angry Sri Lankans descended on the residence in fury against President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who they blame for an unprecedented economic meltdown that has throttled the lives of the nation's 22 million people.

They turned over barriers and then swarmed the lawns to enter the palatial residence and occupy it.

Two days later, people continued to stream in, flocking to it like a tourist attraction looking at oppulent furnishings and a vast array of exercise machines in the private gym of the presidential palace.

"The people will decide who will be their prime minister, and who will be sent to the parliament in the future," said Sherly Wijesuriya, a protester at the palace.

"Members who are already elected to the parliament cannot decide, because they didn't give solutions to the current problems in the country, they did not give solutions to the problems of the people. That's the main reason people came to the roads to fight for a change," he added.

The weekend saw the most dramatic escalation yet of the monthslong protests against the country's worst economic crisis, with protesters not only forcing their way into the presidential palace but also storming the prime minister's official residence and setting fire to his private home.

The charged events led to both leaders agreeing to step down - Rajapaksa, who has not been seen publicly or heard from since, said he would leave office Wednesday.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said he would depart as soon as opposition parties agree on a unity government.

But protest leaders have said they will not leave the official buildings until both actually resign.

For months, demonstrators have camped outside Rajapaksa's office, demanding he quit for severely mismanaging the economy.

Many have accused him and his powerful, dynastic family, which has ruled Sri Lanka for nearly two decades, of corruption and policy blunders that tipped the island nation into crisis.

People's patience has grown increasingly thin, with the crisis sparking shortages of fuel, medicine, food and cooking gas.

Authorities have temporarily shuttered schools, while the country relies on aid from India and other nations as it tries to negotiate a bailout with the International Monetary Fund.

Wickremesinghe said recently that negotiations with the IMF were complex because Sri Lanka was now a bankrupt state.

Sri Lanka announced in April that it was suspending repayment of foreign loans due to a foreign currency shortage. Its total foreign debt amounts to $51 billion, of which it must repay $28 billion by the end of 2027.

The severe fuel shortage has choked transport, forcing many to use public buses, trains and even bicycles to get around. Hundreds of people held onto the roofs of overcrowded trains to make the journey to the presidential palace.

At first, thousands stormed the residence in rage, waving the national flag and chanting “Gota Go Home!” But since Rajapaksa announced he would resign, many of those arriving now were jubilant, strolling the vast residence as sightseers.

Inside and outside the complex, scores of unarmed policemen patrolled the area - but did not stop the deluge of crowds from coming in.

Not all were relaxing, however. Groups of volunteers banded together, sweeping up broken chairs and glass from damaged windows, a sign of the rage that swept through on Saturday. They tried to control the throng, saying some people were again vandalizing the property.

Prof. Anura Manathuga, Director General of the Department of Archaeology, was at the palace on Tuesday surveying the damage.

"As an archaeologist, we can't replace the things that have been damaged," he said. So we have to take it with the people and also with the others who are responsible for these things."

Nearby, people waited in a long line to enter the president’s office, now taken over by the protesters who had hunkered outside it for months.

The line grew longer by the day, almost resembling the long queues people have been forced to wait in for months to get fuel.