to people you've been in the heart of the story for many, many months, recap for us what people have been going through and why frustrations have reached this point. this is obviously not something that's down to just the recent weeks or months that for a long, long time here in sri lanka are things in terms of mismanagement of corruption of kickbacks. have really weakened and undermined the country the economy. but what has really been stark in recent months is that has depleted reserves. the country has run out of foreign currency to order, essential food, medicine, fuel cooking, gas. so people are really struggling, it's because essentially these are sort of key things are unavailable, even if they have the money. they can't purchase it. they're spent weeks, sometimes of months actually without cooking us. for example,

especially in open centers like colombo, you know, trying to have people cook on firewood is a near impossible thing when they live in, built up flats and premises. so that is difficult. the price of things has just skyrocketed inflation. the central bank of an a's on recorder saying it's likely to hit 70 percent in the coming days. but we do have other economists who have said that our inflation is in excess of a 130 percent. and it suddenly feels like that when you go to the shops, things are 235 times as much as they were a few months ago. and for people struggling on their knees, they look at their politicians and their leaders who seemingly don't care. they said that they don't have money, or essentially they say they do it and they, they just keep giving them different stories, different lines. or they talk about fuel arriving, you know, in 2 weeks in 3 weeks for prime minister run over grimacing her prides himself as coming and telling it like it is. but all he seems to keep coming out and saying

every 2 weeks is that the next 2 weeks or the next 3 weeks are going to be crucial . so people, yes, they, they are being told what's happening. but what is the government doing to solve the situation other and going around world capitals with a begging bowl? and for sri lanka, which has at been a very proud nation, it has been self sufficient. it went up to middle income status. how was it driven to its knees? obviously, what many of these people say? yes, it was a lot of bad luck to be honest in. 2 terms of the isa bombings of 2019, the coven pandemic, and the locked down a tourism was affected. so all of these things affecting the money that came into the government coffers about what really aggravated things has been the best management. and the corruption of the leaders who've been so busy lining their own pockets and looking after their own well being. they have really sort of let the people down and that's why this anger has been building and building and building

and in recent bonds 3 months ago. when they started that go to go home campaign, it was a sort of literally the bursting point. they stayed there for 3 months. they put him on notice that the 9th of july, they would march on columbine on even bigger numbers. and that's what they did. and literally, within the day, the official residences fell. the president had to be evacuated to safety, the prime ministers of private residence, as well as his official one, were overrun to those are the things that were happening. okay, let me know, we'll be back with you in just a moment. i just wanna recap where we are because it's just gone past h e m t also half past 1 in the afternoon in colombo, sri lanka, in the last few hours is declared state of emergency just hours off to present go to buy a roger pox of fled to the mall, these that news coming out this morning and since then they've been scenes of mounting anger in the capital. you can see some of those live shots there. people

many thousands of people gathering, following the announcement of roger pox his departure. and then we got the news that prime minister ronald vic, i'm a single had had declared himself acting president that really fuel the anger of protest is on the streets. many thousands of people gathering outside the prime minister's office. and then the military got involved for throwing t gas a protest as and you can still see the anger and violence on the streets. thousands of people converging on the office of the prime minister in colombo and we are hearing now in the last half an hour or so that prime minister run over can missing a has just been appointed acting president. and that is according to the parliament speaker. let's discuss that further with j. hon perrera, who is the general secretary of the people's action for free and fair elections? he's also the executive director of the national peace council of shore lanka. many

thanks for joining us. he is there in colombo as well. so firstly, let me just ask you about the legality of this, this, this decision to speak a giving us the news that ronald become a singer is, is now president. does it? what is your reaction to that camera? a big surprise because, you know, that president bush top is of the country. we have not yet to be did not see his resignation letter be heard about a resignation letter. but date was not publicly shown to us, so he did not come on television and announce his resignation. and then be suddenly heard that their prime minister, ronald promising had assumed the position of g a president. but that didn't matter so much as the fact, but it also announced that he has become

a curfew. and not only a cultural, an emergency throughout the country. and this is quite appalling because here is a peaceful protest of peace. full is a mere peaceful revolution where people are happy with the government got a president to leave the country, but peacefully and yield their declaring cost you and her and declaring the national emergency. and that was what is, has been quite appalling. but now again, be here that that actually is not happen, that, that there is no emergency nor curfew is confused about what's really going on here . it is confusing picture. i mean, where, where are you now getting the information about the fact that there is no emergency? because the latest or state of the majesty been called because the latest we're hearing is, is this nice from the speaker that says ronald, the come a think a has been officially appoint and acting president at how is it that, that, that,

that can we actually trust the authority of the speaker from a legal point of view. yeah, i mean, i'm not going to question that the thought a da i suppose that if the priest speaker says that ronald promising is the acting president that must be between the in terms of the constitution. but as regarding the emergency, we've just got a message on the social media from the, from the prime minister's office, saying that the prime minister has said that now he's the acting president. and all it either will be that same president. and until such time, there is no curfew an emergency being, be glad, but when he gets the power, then he will do that. something to that effect, which is, which is very ominous because it, it, it, it is the threatening aspect actually would violence because if a government, because could you an emergency when people want to be out and they want to protest peacefully, it's

a recipe. it's provoking wildlands and we don't want that. we don't want any of that. we are very happy at the way the protests have been going on so far. there has been limited violence, but again, we are wondering whether that violence has been used to get there or not. and what's going on now suggest that that could be also instigation. we don't really know what's going on except that we know that we want a government change. indeed, i think this is a good point to refer to the live pictures that we are looking at. and the smoke that we're seeing from the cake asked been used violence people and throwing stones . i mean, this is not something we've seen at all in recent months. protests happen very, very peaceful up. how concerned i you, that this, this is going to escalate from, from this point of view? i don't a did also, i mean, it is a problem in that now the protesters have occupied, occupying some of the key states that buildings the presidents,

secretary at the prime minister, secretary at the the president's house president time. this is house. and now that threatening another office of the, of the prime minister. so i suppose a state cannot accommodate that. this also has to stop. but 1st we need to get a government that the people have trusted. and that is where we are. we want an all party government to be appointed very soon, and we were hoping that would happen, but it is. but now this, this, this manual ordering that is taking place suggest that the, all these processes will be delayed because very bad for us because we need to have a stable, cohesive government soon to be able to get out of the economic moraspy that we are in to negotiate with the i'm, if you convince friendly government than we are together, we are united together as people we are united,

it's simply the asians are not united at people. we want to attend a message to the international community. we, we need your assistance and we are ready to absorb the assistance you give in the proper way. can you be a bit more specific about what sort of assistance you're looking for? because at the moment, as you say, there is essentially a political vacuum. what exactly needs to happen to get the country back on tracked it to have someone in power that you the people trust but to get the government be just be, have recommended, be warned. as an all party intending governor for a short period of time and all the parties get together and by consensus, not by a majority voting because we are parliament is now not so legitimate them. the mandate has been challenged by people going out and protesting in this way, or people from all parts of the country. all communities have united in this. so we don't believe that it should be by a majority vote in parliament. but by consensus,

those in parliament to possibly be the parties must come together and select the most suitable cheaper. who can come up with an economic plan, a plan for the future, which will be to show how we pay our loans, how we will earn more then we spend, how we will reduce our spending. that is what he did, he urgently need and, and we need international financial assistance for the mom because there are no dollars in our country. there are no dollars to import hector and diesel. there was a ship that came about 2 weeks ago at to be less than diesel and petra, but our government didn't have money to pay for it to that ship went away. and as a result that a massive q lions choose all over the country for picture and then diesel stricken kid 3 to 6 kilometers. and people staying overnight for 2 to 3 and is in delva. he goes waiting for the spectra is terrible. situation be must get out and we need

international support be needing to. i'm a support in the long to come and bridging international support in the short term . and for then me my show the was that we had piece that we have a government that the trust and that at that is also behaving in a responsible manner. mister herrera for many many months. protest as have wanted the raja pox, the family out as the eye out and need as the leadership position and that has been achieved the purchases have achieved that. that ratchet toxins are out of the country. is that something that you rejoice? this sidney? we wanted a change of government, our people wanted a change of government because we'd be saw that the present government hadn't mid terrible decision. very wrong decisions. also there was a lot of corruption of them, but really the government is that i did talk to don and did not all that with did

because the latest reports we have is that the president, why here go on abroad, but he has in fact sent abroad he has not resigned his presidency is to the president, and oh, he writing abroad out of the country. he has appointed brunswick, tennessee, as a prime minister, as the, as that i didn't visit him. so he is here. i wonder. i mean, glad to talk to both hobbies out of the country as president, save some guy hiding somewhere, and then we have randomly thrown this thing. is that president in our country? i said it's not a very he started democratic settle, shut it around to become a senior. the person was once seated by his hodges once he didn't bother me. that solid and volume is 225 members and president. right back to lot of bad appointed him as the prime minister. and now he's acting president. this is not them, not the build of the people. we need the vin of the people. and since down below

the b berg, because express 3 years ago they did or tabi or i to bucks and rocks a big majority. they trusted them, their hope that things had been better, but now they had withdrawn that mandate because things didn't get better. and so therefore, we need it for as a temporary measure, we need all the parties to come together and select the appropriate people who can govern us and then be, must go for elections as soon as we can. thank so much for speaking to us, john ferrara, general secretary of people's action for free and fair elections, as well as the executive director of the national peace counsel of sure lanka speaking to was that from colombo is with me recopying if anyone is joining us right now what is going on and what you're looking at live pictures in colombo, it's just past 1 pm in sri lanka on the day that president roger poxel was expected to formerly resign. overnight we learned, he fled to the most thieves, which is of course, the on him chain, neighboring sher lanka. he went on

a military jet and he hasn't been heard from since he had pledged to stand down today. wednesday. busy after these mass protests that we've been seeing for weeks for months now in shore lanka. but now we're hearing the last sort of half an hour so that the prime minister run no vicar misinger has now been appointed acting president. something many of the protests are clearly, very, very angry about les returned to steph wanston, who is in colombo. clearly protesters have lost their patient. absolutely, and we saw some really dramatic seeds here in the last couple of minutes. so there was a lot of d, a gas fired at protest. so some we've seen people like ranch here, gas price clean themselves up. not really dramatic. feed people lying on the pavement. completely confused about what was going on there really been trying to chase the protest of out with

a lot of fear guys just in the last couple of minutes or. a there's an ambulance now coming in, there are well, it was a huge attack of to your gas, you say are good now on top of the prime minister, where the thousands of people here are gathering, even when they're here. but many of them i saw young women, i saw i saw young women saw families. i saw old up people. they're all joining in this program with my gas attacks by police. police is trying to chase them away from the prime minister's office. they have been here since this morning, a couple of hours already demanding his resignation. but as you know, now he's now officially the acting president. i spoke to leaders of the protest movement earlier this morning. they said, we don't want him to be in the president's office, not even for

a single minute. that's what they said because he acting president good of course hand over next week. so i chose and president to chosen by parliament, but they don't want him to be even an acting president, not even for a single minute. well that's what's happening now to make sure that there's an ambulance here picking up, some of the injured people are really running out. they were to run water and they were really sprayed a gas. so that's the prime minister's office. it seems police is quite serious now using violence. when we were talking a little earlier, you referred to the military who have been involved in the violence, in the sense that been firing volleys of tea gas from the crowd and so on, which is and good people. and then you mentioned that you saw many,

many of the military leaving the scene or leading the prime minister's office. if you got a better understanding of what happened there, it had they still are, they still at the picture is a situation coming down as a result of that. no, it's not coming down. that was what the people here initially thought that that's why they all moved towards the private office until there was this t a gas used by security forces. my position i taught exactly who is using who's firing tear gas at the moment. but what i saw was that a group of military soldiers around time of them were leaving this area and they were smiling and they were pushed away by protesters. it hasn't changed anything on the ground as far as i can see. what we are also hearing our reports that protesters have taken over the state, television or premises and that they're actually airing at the moment or from there

. but we can't perform that independently at the moment because the situation is very fluid. lot of things happening every minute here. now. be sorry. so that's the latest here from the prime minister's office. so and is just worth me. recapping, are some of the events of the last half an hour or so shrine can prime minister renelle become a singer, has now been appointed to be acting, president and dean come and go to buy a bunch of oxen. now, overseas, we believe in the mall div, possibly heading to another their destination. this is according to the parliamentary speaker. we got that news in the last of our so one of the me, my purchase is so frustrated, so angry and we've seen sort of the violence escalate if you like. because essentially they've just they, they feel as they feel that nobody is listening to their demands. what they wanted was the raja pucks is out of the country they manage achieve that. but now the

hearing that the shrunken prime minister run novick, i'm a singer again, not a, not a popular man. clearly with the protesters. ease has now been appointed acting president, and they don't want him either. steph, i think you're still there, step to tell us a bit more about ronald vick. i'm a single because i believe you've been talking to some protesters clearly not a popular man. no, not a popular man at all among the protest since because they say he is involved. he has been supporting the family. he's been involved in all their misdeeds and mismanagement that has been happening in the last couple of months and also years. he's been in government before, he's also known to have a mission to become depressed and strong patient i was told, but they say he is part of the guy nice part of this family plan. although he's not

a direct relative though, they want him to leave as well. they say if he stay here and he becomes the next president, nothing has changed and all, all a protest have been in vain. so they really think that this is now the moment for the people and 3 large got all the thousands that have come on to the reason i'm seeing people from all walks of life, from all religions, all kinds of background there got it here now. and they want a real change, they want the people, the minds to be listens, who they want a corruption to be abolished. they want a fair share of the world. they want this crisis to be addressed immediately. they want to make sure that people have enough fuel and they have enough food, and they also want that to be cancelled. a lot of farmers are now in that because that decision this, this asked for decision. so it'll say from the precedent to ban imports of chemical fertilizers go organic overnight. well, a lot of pharma really lost

a lot of in off of that, they have huge that that's the situation. that's why here to demand real change, they want to people's car. so they want people to be involved in the decisions to be made over the next coming hours next coming days. they don't want just parliament to dictate what's going to be the future of sri lanka. that's the main reason that they're all here and they're actually risking a lot. they have attack by gas bicycles and forces and they are, i mean, several ambulances have been going, passed already taking people to a hospital. so the situation is quite tense and has escalated significantly in the last couple of hours. okay, we'll leave it for now with steph. we can speak now to ross for 2nd. he is a former presidential candidate and retired army chief. he joins us on the phone

now from colombo. many thanks for joining the program. see a lot going on in the last couple of hours or so. i want to start with the fact that you actually contested against president mckinley raj pox in the election. what do you make of the events of the last few hours? my everybody law from 9th on monday that be but be in the in fact 3 by on the night it came to the big players and depot order and house peace. and also the famous and bade in the volume and into today, what would they see then?

both live and that the baby needs was made about him. he was the only member, but in the body mind, he did not when they, when they came from the national list, he has a couple of the birth date. so i mean like the people who are low in the brain. it's best for pete. i didn't see those of you who is supposed to be batting in as the president at any day. no. we don't want him to become the president because problem in this country he left but the problem that he's up or together as not been in the interest of the b

b as a result of the voice valuable. in fact, he saying or want to if i members my school all day, right. so the people who are seeing us, i don't need sophia dela. a hoops to fire the get biting and bang rep who up. ok, see, i'm just saying right now about the hop. if you want me to hear from me and the nice stuff up there at the moment it is. it is indeed tense. we're looking at the live pictures of outside the promises office. we were trying to over a wall presumably a wall around the. busy compounds, whereas office is many thousands of people out on the streets. the love smoke from

tear gas, big fide on these protest is trying to keep them back. we see ambulances a little earlier, clearly, people now being injured from the t gas than perhaps other other, other reasons as well. i mean, this is she a number of people there and, and the smoke from the take ask not helping anyone. i'm, i want to ask you that the, than the galaxy behind this decision because there's some questions being asked about even even getting this announcement through the speaker that, that he's been given this message. which allows run no victim a thing to be acting. president e, do you see that is, do you see any questions around the legality of that? yeah, that means the, the people are not that being the bottom of them and the bottom and

out who they want and specially it comes in. he's not, that's a really good thing. it's a very unpopular person. so he's decided to just be putting in the 40 and the but the whole it will say and the final bill be due to take place as we shall not be, but in place for people to continue and be odd and about these people who are struggling my business, i even know i don't understand why the people said that you didn't have the product again to us. i think people have no other choice. they have continually you say you support the people you of course are retired. so

lankin, army officer and member of parliament. what is the sounds of the army in the military in all this? all they are they also fighting with the people? are they officially waiting for the government? i be getting the media lead us even even if that is my views and they know what they my thinking also being visual. but if i had to be older, they're supposed to do a job over there for the i guess, you know, if the buzz his but you job, they like that. what i mean the faces about being baby to

start planning says i expecting it. i don't mean to do that, but he's willing to do or expecting them to ensure that no harm is done to the right. what is your reaction to what is happening in shoreline could today? right now, i mean, you've led the military. you even even commanded the slang can army, which ended the 26 year. so like can civil war back in 2009. this is your country. how do you feel about the scenes that we are witnessing here today? to you and my son goes over, he will be put for the conservation because the be by the neck. so now we've been

trying to reach people that contribution, but who are not acceptable, but this does still continue to be contained gustavo and the baby. so you felt the be but you know like to be allowed to be, but if they can select the paper like that was be but where the does help, i'm part play. they are not acceptable to the people. so the day i hear you, what do you think needs to happen now? what, what do you think needs to be done by those in power to stop some of the scenes we are seeing right now the people out on the street, the violence, the anger that we're seeing escalating in the last few hours.