The Prez and PM will remain in the residences until the Sri Lankan protesters leave

By Our Special Correspondent

Leaders of Sri Lanka's anti-government protest movement have prompted the president and prime minister to flee their officials' residences, saying they will occupy the buildings until the two step down. The president should resign, the prime minister should resign and the government should go, playwright Ruwanti de Chikera told reporters on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's opposition parties will meet later on Sunday to discuss the formation of a new government after the president and prime minister decided to resign from their posts.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will step down on July 13 following the violent protests that rocked the capital on Saturday, according to the parliamentary speaker. Demonstrators set fire to the Prime Minister's residence in Colombo and besieged the President's official residence. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is also ready to resign to form an all-party government, his office said in a statement later Saturday.

Sri Lankan police on Sunday arrested three people for setting fire to Wickramasinghe's personal residence during Saturday's violence. According to news reports, the protesters barged into Wickramasinghe's private residence in Cambridge Place and set it on fire, causing extensive damage to property and damaging a luxury sedan.

Meanwhile the current political instability is undermining Lanka's talks with the International Monetary Fund seeking a $3 billion bailout, some foreign debt restructuring to ease the dollar drought, and fundraising from multilateral and bilateral sources.

In its first response to developments in Sri Lanka - a day after thousands of protesters besieged Sri Lankan President Rajapaksa's residence on Saturday - India said on Sunday it would "stand with the people of Sri Lanka" as they had demanded. Realize their aspirations for prosperity and progress through "democratic ways and values, established institutions and constitutional framework".

The missing Rajapakse is back in action, his whereabouts still unknown since protesters occupied both his office and official residence, and ordering officials to ensure smooth distribution of cooking gas after the fuel-starved country received 3,700 metric tonnes of LP gas. , his office said on Sunday.

Protesters enjoy themselves in the swimming pool of Sri Lanka's presidential palace in Colombo. Lankans wandered through a ransacked palace on Sunday as calm returned to Colombo, a day after protesters stormed the building. Amazed commoners took the opportunity to take a look at the colonial building. Members of the security forces, some with assault rifles, stood outside the compound but did not stop people from entering.

Among those examined was BM Chandravati, a 61-year-old handkerchief seller who entered a first-floor bedroom with her daughter and grandchildren. "I've never seen a place like this in my life," she says as she tries on the plush sofa. "They enjoyed super luxury while we suffered," she said. "We were cheated. I wanted my children and grandchildren to see the luxurious lifestyle they were enjoying."