Sri Lankan president urges people to stop ‘violence and acts of revenge'

ANGER ON STREETS: Burnt buses are lined up near former PM Mahinda Rajapaksa’s official residence ‘Temple Trees’ in Colombo

Colombo: Embattled Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Tuesday urged people to stop “violence and acts of revenge” against fellow citizens and vowed to address the political and economic crisis facing the nation. “All efforts will be made to restore political stability through consensus, within constitutional mandate & to resolve economic crisis,” he tweeted in his first comments since the outbreak of the violence that saw attacks on the homes of several former ministers and politicians.

Chandrika Kumaratunga, who was Sri Lanka’s president from 1994 to 2005, warned against violence, tweeting that “saboteurs may be used to incite violence in order to pave the way for military rule”. President Rajapaksa is a former military officer who has loyalists within the forces. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet called on the authorities in Sri Lanka to prevent further violence, and urged dialogue.