Sri Lanka’s state-owned television, Rupavahini, suspended its telecast after protesters stormed the building amid tensions in the country.
The Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) said that its engineers have suspended their live and recorded telecasts as the corporation premises are being surrounded by protesters.
A group of protestors entered the premises and demanded that the station run only news related to “anti-government protests” and entertainment programs.
The protesters were given 15 minutes to convey their side of the story before the channel suspended transmission.
Another Sri Lankan state television station has gone off air and announced that programming will only be available on their internet stream.
Protesters are demanding the resignation of both Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. They’ve ripped open the gates to his office.
On Tuesday, police fired tear gas on protesters who had created a barricade, worrying the prime minister’s office. Protesters had tried to smash through a cordon.
Prime Minister Wickremesinghe is willing to step down and allow an all-party government to take over.
The protesters stormed the capital and are occupying three buildings.
The President of Sri Lanka, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, fled the country on Wednesday amid widespread protests over his handling of the country’s worst economic crisis since independence in 1948.
The Sri Lankan Air Force confirmed that Rajapaksa and his wife, along with their two bodyguards, took a private flight to the Maldives. They went using a Sri Lankan government plane.
The latest economic turmoil in Sri Lanka has left millions struggling to buy food, medicine, fuel and other essentials. The country’s population is 22 million.