A total of 21 protesters were arrested by the Police for obstructing the entrances of the President’s Office and the Finance Ministry in Colombo this morning.
Issuing a statement, the Police said the suspects include a Buddhist monk, four women, and 16 men.
The suspects were, however, released on personal bail of Rs. 500, 000 each after being produced before the Fort Magistrate’s Court.
The Police said protesters from the “GotaGoGama’ protest at the Galle Face Green had blocked off the two entrances of the President’s Office and Finance Ministry near Lotus Road last night.
Thereafter, the protesters had also set up tents and displayed other protest materials at the location by this morning.
However, as the protesters were blocking the entrances causing inconvenience to the staff and public visiting the state institutions, the Police and Special Task Force (STF) had been forced to take action.
The Police said the protests had also caused inconvenience to the delegation from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which was set to hold a discussion with the Finance Ministry Secretary at the Treasury today.
Therefore, measures were taken to arrest the suspects and disperse the protesters, while they will be produced before the courts today for further legal action. (NewsWire)