People bathing in the President of Sri Lanka’s pool say they will stay at the official residence in Colombo until Gotabaya Rajapaksa finally leaves office.
Demonstrators also stormed the home of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, demonstrating against an economic disaster that has left many struggling to afford two meals a day.
Both men said they will resign.
Mr Rajapaksa is due to leave on Wednesday, according to the Speaker of Parliament, but there has been no direct news from him.
However, Mr Rajapaksa confirmed to Mr Wickremesinghe that he would resign, the Prime Minister’s Office announced on Monday.
But many people “don’t believe it and won’t believe it until they see it in action,” said Sky News correspondent Nicole Johnston, who spoke to protesters at the president’s home.
“In the meantime, they will continue to occupy the President’s House as well as a number of key buildings in the city,” Johnston added.
Many took their children with them as they watched the opulence. Schools have been closed for a few weeks because there is not enough electricity to run them.
The country has “burnt all of its foreign currency (and) doesn’t have enough money for food, fuel or medicine,” Johnston added.
Therefore, he begged for money from the International Monetary Fund, Japan, Russia, China and Qatar.
“Officials were told to take Friday off, go home and grow food,” Johnston said.
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Inside Sri Lanka’s presidential palace the day after it was stormed by protesters
Sri Lankan president and prime minister to resign after thousands of protesters stormed their homes
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How the Sri Lankans occupied the presidential palace
“They were also told that for five years they could go abroad, take another job, send that money back to Sri Lanka and eventually they would still have their jobs here. That’s how much this country is hopeless.”
However, the mood has changed since Saturday, when tens of thousands of people took to the streets in frustration.
It’s now “almost a festival or carnival atmosphere here,” Johnston said.
