COLOMBO -- Sri Lanka's new president, Ranil Wickremesinghe, on Friday appointed a longtime loyalist of the Rajapaksa family as prime minister, hours after an overnight onslaught against protesters in Colombo.
After 1 a.m., hundreds of officers armed with guns and batons converged on a protest camp known as "Gota Go Gama" or "Gota Go Village," named as a jab at now-exiled former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Demonstration organizers said around 50 people were injured as the forces moved in and destroyed tents, including some set up near the presidential secretariat.
