Troops armed with batons and automatic weapons cleared the 92-year-old presidential secretariat in a pre-dawn raid on Friday on the orders of Rajapaksa's successor, Ranil Wickremesinghe.
He told AFP that forensics experts had visited the office to gather evidence of damage by protesters.Western governments, the United Nations and human rights groups have condemned Wickremesinghe for using violence against unarmed protesters who had announced their intention to vacate the site later on Friday.
The military operation to clear the secretariat building and its immediate surroundings came less than 24 hours afterWickremesinghe was elected by legislators on Wednesday to replace Rajapaksa, who fled to neighbouring Maldives in a military plane and then travelled to Singapore from where he sent his resignation.Sri Lanka's 22 million people have also endured months of lengthy blackouts, record inflation and shortages of food, fuel and petrol.
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