Thousand of demonstrators broke security barricades and entered President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s official residence.
The protesters had helmets on and Sri Lankan flags in their hands, as they entered the President’s residence.
The police removed the curfew after challenge from opposition parties, rights activists and the bar association.
President Rajapaksa on Thursday called for the international community to help his country overcome a crisis that has pushed it to the brink of economic collapse, with mounting debt, inflation and social unrest roiling the South Asian nation.
“We urgently require the assistance of our friends in the international community to ensure … our immediate needs,” Rajapaksa said.
Rajapaksa said it is “no secret” that the last few months have been “extremely difficult” for Sri Lanka. “We are presently undergoing a severe economic crisis that has profoundly impacted the lives of all Sri Lankans resulting in social unrest,” he continued.
A top government source said that the President has been moved to Army Headquarters last night.
Earlier today, two Sri Lankan naval ships – the SLNS Sindurala and SLNS Gajabahu left from the Colombo Port amid protests in crisis-hit Sri Lanka.