Sri Lanka’s presidential office reopened on Sunday having been stormed by protesters and taken over, forcing the now former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa to seek shelter in a nearby residence.
Mr Rajapaksa, who then fled to Singapore and sent his resignation by email on July 14, was replaced by prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe who was approved by Parliament to fill the role.
Amid mounting international condemnation of the violent crackdown on protesters, Mr Wickremesinghe told diplomats this week that non-violent protests against his government will be allowed to continue, including in the commercial capital Colombo.
In a pre-dawn raid on Friday, hundreds of security personnel dismantled part of an anti-government protest camp outside the presidential office, or secretariat, raising fears of a wider crackdown by Mr Wickremesinghe, who was sworn in a day earlier.
"President Ranil Wickremesinghe has reaffirmed Sri Lanka's commitment to upholding the rights of peaceful, non-violent assembly," his office said in a statement, describing a meeting with Colombo-based envoys.
"The diplomats were also briefed on the measures being taken to ensure that non-violent protests were allowed to proceed within the city without endangering property or lives."
Friday's raid drew condemnation from the United Nations and western envoys, who urged the government to exercise restraint, saying the use of force could further destabilise the island nation suffering its worst economic crisis in seven decades.
Troops armed with batons and automatic weapons cleared the 92-year-old presidential secretariat in a pre-dawn raid Friday on the orders of Mr Wickremesinghe.
At least 48 people were wounded and nine arrested in the operation, during which security forces tore down tents set up by protesters outside the complex since April.
"The office is ready for reopening from Monday," said a police official on Sunday, who declined to be named as he was not authorised to speak to the media.
"The siege of the secretariat, which lasted since May 9, has now been lifted."
Police said forensic experts had been called in to check damage to the Presidential Secretariat and gather evidence.
The country of 22 million people has been suffering persistent shortages of fuel, food and other necessities, having run out of foreign exchange to bring in essential imports.
