Bangladeshis residing in Colombo and other areas in Sri Lanka are safe as political violence erupted in the neighbouring country.
The ongoing highly-charged political drama turned ugly Sunday as one killed and two injured when shots were fired over a crisis that started Friday.
On Friday, Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena sacked his Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and replaced him with former president Mahinda Rajapaksa.
“All Bangladeshis are safe here and we are in constant contact with them,” Bangladesh High Commissioner to Colombo Riaz Hamidullah told the Bangla Tribune.
The government will brief the diplomatic community about the current situation Monday, he said.
Meanwhile, different sources and media said the security guard of a minister in the sacked Sri Lankan government opened fire at an office on Sunday killing one and wounding two people, worsening a constitutional crisis in the island nation days after the president ousted the prime minister and appointed a new one.
Sri Lanka never had political violence but this may trigger violence as Rajapakse supporters are trying to gain ground in the country.
Police said the guard began shooting as Arjuna Ranatunga, petroleum minister in the cabinet of former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, tried to enter his office at the state-run Ceylon Petroleum Corp.
Wickremesinghe maintains he is still prime minister.
Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera told Reuters the guard had been arrested and an investigation launched. Ranatunga was safe but the security guard's motive was not immediately clear, he added.
The tiny South Asian country off the southern tip of India plunged into political turmoil late on Friday after President Maithripala Sirisena sacked Wickremesinghe and swore in former President Mahinda Rajapaksa as his replacement.
On Saturday, Sirisena ordered to suspend parliament until Nov. 16, in a move widely seen as an attempt to stop Wickremesinghe from trying to prove he maintains a parliamentary majority.
Security has been tightened around key government institutions as trade unions linked to Rajapaksa's political party have blocked access to some Wickremesinghe-party ministers entering their respective ministries.
Meanwhile, Rajapakse is trying to consolidate his position by mobilizing his supporters and engaging with his old friend – China, said different media personalities in Colombo.