colombo hundreds of sri lankans jostled monday to use the vast array of exercise machines in the private gym of the presidential palace lifting weights and running on treadmills inside a facility that was until now the exclusive domain of the countrys beleaguered presidentfor many who had traveled on overcrowded trains and buses from outside the capital colombo this was the first time they had laid eyes on a residence so grand the colonialera structure was a staggering sight with airy verandas plush living rooms and spacious bedrooms a garden swimming pool and neatly manicured lawnson saturday thousands of angry sri lankans descended on the residence in fury against president gotabaya rajapaksa who they blame for an unprecedented economic meltdown that has throttled the lives of the nations 22 million people they turned over barriers and then swarmed the lawns to enter the palatial residence and occupy ittwo days later people continued to stream in flocking to it like a tourist attraction marveling at the paintings inside and lounging on the beds piled high with pillowsalawwa ralage piyasena a 67yearold farmer who arrived by bus from outside colombo was stunned by the presidents gym i never thought i would get an opportunity to see these things he said gesturing at the equipment while trying to hop onto a treadmilllook at the pool and this gym we can see how they enjoyed a life of luxury here while people struggled outside our families are suffering without foodthe weekend saw the most dramatic escalation yet of the monthslong protests against the countrys worst economic crisis with protesters not only forcing their way into the presidential palace but also storming the prime ministers official residence and setting fire to his private homethe charged events led to both leaders agreeing to step down rajapaksa who has not been seen publicly or heard from since said he would leave office wednesday prime minister ranil wickremesinghe said he would depart as soon as opposition parties agree on a unity governmentbut protest leaders have said they will not leave the official buildings until both actually resignfor months demonstrators have camped outside rajapaksas office demanding he quit for severely mismanaging the economy many have accused him and his powerful dynastic family which has ruled sri lanka for nearly two decades of corruption and policy blunders that tipped the island nation into crisispeoples patience has grown increasingly thin with the crisis sparking shortages of fuel medicine food and cooking gas authorities have temporarily shuttered schools while the country relies on aid from india and other nations as it tries to negotiate a bailout with the international monetary fund wickremesinghe said recently that negotiations with the imf were complex because sri lanka was now a bankrupt statesri lanka announced in april that it was suspending repayment of foreign loans due to a foreign currency shortage its total foreign debt amounts to 51 billion of which it must repay 28 billion by the end of 2027the severe fuel shortage has