After a long time in Sri Lanka, protesters rose from the main protest site (File Photo)

Unprecedented anti-government protests over the severe

Sri Lanka

 formally ended on Tuesday after 123 days.

Due to these demonstrations, President

 had to lose power.

At the same time, the protesters said that their campaign for "change in the system" would continue.

Protesters have evacuated the Galle Face area, the epicenter of anti-government protests, where they had been camping since April 9.

The protesters had earlier refused to move away from the protest site.  

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka on Wednesday extended the foreign travel ban on former prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and his younger brother and former finance minister Basil Rajapaksa till September 5.

Both are being widely held responsible for the current economic crisis in Sri Lanka.

Manoj Nanayakkara, a spokesman for a group of protesters, said, "We have collectively decided to vacate the Galle Face area today.

This does not mean that our struggle is over.

Young Buddhist monk Kosavatte Mahamana said, "We will continue to push for lifting the emergency, holding fresh parliamentary elections and ending the system of governance by the president."

Another protester Vidarshan Kannanagara said, "Our campaign for change in the system will continue.

However, we have ended the campaign here at this site.

,

Protesters were under pressure to vacate the protest site after former prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was elected president.

Wickremesinghe had directed the army and police to vacate the protest site and identify those who entered Rashtrapati Bhavan and other government buildings. 

Earlier on August 1, the apex court had on August 1 extended the foreign travel ban on Rajapaksa and his younger brother till August 4, when a plea seeking court to issue probe orders against those responsible for the current economic crisis. There was a proposal related to

On August 3, the court had once again extended this period till August 11.

A news portal tweeted, "The travel ban imposed on Mahinda and Basil has been extended by the Supreme Court till September 5."

A petition by former Ceylon Chamber of Commerce president Chandra Jayaratne, former Sri Lankan swimming champion Julian Bolling and a group from Transparency International Sri Lanka claims that Basil, Mahinda and former Central Bank governor Ajit Nivard Cabral are responsible for the economic crisis in Sri Lanka. was directly responsible.

The petitioners say that the present economic crisis arising out of the wrong policies of all these led to acute shortage of basic commodities like food grains, fuel and medicines.

Sri Lanka's top court on July 15 had barred the trio from leaving the country till July 28.

The ban was later extended till August 2.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa, former Sri Lankan president and brother of Mahinda and Basil, arrived in Singapore on July 14 on a "private visit" via the Maldives.

He fled his country to escape a rebellion against the economic mismanagement of his government.

Rajapaksa has been issued a new visa by Singapore, through which his stay there has been extended till August 11.

Sri Lanka's total external debt is $51 billion.