Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa flees region amid widespread protests
Sri Lanka’s embattled president flew out of his place early Wednesday, in a possible prelude to his resignation soon after months of widespread protests about the island nation’s worst-at any time financial disaster.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa experienced promised at the weekend to resign on Wednesday and apparent the way for a “peaceful transition of electric power”, following fleeing his official home in Colombo just just before tens of hundreds of protesters overran it.
As president, Rajapaksa enjoys immunity from arrest, and he is thought to have required to go overseas ahead of stepping down to keep away from the possibility of staying detained.
Also Read: BJP govt will face Sri Lanka and Afghanistan-like protests by people today, states TMC’s Abhishek Banerjee
He, his wife and a bodyguard have been amongst 4 passengers on board an Antonov-32 military plane which took off from the most important intercontinental airport heading for the neighbouring Maldives, in accordance to immigration resources.
“Their passports were stamped and they boarded the unique air drive flight,” an immigration formal associated in the method advised AFP.
The departure of the 73-12 months-aged chief after identified as ‘The Terminator’ experienced been stymied for a lot more than 24 several hours in a humiliating stand-off with immigration staff at the airport.
He experienced needed to fly to Dubai on a professional flight, but staff members at Bandaranaike Intercontinental withdrew from VIP products and services and insisted that all passengers had to go through general public counters.
The presidential celebration had been reluctant to go by means of regular channels fearing community reactions, a safety formal mentioned, and as a outcome missed four flights on Monday that could have taken them to the United Arab Emirates.
Clearance for a armed forces flight to land in the closest neighbour India was not promptly secured, a safety official said, and at one particular position on Tuesday the team headed to a naval foundation with a view to fleeing by sea.
Rajapaksa’s youngest brother Basil, who resigned in April as finance minister, skipped his personal Emirates flight to Dubai early Tuesday after a tense standoff of his personal with airport workers.
Basil — who holds US citizenship in addition to Sri Lankan nationality — experimented with to use a compensated concierge provider for business enterprise travellers, but airport and immigration staff members said they experienced withdrawn from the rapid track service.
Also Go through: Protesters camp, cook dinner within Sri Lanka PM’s Colombo dwelling
— Ends —
Sri Lanka’s embattled president flew out of his place early Wednesday, in a possible prelude to his resignation soon after months of widespread protests about the island nation’s worst-at any time financial disaster.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa experienced promised at the weekend to resign on Wednesday and apparent the way for a “peaceful transition of electric power”, following fleeing his official home in Colombo just just before tens of hundreds of protesters overran it.
As president, Rajapaksa enjoys immunity from arrest, and he is thought to have required to go overseas ahead of stepping down to keep away from the possibility of staying detained.
Also Read: BJP govt will face Sri Lanka and Afghanistan-like protests by people today, states TMC’s Abhishek Banerjee
He, his wife and a bodyguard have been amongst 4 passengers on board an Antonov-32 military plane which took off from the most important intercontinental airport heading for the neighbouring Maldives, in accordance to immigration resources.
“Their passports were stamped and they boarded the unique air drive flight,” an immigration formal associated in the method advised AFP.
The departure of the 73-12 months-aged chief after identified as ‘The Terminator’ experienced been stymied for a lot more than 24 several hours in a humiliating stand-off with immigration staff at the airport.
He experienced needed to fly to Dubai on a professional flight, but staff members at Bandaranaike Intercontinental withdrew from VIP products and services and insisted that all passengers had to go through general public counters.
The presidential celebration had been reluctant to go by means of regular channels fearing community reactions, a safety formal mentioned, and as a outcome missed four flights on Monday that could have taken them to the United Arab Emirates.
Clearance for a armed forces flight to land in the closest neighbour India was not promptly secured, a safety official said, and at one particular position on Tuesday the team headed to a naval foundation with a view to fleeing by sea.
Rajapaksa’s youngest brother Basil, who resigned in April as finance minister, skipped his personal Emirates flight to Dubai early Tuesday after a tense standoff of his personal with airport workers.
Basil — who holds US citizenship in addition to Sri Lankan nationality — experimented with to use a compensated concierge provider for business enterprise travellers, but airport and immigration staff members said they experienced withdrawn from the rapid track service.
Also Go through: Protesters camp, cook dinner within Sri Lanka PM’s Colombo dwelling
— Ends —