Gotabaya Rajapaksa, his wife and a bodyguard were among four passengers on board an Antonov-32 aircraft that flew from main international airport, immigration officials say.
A man waves Sri Lanka’s national flag after climbing a tower near the presidential secretariat in Colombo after it was overrun by anti-government protestors. (AFP)
Sri Lanka’s embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has flown out of the country in a military plane heading to the neighbouring Maldives, local officials said, following widespread protests against him.
The 73-year-old leader, his wife and a bodyguard were among four passengers on board an Antonov-32 aircraft that took off early on Wednesday from the main international airport, immigration officials told the AFP news agency.
Earlier on Tuesday, Rajapaksa headed to a naval base with a view to fleeing his island by ship following a humiliating standoff at the airport, official sources said.
Rajapaksa has promised to resign on Wednesday and clear the way for a “peaceful transition of power” following widespread protests against him over the country’s worst economic crisis.
He fled his official residence in Colombo just before tens of thousands of protesters overran it on Saturday.
READ MORE: ‘Change the system’: How Sri Lankans descended on capital to protest
Basil Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka’s former finance minister was denied by passengers & immigration staff to leave the country for Dubai. Brother of Mahinda & Gotabaya also holds an American passport. pic.twitter.com/8PKpWMywAN
Hasty retreat
Rajapaksa’s youngest brother Basil, who resigned in April as finance minister, missed his own Emirates flight to Dubai early on Tuesday after a tense standoff with the airport staff.
Basil –– who holds US citizenship in addition to Sri Lankan nationality -–– tried to use a paid concierge service for business travellers, but the airport and immigration staff said they had withdrawn from the fast track service.
“There were some other passengers who protested against Basil boarding their flight,” an airport official told AFP.
“It was a tense situation, so he hurriedly left the airport.”
Basil had to obtain a new US passport after leaving his suitcase behind at the presidential palace when the Rajapaksas beat a hasty retreat to avoid mobs on Saturday, a diplomatic source said.
Official sources said a suitcase full of documents had also been left behind at the stately mansion along with 17.85 million rupees (about $50,000) in cash, now in the custody of a Colombo court.
There was no official word from the president’s office about his whereabouts, but he remained commander-in-chief of the armed forces with military resources at his disposal.
Rajapaksa is accused of mismanaging the economy to a point where the country has run out of foreign exchange to finance even the most essential imports, leading to severe hardships for the 22 million population.
If he steps down as promised, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will automatically become acting president until parliament elects an MP to serve out the presidential term, which ends in November 2024.
Sri Lanka defaulted on its $51-billion foreign debt in April and is in talks with the IMF for a possible bailout.
READ MORE: ‘We won’t give up’: Sri Lankans refuse to leave presidential palace
Source: AFP
No comments: