Sri Lanka’s head of state has been housed in a military base after fleeing the presidential palace. Gotabaya Rajapaksa spent Tuesday night with his wife at an air force base on the grounds of Bandaranaike International Airport.
According to local media, he wants to travel to Dubai. Rajapaksa has announced his resignation for Wednesday. However, according to airport officials, four flights to the Middle East departed from the airport, about 30 kilometers north of the capital Colombo, without Rajapaksa on board.
The president waited in vain in the VIP lounge for immigration officials to stamp his passport.
Feared harassment from other visitors
The situation was humiliating for the once powerful head of state. According to the information, the 73-year-old refused to go through security and passport control in public areas because he feared harassment from other visitors to the airport.
Observers suspected that Rajapaksa wanted to avoid arrest by leaving the country quickly. As long as he is still president, he enjoys immunity from prosecution.
Presidential palace stormed in Colombo
Protesters stormed the presidential palace in Colombo on Saturday and Rajapaksa fled through a back door. He then announced his resignation for Wednesday. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe also offered to resign.
The exact whereabouts of Rajapaksa after fleeing the presidential palace was temporarily unclear. The Defense Ministry representative told AFP that the head of state was first housed in a naval facility before being taken to the air base at the airport.
Russia asked for help
The massive anti-government protests were mainly caused by the severe economic crisis in the South Asian island state. Recently, the government has been unable to finance major imports such as food, fuel and medicines. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka has asked the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Russia for help.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
