Colombo: Gotabaya Rajapaksa, his wife Ioma Rajapaksa and two bodyguards were to board a Singapore Airlines flight last night but were forced to return to the Maldives due to security reasons.
According to Maldivian government officials. Fugitive Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa boarded a Saudi Airlines flight today and will leave for Jeddah in Saudi Arabia after Singapore.
Rajapaksa fled Sri Lanka late on Tuesday and reached the Maldives on Wednesday, escaping the wrath of angry protesters demanding his resignation.
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom, Singapore and Bahrain have advised their citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Sri Lanka due to mounting protests following the massive economic collapse.
According to the Daily Mirror, Rajapaksa, his wife Ioma Rajapaksa and two bodyguards were due to take off on Singapore Airlines last night but could not board the plane due to security reasons. Later, Rajapaksa requested a private jet to Singapore and met Maldivian officials late in the night.
According to the report, Rajapaksa may announce his resignation from the post of President of Sri Lanka after reaching Singapore.
Sri Lanka's 73-year-old leader Rajapaksa promised to resign on Wednesday, 13 July. Instead, hours after fleeing the country he appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as acting president, prompting renewed protests in the island nation.
According to CNN-News18 sources, Rajapaksa is in talks with Singapore authorities, who have given him permission to relocate from Maldives to Singapore. According to local media in the Maldives, Rajapaksa may not stay in the country for long. Since he is still the President of Sri Lanka, Rajapaksa is free from prosecution. Fleeing from the island nation, he is also trying to avoid arrest by the new government.
Sri Lanka's speaker says he has the right to remove Rajapaksa if he does not resign.
Sri Lanka's interim President Mahinda Yapa Abhayawardene told Rajapaksa on Thursday that he should submit his resignation from the presidency at the earliest, or else he would consider other options to remove him. Abhayawardene said he informed Rajapaksa that he needed to submit his resignation at the earliest as he too was under pressure.
Sri Lanka, with a population of 22 million people, is facing unprecedented economic turmoil, the worst in seven decades, leaving millions unable to buy food, medicine, fuel and other necessities. Wickremesinghe declared Sri Lanka bankrupt last week.
SL parties threaten no-confidence motion against Ranil Wickremesinghe