Sri Lanka president flees to Maldives amid mass protests

Colombo: Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa left the country in a military plane early Wednesday and landed in the Maldives amid ongoing protests, the country’s air force reported.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country, just days after thousands of protesters stormed his residence over the nation's crippling economic crisis.

Protesters, in recent days, had broken into Rajapaksa's home, occupying beds and swimming in a pool. They had also targeted the prime minister's private residence and set it on fire.

Sri Lankan Air Force Media Unit confirmed in a statement that an aircraft was provided for the president and his wife for their flight to the Maldives. The flight was approved by the defense ministry. All immigration and customs laws were adhered to, the statement said.

The Prime Minister’s Office also confirmed that the president had left the country.

According to information from airport officials, Rajapaksa reached the Maldivian capital of Male before going away to an undisclosed location amid a strong security cover by the police. 

President Rajapaksa’s resignation is expected to be formalized later during the day.

On Tuesday, Sri Lankan airport authorities prevented Basil Rajapaksa, a former finance minister and younger brother of the president, from leaving the country, who tried to board a flight to Dubai from a VIP area of the airport.

The island has been suffering from a severe shortage of medicines, food and fuel, caused in part by heavy sovereign debt, misguided government policies, and the impact of the pandemic on tourism, one of its main sources of income. 

It is pertinent to mention here that Sri Lanka’s inflation levels reached 54.6% in June. 

The nation's political turmoil could impact its hopes of receiving a bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). 

Officials have to submit a plan to the IMF in August on debt sustainability before a deal can be reached.