Colombo:
Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who is expected to resign today, arrived in Maldives early this morning following massive protests against him. He was received by Maldivian government officials at the Velana airport in Male.
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President Rajapaksa, his wife and a bodyguard were among four passengers on board an Antonov-32 military aircraft which took off from Colombo international airport for the Maldives last night, sources have said.
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On arrival in the Maldives, they were driven to an undisclosed location under police escort, an airport official in Male said.
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Gotabaya Rajapaksa had promised to resign on Wednesday and clear the way for a “peaceful transition of power”. Sources say the Lankan parliament will convene a special session on July 15 to finalise the name of the new President.
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As president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa enjoys immunity from arrest, and he wanted to go abroad before stepping down to avoid the possibility of being detained.
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On Tuesday, President Rajapaksa was stopped from leaving his country following a humiliating standoff with airport immigration staff. Immigration officers refused to go to the VIP suite to stamp his passport, while he insisted he would not go through the public facilities, fearing reprisals from other airport users.
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Rajapaksa’s youngest brother Basil, who resigned in April as finance minister, also missed his Emirates flight to Dubai yesterday after a tense standoff with the airport staff. He had to stay back after people at the airport identified him and immigration officers refused to clear his journey.
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Sri Lanka is in the throes of a massive economic crisis over the past few months, and the protests reached a climax this weekend when protesters barged into the official residences of the President and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.
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Prime Minister Wickremesinghe has also announced that he will step down once the all-party government is ready to take over.
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The last couple of days have thrown up shocking scenes of protesters exploring the President’s residence. Many have hit out at the President and his family members for leading a lavish life as the people of the country suffered.
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Sri Lanka has run out of foreign exchange to finance even the most essential imports, leading to severe hardships for its 22 million people. The country defaulted on its $51-billion foreign debt in April and is in talks with the International Monetary Fund for a possible bailout.