Protests break out across Colombo demanding Maldives-bound Gotabaya Rajapaksa step down immediately
The Sri Lankan president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, has fled to the Maldives on a military jet hours before he was due to resign on Wednesday, after days of extraordinary scenes – including his presidential palace and office being taken over by anti-government protesters.
The air force confirmed that Rajapaksa, his wife and two security guards boarded a military aircraft in the, after he invoked executive powers to enable his escape. “Under the provisions of the constitution and on a request by the government, the Sri Lanka air force provided a plane early today to fly the president, his wife and two security officials to the Maldives,” a statement said. They arrived in Malé, the Maldives capital, at 3am.
Protesters, activists and lawyers have called for the president to be prosecuted, along with various Rajapaksa family members, over alleged corruption and human rights abuses. Rajapaksa’s escape to the Maldives followed a dramatic 24 hours in which he unsuccessfully tried various means of leaving the country. He was blocked from boarding a commercial flight to Dubai on Monday night after airport staff refused to stamp his passport in the VIP area of the airport. India also refused to give permission for his plane to land on its soil.
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