Country in state of emergency amid protests against president, who is reported to be heading for Saudi Arabia
The Sri Lankan president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, has arrived in Singapore, with his final destination reported to beSri Lanka has been gripped by mass protests over its economic meltdown, and tensions remained on a knife-edge on Thursday, with a curfew imposed in the commercial capital of Colombo and military tanks deployed on the roads.
However, the Singapore government made it clear Rajapaksa was not staying. In a swiftly released statement, the foreign ministry said he had been given entry to Singapore “on a private visit” and that “he has not asked for asylum and neither has he been granted any asylum”. On Thursday morning, the parliamentary speaker said he had spoken to Rajapaksa, who had conveyed he was “under a lot of pressure and that steps will be taken to send the resignation letter as soon as possible”.
On Thursday morning, protesters said they had handed back the government buildings they had occupied, including the president’s residential palace, and the prime minister’s offices and official residence, in order to maintain peace.
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