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Sri Lanka’s president is considering using a navy patrol craft to flee the island on Tuesday, official sources said.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa has promised to resign on Wednesday to pave the way for a “peaceful transition of power” after widespread protests against him over the country’s worst economic crisis.
The 73-year-old leader left his official residence in Colombo shortly before tens of thousands of protesters overran it on Saturday. He then wanted to travel to Dubai, officials said.
As president, Rajapaksa enjoys immunity from arrest and is believed to want to go abroad before leaving office to avoid the possibility of arrest.
But immigration officers refused to go into the VIP suite to stamp his passport, while he insisted he would not go through public facilities, fearing reprisals from other airport users.
The president and his wife spent the night at a military base near Bandaranaike’s main international airport after missing four flights that could have taken them to the United Arab Emirates.
The president and his wife spent the night at a military base near Bandaranaike’s main international airport after missing four flights that could have taken them to the United Arab Emirates.
Rajapaksa’s younger brother Basil, who resigned in April as finance minister, missed his Emirates flight to Dubai after similar problems with airport staff.
Rajapaksa’s younger brother Basil, who resigned in April as finance minister, missed his Emirates flight to Dubai early on Tuesday after a similar clash with airport staff.
Basil, who holds American citizenship in addition to his Sri Lankan nationality, tried to use a paid service for business travelers, but airport and immigration staff said they were withdrawing the express service with immediate effect.
“There were several other passengers who protested against Basil boarding their flight,” an airport official told AFP. “It was a tense situation, so he left the airport in a hurry.”
Over the weekend, protesters entered the president’s home in Colombo. The city was quieter on Monday, where hundreds of people were seen at the president’s residence. The police made no attempt to intervene./REL
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