Sri Lanka’s president, who has vowed to step down after mass protests, planned to leave the country by boat today after he was humiliatingly pushed away by immigration officials at Colombo airport, official sources said.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s advisers are discussing removing the president and his entourage by patrol boat, according to a senior defense source. The presidency’s office has not released an update on his condition, but Rajapaksa retains his position as head of the armed forces, thus having military assets at his disposal. A warship had already been used to transport the head of state on Saturday from the presidential palace, which was besieged by protesters, to the port of Trincomalee in the north-east of the country.
“The best solution now is for him to leave by sea,” the defense official said. “He could go to the Maldives or India and get on a flight to Dubai.” Another solution, according to the same source, would be to charter a flight from Matala International Airport.
Earlier today, immigration officials at Colombo airport denied Rajapaksa access to the VIP lounge to stamp his passport, with the head of state keen to avoid a terminal open to the public, fearing a backlash.
As he has not yet resigned, which he promised to do tomorrow, Wednesday, for a “peaceful transition of power”, Rajapaksa enjoys presidential immunity. He may want to take advantage of it to flee abroad. The president and his wife spent the previous night at a military base near the international airport after missing four flights that could have taken them to the United Arab Emirates.
His younger brother Basil, who resigned as finance minister in April, also missed his flight to Dubai after a similar standoff with immigration officials.
Basil tried to use a service for business travelers, but staff at the airport and immigration services announced the suspension of this service with immediate effect.
“Some other passengers protested against Basil boarding their flight,” an airport official told AFP. “It was a tense situation, so he left the airport in a hurry.”
Basil, who also holds US citizenship, was expected to apply for a new passport after leaving his own at the presidential palace, which the Rajapaksa family abandoned on Saturday after thousands of protesters stormed it, a diplomatic source said.
SOURCE: AMPE
Source: Capital

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