Gotabaya Rajapaksa flees to Maldives

Story by  ANI | Posted by  shaista fatima • 1 Years ago
Gotabaya Rajapaksa
Gotabaya Rajapaksa

 

Colombo

Sri Lanka's embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has flown out of the island nation on Wednesday, a media report said quoting officials. Rajapaksa on Monday signed his resignation letter which will be handed over to the speaker of Parliament to make a public announcement today.

Rajapaksa and his wife along with two bodyguards travelled to the Maldives after full approval of the country's Defense Ministry, Sri Lanka officials confirmed on Wednesday. "According to the request of the Government in accordance with the powers vested in an Executive President in the Constitution of Sri Lanka, His Excellency the President and the Lady along with two bodyguards from Katunayake International Airport to the Maldives subject to the full approval of the Ministry of Defense subject to immigration, customs and all other laws at Katunayake International Airport. An Air Force flight was given early in the morning on 13th July 2022 to depart," Sri Lankan Air Force Media Director said in a statement. 

Rajapaksa landed at the Velana International Airport in the Maldives early Wednesday. He is likely to leave for Singapore later in the day.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Wednesday will be sworn in as the President for a temporary period till a new President is elected by Parliament on July 20 and nominations for the presidency will be called for on July 19. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa took off from the country for the Maldives on an Antonov-32 military aircraft with his wife and a bodyguard who were among four passengers on board, the media reports stated citing immigration sources.

Moments before a crowd stormed the president's residence on July 9, Rajapaksa was evacuated from the President's House in Fort by the security forces and was protected on a naval vessel within the territorial waters of the country for security reasons. Notably, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe also stepped down from his posts amid the ongoing protests, saying that he took the decision to ensure the continuation of the government and the safety of all the citizens.

Sri Lanka is suffering its worst economic crisis since gaining independence in 1948, which comes on the heels of successive waves of COVID-19, threatening to undo years of development and severely undermining the country's ability to achieve the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The oil supply shortage has forced schools and government offices to close until further notice. Some 6.26 million Sri Lankans, or three in 10 households, are unsure of where their next meal is coming from, according to the latest food insecurity assessment from the World Food Programme (WFP).

ALSO READ: Ajmer Dargah: Jannatul Darwaza opens after two years

In the wake of record food price inflation, skyrocketing fuel costs and widespread commodity shortages, some 61 per cent of households are regularly using coping strategies to cut down on costs, such as reducing the amount they eat and consuming increasingly less nutritious meals.