Sri Lanka’s denuclearized President Gotabaya Rajapaksa Flew Out Of His Country Early Wednesday, In A Probable Prelude To His Resignation After Months Of Wide Demurrers Over The Island Nation’s Worst-ever Profitable Crisis.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa Had Promised At The Weekend To Abdicate On Wednesday And Clear The Way For A “Peaceful Transition Of Power”, After Fleeing His Functionary Residence In Colombo Just Before The Knockouts Of Thousands Of Protesters Overran It.
As President, Rajapaksa enjoys immunity from arrest, and he is believed to have wanted to go abroad before stepping down to avoid the possibility of being detained.
He, His Woman, And A Bodyguard Were Among Four Passengers On Board An Antonov-32 Military Aircraft Which Took Off From The Main International Airport Heading For The Neighboring Maldives, According To Immigration Sources.
” Their Passports Were Stamped And They Boarded The Special Air Force Flight,” An Immigration Official Involved In The Process Told AFP.
The Departure Of The 73-year-old Leader Once Known As’ The Terminator ‘Had Been Stymied For More Than 24 Hours In A Humiliating Stand-off With Immigration Personnel At The Field.
He had wanted to fly to Dubai on a marketable flight, but the staff at Bandaranaike International withdrew from personal services and claimed that all passengers had to go through public counters.
The Presidential Party Was Reticent To Go Through Regular Channels Stewing Public Responses, A Security Official Said, And As A Result, They Missed Four Breakouts On Monday That Could Have Taken Them To The United Arab Emirates.
The Concurrence For A Military Flight To Land In The Closest Neighbour Of India Was Not Incontinently Secured, A Security Official Said, And At One Point On Tuesday, The Group Headed To A Naval Base With A View To Fleeing By Sea.
Rajapaksa’s youngest brother, Basil, who abnegated in April as Finance Minister, missed his own Emirates flight to Dubai early Tuesday after a tense standoff with the airport staff.
Basil, who holds US citizenship in addition to Sri Lankan nationality, Tried To Use A Paid Concierge Service For Business Travelers, But Airport And Immigration Staff Said They Had Withdrawn From The Fast Track Service.
