COLOMBO: Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled to the Maldives on a military jet with his wife and two bodyguards on Wednesday, driven out after an economic collapse unleashed a popular uprising that appeared to end his family’s near two-decade dominance of the country.
His decision to leave his ally PM Ranil Wickremesinghe in charge as acting president triggered more demonstrations, with protesters storming the premier’s office on Colombo, demanding that he go too. Wickremesinghe, whose whereabouts are unknown, declared emergency and a nationwide curfew till Thursday morning in a bid to prevent further unrest.
Rajapaksa, who is said to be flying from the Maldives to Singapore, is yet to send in his resignation though he has promised to do so. The move to flee while still president grants him immunity from being detained by a new government.
