Srilanka: Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the embattled president of Sri Lanka, left the country early on Wednesday for the Maldives, perhaps as a precursor to his resignation following months of widespread demonstrations against the island’s worst-ever economic crisis
Gotabaya Rajapaksa left his official mansion in Colombo shortly before tens of thousands of demonstrators overran it over the weekend, promising to step down on Wednesday to allow for a “peaceful transition of power.”
Rajapaksa is thought to have intended to leave the country before resigning in order to avoid the risk of being arrested because he is immune from arrest in his capacity as president.Four people were on board an Antonov-32 military plane when it took off from Sri Lanka’s principal international airport, including him, his wife, and a bodyguard.An airport official in Male reported that upon their arrival in the Maldives, they were escorted by police as they were driven to an undisclosed location.
The 73-year-old commander, formerly nicknamed as “The Terminator,” had been unable to leave for more than 24 hours due to an embarrassing standoff with immigration officials in Colombo.
