Officials at the airport in Colombo, Sri Lanka, prevented the president from escaping on Monday (12), bound for Dubai. Gotabaya Rajapaksa is trying to leave the country after thousands of protesters stormed his home a few days ago, in a massive protest against what they see as the mismanagement of Sri Lanka’s biggest crisis in decades.
According to officials, the immigration team refused to let Rajapaksa go to the airport’s VIP area to have his passport stamped, and he did not want to face the usual lines for fear of being harassed by the public. Rajapaksa reportedly missed four flights to the United Arab Emirates and, along with his wife, had to return to a nearby military base.
The president promised to resign on Wednesday (13), paving the way for a peaceful transition in the face of the protests that led to his downfall and that of several ministers. As he has not yet resigned, Rajapaksa benefits from presidential immunity and can use it to seek refuge abroad.
Barred from flying, he is now examining the possibility of fleeing the country on a navy vessel, officials told the AFP news agency.
The president wasn’t the only family member to make a bankrupt escape. His younger brother, Basil Rajapaksa, who served as finance minister and is also accused of corruption, was prevented from boarding a flight to the United States via Dubai on Tuesday morning after protests by passengers. Airport officials prevented him from entering the aircraft and, as the situation grew tense, Basil, who also holds US citizenship, backed off.
After the escape attempts, a motion was filed with the Supreme Court asking for an order to ban some members of the Rajapaksa family from leaving the country. In addition to the president and Basil, the motion includes Mahinda Rajapaksa, Basil’s older brother who was forced to resign as prime minister in May, as well as prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.
The president has not been seen in public since Friday, when his home was raided, and his whereabouts are uncertain. Parliament will elect his replacement on July 20 — the favorite to take office is opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, the son of an assassinated president.
The Rajapaksa family has dominated politics on the island of 22 million people for years and most Sinhalese blame them for their current misery – Sri Lanka is experiencing its worst economic crisis since gaining independence from England in 1948 with the collapse of the economy dependent on tourism, hit hard by the pandemic.
The Sri Lankans also blame the president for banning the use of chemical fertilizers, a measure that was later reversed but which harmed agricultural production. Currently, the country barely has dollars to import fuel, which has been severely rationed, and in recent days long lines have formed in front of stores that sell cooking gas.
Inflation reached 54.6% last month, but the Central Bank has warned it could rise to 70% in the coming months.
