Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who had announced his resignation after the episodic protests of the previous days, left the country by plane, as reported a while ago by the French News Agency (AFP).
Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who had announced his resignation after the episodic protests of the previous days, left the country by plane, as reported a while ago by the French News Agency (AFP).
Earlier today it emerged he was planning to leave by boat after immigration officials at Colombo airport allegedly pushed him away in a humiliating manner. A warship had already been used to transport the head of state on Saturday from the presidential palace, which was besieged by protesters, to the port of Trincomalee in the north-east of the country.
Immigration officials at Colombo airport reportedly denied Rajapaksa access to the VIP lounge to stamp his passport as he wanted to avoid a terminal open to the public for fear of public backlash.
The president and his wife spent the previous night at a military base near the international airport after missing four flights that could have taken them to the United Arab Emirates.
RES-EMP
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