CNN believes the source was referring to Saudia Flight 788, which departed Male at 11:30am. according to the source. The flight landed in Singapore at 7:17 p.m. local time on Thursday, according to Changi Airport’s website.
Saudi Arabia is the flag carrier of Saudi Arabia.
CNN reached out to the Singaporean and Saudi Arabian foreign ministries, but has not heard back.
Rajapaksa was in the Maldives for a day after leaving Sri Lanka early Wednesday — the same day he announced he would step down.
But as of Thursday, no formal letter of resignation had been received from the speaker of Sri Lanka’s parliament, raising questions about the intentions of an apparently self-imposed leader who appointed the prime minister as acting president during his absence from his island nation.
Shortly after Rajapaksa left the country, protesters stormed the office of Deputy President Ranil Wickremesinghe to demand his removal. Wickremesinghe responded by calling for a nationwide overnight curfew.
On Thursday, Wickremesinghe granted Sri Lanka’s armed forces special arrest powers and ordered them to “use force” if necessary to break up protests across the nation, military spokeswoman Brigadier General Nilantha Premaratne said in a televised address.
“In view of the escalating acts of violence, protesters who intend to harm the armed forces or public property are earnestly urged to cease all forms of violence immediately or be prepared to face consequences, as members of the armed forces are legally empowered to exercise violence. ” said Premaratne.
Many protesters have vowed to continue protesting until both men step down.
By Thursday morning, as questions swirled about Sri Lanka’s future, a calm had settled on the streets of the commercial capital, Colombo.
A lawyer representing the People’s Protest Movement said Thursday that all the occupied buildings, except for the Presidential Secretariat, would be handed back to the authorities.
“We want to confirm that this is a peaceful protest and we have no intention of resorting to any form of violence,” Swasthika Arulingam told reporters.
“This has always been and will continue to be a peaceful movement.”
But everywhere there are signs that the country remains on a knife’s edge.
Amid extreme fuel shortages, abandoned vehicles line the roads near gas stations. People can no longer drive to work, so they cycle. Some have fallen asleep in their cars.
The Sri Lankan police force reported that one police officer was seriously injured during the protests and was being treated in hospital. A sergeant had also been injured, he added.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Thursday he was following events in Sri Lanka “very closely” and called for a “peaceful and democratic transition.”
“It is important to address the root causes of the conflict and the grievances of the protesters,” he tweeted. “I urge all party leaders to embrace the spirit of compromise for a peaceful and democratic transition.”
