There was a tense silence from President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled to the Maldives early Wednesday morning. According to local media, he was still waiting for a private jet to take him to his final destination of Singapore on Thursday after it was deemed a safety risk for him to take a commercial flight. The House speaker said the president’s resignation letter had not yet arrived early Thursday morning. Sri Lanka is under a state of emergency after protesters stormed the prime minister’s offices and occupied the state television station on Wednesday, amid growing anger over Rajapaksa’s failure to step down. As president he is immune from arrest. Many believe his resignation announcement will not come until he reaches his final destination and secures protection from prosecution, both for alleged corruption and long-running war crimes charges during Sri Lanka’s civil war when he led of the armed forces. Rajapaksa, who has been president since November 2019, is seen as responsible for driving Sri Lanka into its worst economic crisis since independence in 1948, which has led to severe shortages of fuel, food and medicine. Along with several members of his politically powerful family who held political positions, the Rajapaksas are accused of financial mismanagement and widespread corruption. Protesters, along with unions and civil society groups, issued a warning this week that their actions would escalate if President Rajapaksa did not step down by July 13, a date he had repeatedly conveyed through MPs and the prime minister would be his departure. President Rajapaksa has not directly addressed the people of Sri Lanka since he was evacuated from his home on Saturday morning, ahead of protests that would have seen the presidential palace and offices occupied. Officially Rajapaksa remains president but appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as “acting president” with full executive powers, a move rejected by protesters who called for both to step down. Protesters had filled the streets of Colombo on Wednesday and, after facing police and army tension and tear gas, occupied the offices of Prime Minister Wickremesinghe, demanding that he step down as both prime minister and interim president. Wickremesinghe had used his new executive powers to declare a state of emergency, an overnight curfew and call on the army and police to “do whatever is necessary” to prevent protesters from entering government buildings. However, it was not clear whether Wickremesinghe had full control of the armed forces. A statement issued by former army chief Sarath Fonseka urged officers not to open fire on unarmed protesters and said their guns should be aimed at corrupt politicians. On Wednesday night, Wickremesinghe instructed opposition leaders to nominate a new candidate for prime minister. Late in the evening, some factions of protesters gathered outside the parliament and tried to enter inside, but were hit with tear gas and the attempt to occupy the building was criticized by some groups. More than 40 people were injured in the clashes. Local media reported that a 26-year-old protester who was hospitalized after being tear gassed died of breathing difficulties.
