President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, his wife and two bodyguards left on a Sri Lankan Air Force plane bound for Malé, the capital of the Maldives, according to an immigration official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation. Immigration authorities cannot by law prevent a sitting president from leaving the country, an official told Reuters news agency. The president would likely go to another Asian country from there, the source said. Rajapaksa had agreed to resign under pressure. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has said he will step down once a new government is formed. Sri Lankan presidents are protected from arrest while in office and it is possible that Rajapaksa was planning his escape while he still had constitutional immunity.
“He should be in jail”
Lawmakers agreed to elect a new president next week, but struggled on Tuesday to decide on the composition of a new government to pull the bankrupt country out of economic and political collapse. Promised resignations have not brought an end to the crisis — and protesters have vowed to occupy official buildings until their top leaders leave. WATCHES | President and Prime Minister promise to resign:
Sri Lanka’s president and prime minister vow to resign amid protests
Sri Lanka’s president, prime minister and entire cabinet are vowing to resign as protesters continue to rage against the country’s current economic crisis. For days, people flock to the presidential palace almost as if it were a tourist attraction – swimming in the pool, admiring the paintings and lying on the pillow-filled beds. At one point, they also burned the prime minister’s private residence. “I’m not happy that he ran away. He should be in jail,” said Malik D’Silva, a 25-year-old protester occupying the president’s office. He has taken part in protests for the past 97 days. Rajapaksa has “destroyed this country and stolen our money. We will not stop until we have a new president and prime minister,” D’Silva said. He said he voted for Rajapaksa in 2019 believing his military background would keep the country safe after Islamic State-inspired bombings earlier that year killed more than 260 people.
Political controversy
While lawmakers agreed late Monday to elect a new president from among their ranks on July 20, they have yet to decide who will take over as prime minister and fill the cabinet. The new president will serve out the remainder of Rajapaksa’s term, which ends in 2024 — and could potentially appoint a new prime minister, who would then have to be approved by parliament. The prime minister will serve as president until a replacement is chosen – an arrangement sure to further anger protesters who want Wickremesinghe out immediately. Corruption and mismanagement have left the island nation saddled with debt, unable to pay for imports of essential goods and causing despair among its 22 million residents. Participants look at Rajapaksa’s pre-recorded speech played on a screen at a conference in Tokyo in May. (Eugene Hoshiko/The Associated Press) The tourism-dependent economy has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and a drop in foreign remittances from Sri Lanka, while a ban on chemical fertilizers has decimated farm production. The ban was later reversed. Sri Lankans are skipping meals and queuing for hours to try to buy scarce fuel – a harsh reality in a country that had a fast-growing economy and a growing and comfortable middle class until the latest crisis deepened. Inflation hit 54.6% last month and the central bank has warned it could rise to 70% in the coming months. LISTEN | Sri Lanka in Canada mirrors protests back home: All in One Day8:16 Ottawa Sri Lankan Community Member Protests in Home Country Demonstrators are demanding that Sri Lanka’s president and prime minister step down. The political deadlock added fuel to the economic crisis, as the absence of an alternative unity government threatened to delay an expected bailout from the International Monetary Fund. The government must submit a debt sustainability plan to the IMF in August before reaching a deal. In the meantime, the country relies on aid from neighboring India and China. Asked if China was in talks with Sri Lanka about possible loans, a Chinese foreign ministry official gave no indication if such discussions were taking place. People wait in a line waiting to buy cooking gas near a distribution center in Colombo on Tuesday. The country faces severe shortages of food, fuel and medicine. (Eranga Jayawardena/The Associated Press) “China will continue to provide assistance as our capabilities enable Sri Lanka’s social development and economic recovery,” said spokesman Wang Wenbin. “Regarding its debt to China, we support the relevant financial institutions in finding an appropriate solution through consultations with Sri Lanka.” On Tuesday, Sri Lanka’s religious leaders urged protesters to leave the government buildings they are occupying if Rajapaksa steps down as promised on Wednesday. Protesters have vowed to wait until both Rajapaksa and Wickremesinghe step down. After the storming of government buildings, “it was clear that there is a consensus in the country that the government leadership needs to change,” said Jehan Perera, executive director of the Sri Lanka National Peace Council, a think tank. Months of protests have dismantled the Rajapaksa political dynasty, which has ruled Sri Lanka for most of the past two decades. Protesters accuse the president and his relatives of siphoning money from state coffers for years and the Rajapaksa administration of hastening the country’s collapse by mismanaging the economy. The family has denied allegations of corruption, but Rajapaksa has acknowledged that some of his policies contributed to the collapse. The President had not appeared or been notified since Saturday, although his office issued statements indicating that he was still performing his duties. On Tuesday, immigration officials prevented another of the president’s brothers, former finance minister Basil Rajapaksa, from flying out of the country. It was not clear where Basil Rajapaksa, who also holds US citizenship, was trying to go.
