Sri Lankan President Gotabaya flees to Maldives; ‘Only transit,’ says Male-based source

Sri Lankan Air Force confirmed that Gotabaya Rajapaksa boarded an Air Force flight to the Maldives, days after enraged protesters overran his office and residence in a protest sparked by a devastating economic crisis.

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the island and reached the nearby Maldives in the early hours of Wednesday, ahead of his promised resignation, days after enraged protesters overran his office and residence in a protest sparked by a devastating economic crisis.

However, a top official in Maldives, who asked not to be named, citing “sensitivity” of the embattled leader’s arrival, told The Hindu that Mr. Gotabaya would “only transit” the country. Asked where the Sri Lankan leader was headed next, the source declined comment. Mr. Gotabaya’s final destination remains unclear.

The United States refused a visa to him, while India has “categorically denied” facilitating travel of Mr. Gotabaya, or his younger brother and former Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa.

In a couple of tweets put out on Wednesday morning, the Indian High Commission in Colombo “reiterated” its support to the people of Sri Lanka, “as they seek to realise their aspirations for prosperity and progress through democratic means and values, established democratic institutions and constitutional framework.”

 Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) confirmed that the President, First Lady and two bodyguards boarded an Air Force flight to the Maldives early on Wednesday. “In accordance with the powers vested in an Executive President in the Constitution of Sri Lanka, at the request of the existing Government, subject to the full approval of the Ministry of Defence, and subject to immigration, customs and all other laws at the Katunayake International Airport, the President along with the First Lady and two security guards departed on an Air Force flight to Maldives early this morning,” the SLAF said in a statement, of its services to Mr. Gotabaya, who holds the positions of Minister of Defence and Commander-in-Chief, until his likely resignation later on Wednesday.   

Media reports said the Maldives’s Parliamentary Speaker and former President Mohamed Nasheed received Mr. Gotabaya at the airport, but there is no official word from Male so far.

Mr. Nasheed has maintained close friendships with all Sri Lankan leaders, across the political spectrum. In May, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe appointed Mr. Nasheed as the “coordinator” for securing foreign aid to Sri Lanka.