Sri Lanka바카라s embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa left the Maldives on Thursday after fleeing his own country amid mass protests demanding he resigns over his country바카라s economic collapse.
A Maldives government official said Rajapaksa boarded a flight of Saudia, formerly known as Saudi Arabian Airlines, on Thursday bound for Singapore.
Sri Lanka바카라s embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa left the Maldives on Thursday after fleeing his own country amid mass protests demanding he resigns over his country바카라s economic collapse.
A Maldives government official said Rajapaksa boarded a flight of Saudia, formerly known as Saudi Arabian Airlines, on Thursday bound for Singapore. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.
Rajapaksa and his wife fled Sri Lanka early Wednesday aboard an air force jet as protesters were taking over government buildings to demand he resign. Rajapaksa promised over the weekend he would do so, but instead, he named his prime minister acting president in his absence, further incensing those who blame the government for the crisis.
Meanwhile Thursday, the government announced a curfew in the capital Colombo and its suburbs to run until 5 a.m. Friday and protesters were withdrawing from the presidential palace after occupying it during the weekend. Some were seen unrolling a red carpet in the palace as they left.
Anticipating more protests after a group attempted to storm the Parliament바카라s entrance a day earlier, troops in green military uniforms and camouflage vests arrived by armored personnel carriers Thursday to reinforce barricades around the building.
Some protesters had posted videos on social media pleading with others not to storm the Parliament, fearing an escalation of violence.
Protest leader Devinda Kodagode told The Associated Press they were vacating official buildings after the Parliament speaker said he was seeking legal options to consider since Rajapaksa left without submitting his resignation letter as promised.
The protesters accuse the president and his powerful political family of siphoning money from government coffers for years and Rajapaksa바카라s administration of hastening the country바카라s collapse by mismanaging the economy. The family has denied the corruption allegations, but Rajapaksa acknowledged some of his policies contributed to the meltdown.
It was not immediately clear what Rajapaksa바카라s destination would be. Maldives officials initially indicated he planned to travel onward to Saudi Arabia, but later could only confirm his first stop in Singapore. Since Sri Lankan presidents are protected from arrest while in power it바카라s likely Rajapaksa planned his departure while he still had constitutional immunity and access to a military jet.
On Wednesday, protesters undeterred by multiple rounds of tear gas scaled the walls to enter the office of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as the crowd outside cheered in support and tossed water bottles to them. Protesters took turns posing at the prime minister바카라s desk or stood on a rooftop terrace waving the Sri Lankan flag.
Amid the mounting chaos, Wickremesinghe바카라s office imposed a state of emergency giving broader powers to the military and police. Defense leaders have called for calm and cooperation with security forces 바카라 comments that have rankled some lawmakers who insist civilian leaders would be the ones to find a solution.
The protesters blame the Rajapaksas for leading the country into an economic abyss, but they are also furious with Wickremesinghe. They believe he has protected the president and that his appointment in May alleviated pressure on Rajapaksa to resign.
Wickremesinghe also has said he will resign, but not until a new government is in place. He has urged the speaker of Parliament to find a new prime minister agreeable to both the ruling and opposition parties.
It바카라s unclear when that might happen since the opposition is deeply fractured. But assuming that Rajapaksa resigns as promised, Sri Lankan lawmakers have agreed to elect a new president on July 20 who will serve the remainder of Rajapaksa바카라s term, which ends in 2024. That person could potentially appoint a new prime minister, who would then have to be approved by Parliament.
The political impasse threatens to worsen the bankrupt nation바카라s economic collapse since the absence of an alternative government could delay a hoped-for bailout from the International Monetary Fund. In the meantime, the country is relying on aid from India and China.
The shortages of basic necessities have sown despair among Sri Lanka바카라s 22 million people. The country바카라s rapid decline was all the more shocking because, before the recent crisis, the economy had been expanding, with a growing, comfortable middle class.
바카라Gotabaya resigning is one problem solved 바카라 but there are so many more,바카라 said Bhasura Wickremesinghe, a 24-year-old student of maritime electrical engineering, who is not related to the prime minister.
He complained that Sri Lankan politics have been dominated for years by 바카라old politicians바카라 who all need to go. 바카라Politics needs to be treated like a job 바카라 you need to have qualifications that get you hired, not because of what your last name is,바카라 he said, referring to the Rajapaksa family.
After the president fled to the Maldives the whereabouts of other Rajapaksa family members who had served in the government were unclear.