Try, try, and fly away: How Gotabaya Rajapaksa escaped from Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa managed to flee Sri Lanka in the early hours of July 13 and soon the government announced the imposition of an emergency in the island nation

On July 13, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was expected to resign. But, Lankan citizens woke up to the news that their president fled the nation in the wee hours of Wednesday in a military aircraft and landed in the Maldives. Soon after the news was announced, the government declared an emergency.

 

Amid an economic crisis that triggered severe shortages of food and fuel in the nation, Rajapaksa announced that he would resign from his post after thousands of protesters stormed his and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's official residence on Saturday. 

 

But, Rajapaksa, with his wife and two bodyguards, left the nation in a Sri Lankan Air Force plane and landed in Maldives' capital, Male, multiple media reports said 

 

This came a day after Rajapaksa was stopped from flying to Dubai at the nation's international airport. 

 

How did Rajapaksa flee Sri Lanka? 

 

After months of protests over the economic crisis in Lanka, thousands of demonstrators stormed the president's and prime minister's residences on July 9. A group of protesters set Wickremesinghe's house on fire at the president's home, and people awestruck by the luxury partied in his swimming pool and took selfies in the palace. 

 

Giving in to the widespread protests against the government, Rajapaksa told the Parliament Speaker later that day that he would resign on Wednesday. Wickremesinghe had already expressed his willingness to resign. 

 

Soon after the announcement, Rajapaksa, who was moved out of his official residence on Friday, went incommunicado as reports said that his whereabouts were unknown. By Sunday evening, from an undisclosed location, the president ordered officials to ensure the smooth distribution of cooking gas after the fuel-starved country received 3,700 metric tonnes of LPG. 

 

On July 11, Rajapaksa officially informed the PM that he would resign on Wednesday, July 13. 

 

As Sri Lanka started seeing the end of Rajapaksa's era and the Opposition agreed to form an all-party government, the president reportedly tried to flee the nation but was stopped from flying to Dubai on Monday evening. 

 

According to South China Morning Post, Rajapaksa, who is currently immune to arrest, wanted to flee to Dubai before resigning to avoid being detained. But, airport immigration officers refused to go to the VIP suite to stamp his passport, and the president refused to go through the public facilities to avoid reprisals from other airport users. 

 

Rajapaksa and his wife missed four flights to Dubai and spent their night at a military base next to the airport.

The US reportedly denied Rajapaksa a visa after it was learnt that the embattled Lankan president was trying to flee the nation. “He sought a safe passage to the U.S. after the recent events, but it was denied,” a Colombo-based official told The Hindu on Tuesday.

 

However, Rajapksa finally succeeded in his bid to flee the nation as the president left Lanka on Wednesday morning. The Sri Lankan Air Force said that under the Constitution granted to an Executive President, Rajapaksa was flown to the Maldives on board an Air Force plane.

 

Rajapaksa's escape from the country to the Maldives was negotiated by the Maldivian Parliament Speaker and former president Mohamed Nasheed, PTI reported. 

 

The Maldivian government argued that Rajapaksa is still the President of Sri Lanka. As he hasn't resigned or handed over his powers to a successor, thus, he cannot be denied to travel to the Maldives, PTI quoted sources. 

 

Local media reported that a total of 13 people accompanied Rajapaksa to the Maldives in an AN32 aircraft.