Incredible things happen in times of crisis. Sri Lanka’s once-all-powerful-acting President Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the island nation he ruled and ravaged with an iron fist like a fugitive.
After immigration staff at Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport refused to stamp his and his wife’s passports on Tuesday, he managed to board a military plane and landed in the neighboring Maldives.
According to Colombo sources, his final destination is the United States of America via the United Arab Emirates. They claim that the Speaker of the Maldivian Parliament, Mohamed Nasheed, has facilitated this “escape” to pay off some old “debt”. He forced President Solih to give safe passage to the fleeing president of his close neighbor and friend.
Gotabaya didn’t see it coming. When he had the opportunity to gracefully resign from his presidency in early April, he refused to give up.
He used every trick in the book to defend his chair, until he sacrificed his elder brother, the head of the family and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.
But pressure, including a worsening economic crisis and a possible threat to his life, forced Gotabaya to give up.
Once hailed as a hero of the Tamil Civil War and credited with handling the first wave of Covid-19 efficiently, Gotabaya left the beautiful Indian island nation like a proclaimed criminal.
His younger brother and former finance minister Basil Rajapaksa, a dual national with a US passport, may have fled Colombo airport after his initial attempts to escape were thwarted by immigration staff. However, there is no confirmation of his whereabouts, although most people believe that he has left the country.
Former President and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and his son MP Namal are still in the country. Their passports have been confiscated and they are facing embezzlement cases in various courts of the country. According to reports, he is at his residence in Colombo.
Since the anger was mainly against Gotabaya and Tulsi, the father-son duo is relatively safe and has defended itself by resigning early.
The eldest in the family and the least controversial of all the brothers, former Defense Minister Chamal Rajapaksa is also in the country.
Read also | How President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s Lust for Power Left Sri Lanka Burning | Time
Unconfirmed reports claim that several other members of Rajapaksa’s family, including Namal’s wife and son, have left Sri Lanka.
Some people have gone to the neighboring country of Maldives, waiting for the situation to get better.
Many have dual citizenship of the US or the United Kingdom.
They feel that once a legitimate government is formed, there will be no threat to their life and property. They also know that legal processes will drag on for years to give them enough time to make future plans.
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