Jakarta –
Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled from his homeland to the Maldives. However, he was met with a demonstration when he arrived in the Maldives.
Reported by AFP, Wednesday (13/7/2022), Rajapaksa left Sri Lanka on an Antonov-32 military aircraft on Wednesday morning. Rajapaksa fled with his wife and a bodyguard.
According to immigration sources, the plane took off from the main international airport bound for the Maldives. He left Sri Lanka before tens of thousands of protesters stormed his residence.
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“Their passports are stamped and they board a special air force plane,” an immigration official involved in the process told AFP.
It is known that Rajapaksa vowed at the weekend to step down on Wednesday (13/7) and pave the way for a “peaceful transition of power.”
As president, Rajapaksa has immunity from arrest. He is believed to have wanted to go overseas before resigning to avoid possible detention.
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Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled to the Maldives. But there, he was greeted by demonstrators. Photo: Reuters— |
Protesters welcome in Maldives
Reported from the AFP news agency, Thursday (14/7/2022), the mass of demonstrators who were Sri Lankan expatriates in the Maldives. They called on the Maldivian government not to provide shelter for Rajapaksa.
In the action, dozens of Sri Lankan expatriates carried flags and banners denouncing Rajapaksa.
“Dear Maldivian friends, please urge your government not to protect criminals,” read a black and white banner held up by a Sri Lankan working in the country’s small capital.
Local media published a video of residents shouting insults at Rajapaksa as he walked out of Velana International airport after his arrival on a military plane.
Watch the video ‘President of Sri Lanka Flees to the Maldives, Even Protesters Greeted’:
Rajapaksa leaves the Maldives. See on the next page.
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