The president fled the country for the Maldives on Wednesday amid widespread unrest and landed in Singapore on Thursday. The government there said he was “allowed to enter for a private visit”. It is not yet clear whether Rajapaksa will stay or fly out of Singapore.
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“He did not apply for asylum and he was not granted any asylum. Singapore generally does not grant asylum applications,” said Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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Sri Lanka has been rocked by violent anti-government protests for several days, and on Wednesday a state of emergency was declared in the country and a night curfew was introduced. It should end on Friday morning.
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Before fleeing the country, Rajapaksa transferred the powers of the head of state to the prime minister.
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According to Reuters, the situation in Colombo is calm on Thursday. Protest leaders have announced that they are not planning further attacks against government buildings, which should give lawmakers room to find a way out of the political chaos.
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