Lanka crisis
Sri Lanka president flown to airbase amid exile rumours spread: Report
Colombo/IBNS: Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was on Monday flown to an airbase near the main international airport, media reports said, raising speculation he will flee into exile abroad.
Rajapaksa fled the presidential palace in Colombo under naval protection on Saturday, shortly before tens of thousands of protesters barged inthe compound.
He will resign next Wednesday, after months of protest against him amid an unprecedented economic crisis in the island nation.
The Speaker will become the President until Parliament will elect a new leader.
A parliamentary ballot will be held on July 20 to elect the new president, the Speaker informed Monday.
On Saturday, anti-government protesters set Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's house on fire amid a deepening crisis in the island nation.
Wickremesinghe, who was appointed as Prime Minister in May, has announced that he will resign from his post in order to ensure the continuation of the government and the safety of all the citizens.
"To ensure the continuation of the Government including the safety of all citizens I accept the best recommendation of the Party Leaders today, to make way for an All-Party Government. To facilitate this I will resign as Prime Minister," he tweeted after an emergency cabinet meeting.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled his official residence Saturday as thousands of anti-government protesters stormed into his residence demanding his resignation.
On Saturday, hundreds of thousands of protesters demanding the resignation of Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa stormed the President's House here on Saturday after overcoming stiff resistance put up by security forces, leaving an unspecified number of people injured.
Protesters demanding resignation of #SriLankan Prez #gotabayarajapaksa stormed the President's House in #Colombo Saturday despite stiff resistance put up by security forces, leaving an unspecified number of people injured.#SriLanka #SriLankaProtests #SriLankaEconomicCrisis pic.twitter.com/IGWvUfS6ZY
— India Blooms (@indiablooms) July 9, 2022
The nation of 22 million people is struggling under a severe foreign exchange shortage that has limited essential imports of fuel, food and medicine, plunging the country into the worst economic crisis in decades.
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