Sri Lanka president flees country after massive protest, PM appointed as acting president

July 13, 2022

By The South Asia Times

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Wednesday has fled the country on a military jet and landed in Maldives, the Prime Minister's office confirmed.

In a statement, the premier office said that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa left the country on a military jet and arrived in the capital of the Maldives, Male, at around 03:00 local time (22:00 GMT), a local daily News First reported.

Rajapaksa’s departure ends a family dynasty that has ruled Sri Lanka for decades as his brother Mahinda Rajapaksa already left the country and resigned from the Prime Minister's office in May after a massive protest.

Local media said that President left the country with his wife and two security officers as earlier he pledged to resign on Wednesday 13 July.

President appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as the acting president and Ranil declared state of emergency after Gotabaya Rajpakasa fled the country.

However, protesters demanded from Ranil to resign as the situation was still tense across the Island nation.