Sri Lankan Insurgency; A Severe Blow To Nationals By ‘Untrustworthy Rulers’ & Deadly Escape

By: D. N. Singh & Anupama Dash

July 15: It was just the wee hours post an apocalyptic unrest in the Island nation, Sri Lanka, amid the sense of revolt outside, and in the former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s official residence, palpitations among his family were high.

He was rattled but his inner faculty was working fast. Gotabaya was pacing up and down the dimly lit floors of the presidential palace, perplexed by choices, one to resign and submit himself to people and the other option, that was agitating his entire being for an escape from the deadly furor.

Since the time people stormed at the presidential and prime ministerial houses, something was cooking up. Gotabaya’s close ones were with their ears to the ground, listening to the pushy-footfalls in the corridors. What were those barely audible murmurs those kept resonating in the deadly silence.

What was the climax !

On July 13th, Lankan citizens woke up to the news that their president fled the nation in the wee hours in a military aircraft and landed in the Maldives. Soon after the news was announced, the government declared an emergency.

The economic crisis, triggered severe shortages of food and fuel in the nation, the former Prez Gotabaya, announced that he would resign from his post after thousands of protesters, on July 9, stormed his and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s (now Working Prez) official residence on Saturday.

But, Rajapaksa, with his wife and two bodyguards, had allegedly left the nation in a Sri Lankan Air Force plane and landed in Maldives’ capital, Male, multiple media reports said. Even, a group of protesters set Wickremesinghe’s house and occupied the president’s home, ransacked his belongings. Awestruck by the luxury, the anti-govt protesters were seen taking selfies in different corners of the Prez house, sleeping in his bed with all-ease and comfort, partied in his swimming pool like frenzied flock. 

Giving in to the widespread protests against the government, Rajapaksa told the Parliament Speaker later that day that he would resign on Wednesday(July 13). On the other hand, Wickremesinghe had already expressed his willingness to resign.

Soon after the announcement, Rajapaksa, who was fled out of his official residence went incommunicado as reports said that his whereabouts were unknown. By last Sunday evening, from an undisclosed location, the president ordered officials to ensure the smooth distribution of cooking gas after the fuel-starved country received 3,700 metric tonnes of LPG.

As Sri Lanka started seeing the end of Rajapaksa’s era and the Opposition agreed to form an all-party government, the president reportedly tried to flee the nation but was stopped from flying to Dubai on Monday evening.

Reportedly, Rajapaksa and his wife missed four flights to Dubai and spent their night at a military base next to the airport.

The US reportedly denied Rajapaksa a visa after it was learnt that the embattled Lankan president was trying to flee the nation. “He sought a safe passage to the U.S. after the recent events, but it was denied,” a Colombo-based official told.

However, Rajapksa finally succeeded in his bid to flee the nation as the president left Lanka on Wednesday morning. The Sri Lankan Air Force said that under the Constitution granted to an Executive President, Rajapaksa was flown to the Maldives on board an Air Force plane.

Rajapaksa’s escape from the country to the Maldives was negotiated by the Maldivian Parliament Speaker and former president Mohamed Nasheed, PTI reported.

The Maldivian government argued that Rajapaksa is still the President of Sri Lanka. As he hasn’t resigned or handed over his powers to a successor, thus, he cannot be denied to travel to the Maldives. 

Local media reported that a total of 13 people accompanied Rajapaksa to the Maldives in an AN32 aircraft.