In a Sri Lankan Air Force plane, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the Sri Lankan President, landed in Male, the capital of the Maldives, on Tuesday.
As reported by the Daily Mirror, Rajapaksa will depart for Singapore later Wednesday from the Maldives. The Maldives’ Velana International Airport welcomed Gotabaya Rajapaksa shortly after his arrival. A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office confirmed Rajapaksa’s departure. According to a statement released by the Sri Lankan Air Force, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa prepared a SLAF aircraft to fly to the Maldives per his presidential powers.
Sri Lankan officials confirmed on Wednesday that Rajapaksa and his wife, as well as two bodyguards, left for the Maldives with the full approval of the country’s Defence Ministry.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa, 73, went into hiding after a crowd of protesters stormed his residence on July 9 and announced his resignation the following day. During this time, Sri Lanka’s acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe instructed the armed forces and police to bring the situation under control.
