COLOMBO: Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled to the Maldives on Wednesday, driven out after an economic collapse unleashed a popular uprising that appeared to end his family’s near two-decade dominance of the country.
His decision to leave his ally Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in charge as acting president triggered more demonstrations, with protesters storming the premier’s office demanding that he go too.
Rajapaksa, his wife and two bodyguards left the main international airport near Colombo aboard an air force plane early on Wednesday, the air force said in a statement.
After arriving in the Maldives, he was expected to head next to Singapore, a government source said.
Authorities declined to reveal the whereabouts of Wickremesinghe, who declared a nationwide curfew until Thursday morning in a bid to prevent further unrest after protesters invaded his office.
Police stationed outside had fired several rounds of tear gas, but the protesters were not deterred and surged into the compound.
“It feels pretty marvellous, people were trying to take this place for about three hours,” said college student Sanchuka Kavinda, 25, standing next to a mangled, open gate of the prime minister’s office. “No matter what, everyone in this crowd will be here until Ranil also steps down.”
Local media said a 26-year-old protester who was hospitalised after being tear-gassed died of breathing difficulties.
In a statement, Wickremesinghe said the protesters had no reason to storm his office.
“They want to stop the parliamentary process. But we must respect the Constitution,” he said.
On the lower floor of the whitewashed colonial-era building, dozens of protesters sang Sinhala pop songs. A large group of security personnel armed with assault rifles sat in a room.
Protest organisers and security personnel manned a central wooden staircase at the heart of the building, guiding sightseers to and from the upper floor where the prime minister’s room is located.
At an adjoining room on the top floor, the plush furniture had been hastily pushed to the corners and a line of armed security personnel ushered visitors through. –Agencies
