'Sri Lanka President Facing National Default Flees to Maldives by Military Aircraft'

4 People Including Bodyguard Onboard... Using International Airport at Dawn
Possibility of Arrest Leads to Analysis of Overseas Escape

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled on the 13th (local time) by boarding a military plane bound for the Maldives. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Culture Young Intern Reporter] Gotabaya Rajapaksa (73), the President of Sri Lanka who had announced his resignation amid large-scale anti-government protests triggered by a national default crisis, fled to the Maldives early on the 13th (local time) by military aircraft.

According to AFP, an official from the Sri Lanka immigration office stated, "An Antonov-32 aircraft carrying President Rajapaksa, his wife, and four security personnel took off from the international airport early on the 13th."

He added, "Their passports were stamped, and they boarded the military plane to avoid public attention." It is reported that after arriving at Mal? Airport in the Maldives, President Rajapaksa was escorted by police to a private location.

Earlier, anti-government protests demanding the president's resignation had spread across Sri Lanka over the past weekend. President Rajapaksa evacuated urgently from the official residence to an air force base near Bandaranaike International Airport in the capital, Colombo, and promised to resign.

President Rajapaksa initially attempted to flee to Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), but failed to depart due to immigration officials citing non-compliance with security screening procedures.

President Rajapaksa announced his resignation on the 10th and was scheduled to officially step down on the 13th. The Sri Lankan president enjoys immunity from arrest. However, it is analyzed that he attempted to flee abroad before the resignation was formalized on the 13th, as there was a possibility of arrest afterward.

The Sri Lankan parliament is scheduled to convene on the 15th and hold a vote to elect a new president on the 20th.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka is facing a severe economic crisis as its main industry, tourism, collapsed, foreign debt surged, and fiscal policy failures such as excessive tax cuts compounded the situation. The country officially entered debt default on May 19.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.