The younger brother of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and former finance minister of Sri Lanka, Basil Rajapaksa, was denied boarding on a flight to Dubai on Monday evening, according to local media.
In spite of passenger complaints, airport immigration authorities reportedly refused to allow Basil depart Sri Lanka as a result of the continuing economic crisis in the nation, according to the Daily Mirror. Basil was forced to return after being turned away by immigration officials because he was unable to continue, the article said.
This incident occurs a day after Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s whereabouts were confirmed by Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, following the appearance of rumours that the President had fled the island nation.
Rajapaksa, the president of Sri Lanka, announced his resignation on Saturday.
“President of Sri Lanka Gotabaya Rajapaksa is still in the country, I made a mistake in the (BBC) interview,” Speaker Abeywardena told ANI in a telephone call.
The speaker said that both Sri Lanka’s President and Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, are still in the nation when further questioned about their locations.
After thousands of protesters barged into the President’s House in Fort on Saturday, the development happened. The stunning images were captured at the PM’s official mansion, where people could be seen playing carrom board, dozing off on the sofa, enjoying the park, and cooking supper.
In the midst of the current demonstrations, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe also declared his intention to leave his positions. The demonstrators who have taken over the homes of the President and Prime Minister, however, have stated that they would remain there until they give up their positions.
In recent weeks, there have been reports of several confrontations between individuals and members of the police force and the armed forces at fuel stations where thousands of desperate members of the public have lined up for hours, sometimes days, as a result of the country’s deteriorating economic situation.
Following multiple COVID-19 waves, Sri Lanka is currently experiencing its biggest economic crisis since obtaining independence in 1948, which threatens to reverse years of improvement.
Government offices and schools have been forced to close indefinitely due to a lack of oil supplies. The shortages have been exacerbated by decreased domestic agricultural production, a lack of foreign exchange reserves, and depreciating local currencies.
In addition to the half million individuals that the World Bank estimates have slipped below the poverty line as a result of the pandemic, the economic crisis will force families into hunger and poverty, some for the first time.
