President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had attempted to leave the country today but was prevented from doing so by immigration staff, the AFP news agency quoted official sources as saying.
Rajapaksa and his wife spent the night at a military base next to the main international airport before he attempted to leave.
He has promised to resign on Wednesday and clear the way for a “peaceful transition of power” — but became stuck in his own country on Tuesday after an attempt to flee.
As president, Rajapaksa enjoys immunity from arrest. It is believed he wanted to go abroad before stepping down to avoid the possibility of being detained.
But immigration officers were refusing to go to the VIP suite to stamp his passport, while he insisted he would not go through the public facilities, fearing reprisals from other airport users.
Rajapaksa’s youngest brother, Basil — who resigned in April as finance minister — missed his flight early on Tuesday after a similar standoff with airport staff.
Basil Rajapaksa tried to use the paid concierge service for business travellers, but airport and immigration staff said they were withdrawing from the fast-track service with immediate effect.
“There were some other passengers who protested against Basil boarding their flight,” an airport official told AFP. “It was a tense situation, so he hurriedly left the airport.”
There was no official word from the president’s office about his whereabouts, but he remained commander-in-chief of the armed forces with military resources at his disposal.
One option still open to him would be to take a navy vessel to either India or the Maldives, a defence source said.
Source: Colombo Gazette