Fresh protests erupt in Sri Lanka as President Gotabaya Rajapaksa flees to Maldives

New Delhi: Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Colombo demanding President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's resignation as news emerged that Rajapaksa has fled to the Maldives.

Following the development, the Sri Lanka government declared a state of emergency, news agency AFP said citing sources within Prime Minister Wickremesinghe's office.

In multiple videos shared by ANI news agency, protesters were seen heading towards Sri Lankan PM's office and residence, and coming face-to-face with the military personnel deployed there.

Security Forces used tear gas shells to disperse protesters who attempted to enter Sri Lankan PM's residence in Colombo.

#WATCH Military personnel use tear gas shells to disperse protestors who scaled the wall to enter Sri Lankan PM's residence in Colombo pic.twitter.com/SdZWWRMwTn

— ANI (@ANI) July 13, 2022

#WATCH | Sri Lanka: Amid the deepening of the crisis in the country, protestors head towards the Sri Lankan PM's office as protest flares again on the roads of Colombo pic.twitter.com/x1MLbub2Ls

— ANI (@ANI) July 13, 2022

Ranil Wickremesinghe is a failed prime minister, says a protester in one of the videos.

#WATCH Protesters face to face with military personnel deployed outside Sri Lankan prime minister's residence in Colombo Ranil Wickremesinghe is a failed prime minister, says a protester. pic.twitter.com/6TtfT9wvky — ANI (@ANI) July 13, 2022

Former Advisor to Sri Lankan Foreign Affairs Ministry said that the protesters want the prime minister to resign because as per the constitution if the president quits, the prime minister automatically becomes the acting president. People want both of them to go, he added.

Sri Lanka | We want the PM to resign because as per our constitution if the President resigns PM becomes the acting President. People want both of them to leave. Police took action by tear gas shelling. Army troops moved in: Former Advisor to Sri Lankan Foreign Affairs ministry pic.twitter.com/Q7Xf4K3Ahf

— ANI (@ANI) July 13, 2022

Meanwhile, Speaker of Sri Lanka’s Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena said that he is yet to receive the resignation of the president.

We haven't received Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's resignation yet, but we hope to get it in a day: Speaker of Sri Lanka’s Parliament to ANI#SriLankaCrisis (File Pic) pic.twitter.com/9wdY15crPT — ANI (@ANI) July 13, 2022

Rajapaksa on Wednesday fled to the Maldives on a military jet, hours before he was supposed to step down in the face of a public revolt against him and his family for mishandling the economy that has bankrupted the country.

The 73-year-old leader fled the country along with his wife and two security officers on a military jet, a brief statement from the Sri Lanka Air Force said.

"On government request and in terms of powers available to a President under the Constitution, with complete approval from the ministry of defence, the President, his wife and two security officials were provided a Sri Lanka Air Force plane to depart from the Katunayake international airport for the Maldives in the early hours of July 13," the statement said.

The Prime Minister's Office also confirmed that the President had left the country.

Rajapaksa, who enjoys immunity from prosecution while he is president, is believed to have wanted to flee abroad before resigning to avoid the possibility of arrest by the new government.

On Saturday, Rajapaksa had announced to step down on Wednesday after thousands of protesters stormed his official residence, blaming him for the unprecedented economic crisis that has brought the country to its knees.

He arrived in the capital of the Maldives, Male, at around 03:00 local time (22:00 GMT), BBC reported.

He was received by a Maldivian government representative at the Velana airport and taken to an undisclosed location under police escort, sources said, quoting Maldivian officials.

Rajapaksa is expected to be in the Maldives on transit before flying to another destination which is yet to be known, the Daily Mirror online reported.

With inputs from agencies

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