Highlights
- Basil Rajapaksa was stopped from leaving the nation at Colombo Airport.
- Basil, a US passport holder, resigned as finance minister of Sri Lanka in early April.
- As per reports, he was attempting to leave the country through the VIP terminal.
Sri Lanka economic crisis: Amid the ongoing crisis in Sri Lanka, the country's former finance minister Basil Rajapaksa was stopped from leaving the nation at the Colombo airport on Tuesday. As per reports, he was attempting to leave the country through the VIP terminal. Rajapaksa is also the younger brother of embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The 71-year-old tried to leave Sri Lanka, a day before Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena is expected publicly announce to the nation President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's resignation.
Basil, a US passport holder, resigned as finance minister in early April as street protests intensified against shortages of fuel, food and other necessities and quit his seat in parliament in June.
President Rajapaksa signed on Monday his resignation letter, dated July 1, and it was later handed over to a senior government official who will hand it over to the Parliament Speaker.
The Sri Lanka Immigration and Emigration Officers Association said its members declined to serve Basil at the VIP terminal of Colombo airport. "Due to the crisis situation in the country, it has been decided to withdraw from activities at the Silk Route/CIP passenger clearance activities until further notice,” the trade union said in a statement, according to Economy Next website.
"We decided to withdraw from serving the silk route passenger clearance terminal from mid night yesterday,” said K.A.S Kanugala, the chairman of the association. He said the corrupt people were trying to leave the country using the service. The immigration officials objected to serve him at the VIP clearance line and even the passengers of the Emirates flight to Dubai had objected to his leaving.
Basil is being widely held responsible for the country's worst economic crisis which has heaped misery on the people. The political uncertainty prevails in Sri Lanka where the distribution of cooking gas has resumed alongside the delivery of fuel to retailers by the Indian Oil Company after a stoppage on Sunday. Long queues are still seen at fuel pumps.
The protesters continue to occupy the three main buildings in the capital, the President’s House, the presidential secretariat and the prime minister’s official residence, Temple Trees.
(With PTI Inputs)
