Gotabaya leaves for Singapore from Maldives; one dead, 84 injured in protests at home

Male: Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Thursday left for Singapore from the Maldives, as protest continued in his home country leaving one dead and 84 injured, media report said.

President Rajapaksa is accompanied by his wife and two security officials who flew with him from Colombo on a Saudi Airlines plane, Daily Mirror reported.

They were escorted to the plane by special forces of the Maldives Defence Force.

President Rajapaksa had left crisis-hit Sri Lanka early Wednesday for the Maldives.

He was scheduled to board a flight for Singapore on Wednesday night but could not due to security concerns.

Meanwhile, ooe person died and 84 others injured in the anti-government protests in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo.

The 26-year-old man died from breathing difficulties after police lobbed teargas at protesters to disperse them, BBC reported.

The injured included protesters who were outside the prime minister’s office as well as those who were outside parliament later in the evening on Wednesday.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as acting President of the country, triggering further protests.

The government has imposed a curfew in Colombo district from 12 noon on July 14 (Thursday) to 5 a.m. on July 15 (Friday).

The island nation has been witnessing months of protests over food and fuel shortage. Inflation in the crisis-hit country is more than 50 per cent. IANS