Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was barred from leaving the country on Monday amid massive protests calling for his resignation in the face of the worst economic crisis since independence in 1948.
According to CNN, Rajapaksa and his family were barred because they refused to join the line of passengers to board at Bandaranaike International Airport, the largest in the country, to have their passports checked by migration agents.
They preferred to stay in a nearby lounge, waiting for aides to take care of the paperwork and confirm that they could board without getting in line.
As Rajapaksa and his family were not physically present for the checks, migration agents prevented them from boarding two flights, one to Dubai and then another to Abu Dhabi, UAE, for which they had reservations.
Over the weekend, Sri Lankan Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena announced that Rajapaksa will resign on Wednesday. Due to the protests, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe also announced his departure. The two had their homes invaded by protesters and Wickremesinghe’s house was set on fire.
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