Sri Lanka on the edge of collapse as Gotaboya will resign as President today

By Our Special Correspondent

Sri Lankans were on the edge on Tuesday as they waited for whether embattled Gotabaya Rajapaksa will honor his offer to resign as president; amid reports that key members of the erstwhile powerful ruling family were attempting to flee in the face of massive public anger against them for mishandling the economy that has bankrupts the country.

Rajapaksa, whose whereabouts are not known since Friday, was blocked from departing Sri Lanka on Monday after refusing to join a public queue at the Colombo airport in order to have his passport checked by immigration, CNN reported, citing a high-ranking military source.

It said Rajapaksa's aides arrived at the airport with 15 passports belonging to the president and members of his family - including First Lady Ioma Rajapaksa - who had booked seats on a Sri Lankan Airlines flight leaving for Dubai at 6:25 p.m. local time on Monday, according to the military source.

Immigration officers declined to process the passports given to them by presidential aides, as Rajapaksa and his family were not physically present for cross-checks and, eventually, the flight departed without the president and his family on board, the source added.

Earlier, Rajapaksa's younger brother and ex-finance minister Basil Rajapaksa tried to leave Sri Lanka but was stopped by immigration officials at the airport.

Basil, the 71-year-old leader who is being widely held responsible for the country's worst economic crisis which has heaped misery on the people, tried to leave the country on Monday night through the VIP terminal of Colombo airport.

The Sri Lanka Immigration and Emigration Officers Association said the immigration officials objected to serving him at the VIP clearance line and even the passengers of the Emirates flight to Dubai had objected to his leaving.

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.

Hours later, a petition was filed in the Supreme Court seeking an interim order restraining former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and other influential officials of the Rajapaksa regime from fleeing the country without the prior approval of the apex court.

The petitioners also sought an order to take legal action against those responsible for financial irregularities and mismanagement of the Lankan economy, news reported.