Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, a dual citizen of Sri Lanka and the United States, has taken steps to withdraw his American citizenship since Sri Lanka’s Constitution prohibits him from running for president in 2019.
As per the report, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has applied for a visa to travel to the United States after deciding to resign before the end of his tenure due to public opposition driven by the current economic crisis and fuel crisis.
In a report citing the Colombo official, the American authorities have denied Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s visa request to visit America after he leaves the presidency.
“He sought a safe passage to the U.S. after the recent events, but it was denied,” the Colombo-based official was quoted on Tuesday.
On 9th July, the President was evacuated from the President’s House before protesters broke into the heavily guarded complex and took over the official residence. His whereabouts, however, have remained unknown since. The President has announced that he will step down officially on July 13.
Meanwhile, some foreign media outlets reported that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s attempt to leave the island via Katunayake airport was also unsuccessful.
The reports stated that President Rajapaksa is considering other options, citing sources in Colombo. Mr. Gotabaya was widely reported to be on his way to a West Asian country on Monday for immediate safety, fearing further retaliation in Sri Lanka. According to AFP, he was “stuck” in Colombo on Tuesday, his last day in the nation’s top office with presidential immunity.
Mr. Gotabaya was unable to leave after a standoff with immigration officials at the airport, who resisted his attempt to flee to a safe location abroad, reportedly a Gulf capital. Immigration officers were asked to leave the VIP suite.
AFP stated “The President and his wife spent the night at a military base next to the main international airport after missing four flights that could have taken them to the United Arab Emirates.”
An official with the Presidential Media Division declined to comment on the President’s current location when contacted. Earlier, Parliamentary Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena told the reporters that the President was in a “nearby country,” but quickly reverted the statement, calling it “a mistake.”
Mr. Gotabaya’s younger brother, ex-Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa, was also denied exit from the capital after immigration officials refused to stamp his passport. Mr. Basil holds dual citizenship in Sri Lanka and the United States.
Following a motion filed in Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, the option of fleeing appears to have become quite tough for Mr. Basil and his older brother Mahinda Rajapaksa, two-time President and former Prime Minister. Petitioners have asked for a travel ban on them and others who are “responsible” for Sri Lanka’s economic crisis.