Sri Lanka president takes U turn - no resignation until safe exit for family.

Sri Lanka president takes U turn - no resignation until safe exit for family.

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is expected to resign as president on Wednesday (13) to make way for a unity government after thousands of protesters stormed his official residence on Saturday demanding his resignation.

In an unexpected turn of events, Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has hinted he will not resign till his family gets a safe exit from the country, said sources.

According to sources, negotiation is going on with the Opposition, but no party is willing to accept this suggestion so far.

Three days ago, the president spoke to the speaker and informed him that he would resign on Wednesday. However, in the last 40 hours, he has not mentioned anything about his possible resignation on Wednesday.

Rajapaksa wants safe passage for him and his family to leave the country before sending his resignation.

The Sri Lankan president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, has made a failed attempt to flee the country as airport staff stood in his way and forced him to beat a humiliating retreat.

Rajapaksa, who is due to officially resign on Wednesday after months of demonstrations calling for him to step down, was reportedly trying to escape to Dubai on Monday night.

Officials said immigration staff prevented the president from going to the VIP area of the airport to stamp his passport and he would not go through the ordinary queues for fear of being mobbed by the public.

As a result, Rajapaksa reportedly missed four flights to the United Arab Emirates, and he, his wife and a dozen other family members and close aides spent the night at a nearby military base.

The President’s brother, Basil Rajapaksa, was stopped at the airport’s international VIP departure by the immigration department and the airport staff.

All staffers at the silk route VIP corridor have called off services to prevent the exit of the Rajapaksas.

It appears that the president has attempted to follow several avenues of escape in recent days but all have proved futile. The Indian government reportedly refused permission for a Sri Lankan military plane carrying the president to land at an Indian civilian airport, while the US embassy refused to grant him a visitor visa, according to US embassy sources who spoke to local media.

Rajapaksa, who lived in the US for years and has a son and grandchild there, gave up his dual US citizenship in order to run for president, which means he is now ineligible for a visitor visa.