Sri Lanka Air Force dismisses reports of accommodating President Rajapaksa

Colombo, Jul 12 (PTI) The Sri Lanka Air Force on Tuesday rejected reports that embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was currently staying at a private house belonging to its chief Air Marshal Sudarshana Pathirana, describing it as “propaganda” to tarnish the force’s image.

A spokesman of the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) said a video released by Ajith Dharmapala, a former police officer, claimed that President Rajapaksa was staying at the house belonging to Pathirana.

Spokesman Dushan Wijesinghe said that "there was no truth behind the reports and it was propaganda to tarnish the image of the SLAF and its chief", the Daily Mirror newspaper reported.

Pathirana denied social media speculation that president Rajapaksa had taken refuge at his private house, saying the reports were misleading and intended to create public anger against him and the country's Air Force.

The speculation around Rajapaksa's presence at the house emanated last night after the president reportedly arrived at Colombo airport to board an Emirates flight to Dubai.

With the immigration officers objecting to his younger brother and former finance minister Basil Rajapaksa's departure, it was alleged that the president had stayed at an Air Force facility near the airport.

Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena's office said on Wednesday that President Rajapaksa was still in the country, dismissing media reports that the embattled leader, whose whereabouts are unknown, may have fled the country.

"This was (speculated) after a mistake made by Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena who had said he had left the country but would be back by Wednesday to offer his resignation. Abeywardena later corrected the mistake," his office said.

Rajapaksa, 73, informed the Speaker on Saturday that he will resign on July 13.

President Rajapaksa signed on Monday his resignation letter, dated July 13, and it was later handed over to a senior government official who will give it to the Parliament Speaker, according to media reports.

Sri Lankan Parliament will elect the new president to succeed Rajapaksa on July 20, Speaker Abeywardena announced on Monday.

Sri Lanka, a country of 22 million people, is under the grip of an unprecedented economic turmoil, the worst in seven decades, leaving millions struggling to buy food, medicine, fuel and other essentials.

Schools have been suspended and fuel has been limited to essential services. Patients are unable to travel to hospitals due to the fuel shortage and food prices are soaring.

The country, with an acute foreign currency crisis that resulted in foreign debt default, had announced in April that it is suspending nearly USD 7 billion foreign debt repayment due for this year out of about USD 25 billion due through 2026. Sri Lanka's total foreign debt stands at USD 51 billion.