Sri Lanka: Mahinda & Basil Rajapaksa to not leave country till July 15 amid growing unrest

In latest development amid the ongoing civil unrest in Sri Lanka, former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and ex-Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa will reportedly not leave the country. Apart from these two, SR Attygalle, former Secretary to the Treasury and Ministry of Finance, will also not leave the country amid the ongoing turmoil.

According to a report by News Cutter, the Supreme Court was also informed by their lawyers that the trio would not leave the country until Friday, July 15. This comes after Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country on Wednesday morning without resigning from the post of President.

Earlier, a petition was also filed in the country's top court seeking to ban a few former ministers, including former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, from fleeing the country. This came after Basil Rajapaksa, the youngest brother of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, was denied boarding a flight to Dubai on July 11.

According to reports, Basil sought to flee the country but he was not allowed to do so by airport immigration officials after protests by passengers. The former minister had to cancel his journey after the immigration officers' refusal.

Military armoured vehicles patrol in Colombo

Meanwhile, military armoured vehicles were also seen patrolling the roads of Colombo after the country witnessed fresh protests on Wednesday. The Army personnel were seen sitting on tanks and taking rounds of the region. In addition, troops also gathered at Sri Lanka's parliament in order to stop any untoward activity. The security forces are also conducting air patrol over Prime Minister's residence in Colombo. 

Wickremesinghe calls for appointment of PM acceptable to all

Ranil Wickremesinghe was appointed as the country's caretaker President on July 13 amid the ongoing political turmoil in the country. Further, he has asked parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena to appoint a new Prime Minister who is acceptable to all parties in the country.

Meanwhile, Galle Face protesters have reportedly decided to hand over all government buildings, including the President's House, President's Office, and Prime Minister's Office back to the authorities in order to restore normalcy in the nation. 

Image: Facebook/@ Mahinda Rajapaksa/Instagram/@Basil Rajapaksa