President Gotabaya Rajapaksa resigns, reached Singapore

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has resigned after landing in Singapore since he fled the island nation on Tuesday. People in the capital Colombo burst firecrackers in celebration on hearing he has resigned. The parliament Speaker has also confirmed he has received Mr Rajapaksa's resignation letter. Earlier, Rajapaksa, his wife Ioma, and two bodyguards were on board Saudia Airlines flight SV 788 from Male that left at 11.30 am local time (noon IST), A Singapore foreign ministry statement, meanwhile, has ruled out talk of asylum for Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The ministry said the Lankan president had entered the city-state for a private visit. "He has not asked for asylum and neither has he been granted any asylum. Singapore generally does not grant requests for asylum,” the ministry stressed.While leaving the Maldives Rajapaksa faced protests from Sri Lankans living there, who demanded the Maldivian government not safeguard 'criminals'. The country's main opposition, the Progressive Party of Maldives, also objected to free passage for Rajapaksa.

Rajapaksa fled Sri Lanka late Tuesday, as ongoing protests against his government's handling of the severe economic crisis intensified. Thousands of protesters overran his official residence in Colombo on the weekend and later also forcibly occupied the home of prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe - an ominous signal of their fury and discontent.