Mahinda Rajapaksa will stay at the naval base

Former Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa was airlifted to the Trincomalee naval base for security reasons, Defense Secretary Kamal Gunaratne told the media on Wednesday.

He stated that the former prime minister will be relocated to a location of his choosing once the country’s situation returns to normalcy.

Gunaratne stated that Rajapaksa is entitled to life security as a former president.

Rajapaksa, who was president of Sri Lanka between 2005 and 2015 and was sworn in as prime minister in 2019, resigned on Monday as violence erupted in the country.

Meanwhile, the government-owned Ceylon Petroleum Corporation declared on Wednesday that fuel distribution has been temporarily halted due to the country’s present security situation and curfew.

After pro-government organisations battled with anti-government protesters on Monday, a number of violent incidents occurred around the country, leaving eight people dead and over 200 more injured.

On Monday, a national curfew was imposed, which was repeatedly extended till Thursday morning.