COLOMBO: Embattled Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's whereabouts were not known after he was moved out of his residence on Friday in anticipation of Saturday’s protests.
Rajapaksa, who was facing calls for resignation since March, was using the President's House as his residence and office since protesters came to occupy the entrance to his office early April.
Reports have surfaced that his luggage was carted to Colombo port.
Videos have since emerged of suitcases being loaded on a Sri Lanka Navy ship. Local media claims that the suitcases were of President Rajapaksa. The visuals show three men carrying large suitcases. They were in a hurry and can be seen running in the video.
The Harbour Master at the Colombo Port, too, said that a group boarded two vessels and left the port. But he could not provide details of the manifest or about those who boarded the vessels.
Earlier, a viral video on social media showed a VIP motorcade reaching the Colombo international airport where a Sri Lanka Airlines aircraft was parked.
