After witnessing a standoff at the airport on Tuesday where he was halted from flying abroad, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was considering using a navy patrol craft to flee the country, official sources of AFP said.

The Sri Lanka President had earlier announced to resign on Wednesday and clear the way for a peaceful transition of power in the country after the widespread protests against him over the country’s worst economic crisis.

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Last week, the 73-year-old leader fled his official residence in Colombo just before tens of thousands of protesters overran it on Saturday. Official further told news agency AFP that he then wanted to travel to Dubai.

However, Rajapaksa at the moment enjoys immunity from arrest and is believed to want to go abroad before stepping down to avoid the possibility of being detained.

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At the airport, the immigration officers refused to go to the VIP suite to stamp his passport, while he insisted he would not go through the public facilities, fearing reprisals from other airport users.

It is reported that the president and his wife spent the night at a military base next to the main Bandaranaike International airport after missing four flights that could have taken them to the United Arab Emirates.

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On the other hand, Rajapaksa’s youngest brother Basil, who had resigned in April as finance minister, also missed his own Emirates flight to Dubai early on Tuesday after a similar standoff with airport staff.

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In the meantime, reports suggested that a fresh plea has been filed in Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court seeking an interim order restraining former prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and other influential officials of the Rajapaksa regime from fleeing the country without the prior approval of the apex court.