Sri Lankan president’s brother stopped from leaving country by airport officials, passengers

Basil Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka's former finance minister and brother of outgoing president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, was stopped from leaving the country by airport officials on Tuesday morning, local media reported.

Basil Rajapaksa was turned back from the international airport at Colombo as he attempted to leave the country through the VIP terminal. He missed his flight to Dubai in the standoff with airport staff as anger mounts against the powerful Rajapaksa family for a debilitating economic crisis in Sri Lanka.

The former finance minister of Sir Lanka tried to use the paid concierge service for business travellers, but airport and immigration staff said they were withdrawing from the fast track service with immediate effect.

"There were some other passengers who protested against Basil boarding their flight," an airport official told AFP. "It was a tense situation, so he hurriedly left the airport."

A widely-circulated image purportedly shows him at the airport, where immigration authorities refused to allow him to board his Emirates flight to Dubai after some passengers identified him and protested his attempt to leave the island nation which is battling its worst economic crisis in seven decades.

Protests at the BIA airport by passengers and officials prevents Basil Rajapaksa from leaving for the US via Dubai #SriLanka #BIA #BasilRajapaksa pic.twitter.com/FB8YbRJAeE

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— Easwaran Rutnam (@easwaranrutnam) July 12, 2022

The Sri Lanka Immigration and Emigration Officers Association said its members declined to serve Basil Rajapaksa at the VIP terminal of Colombo airport. "Due to the crisis situation in the country, it has been decided to withdraw from activities at the Silk Route/CIP passenger clearance activities until further notice, the trade union said in a statement, according to Economy Next website.

Outrage against the economic crisis in Sri Lanka came to a head earlier this week after protestors stormed the President’s Palace and vowed to occupy it until Gotabaya Rajapaksa agreed to step down.

Basil, a US dual citizen, had to be issued a new passport after leaving his behind at the presidential palace when the Rajapaksas beat a hasty retreat to avoid mobs on Saturday, a diplomatic source said as per AFP.

President Rajapaksa signed on Monday his resignation letter, dated for July 1, and it was later handed over to a senior government official who will hand it over to the Parliament Speaker. Basil resigned as finance minister in early April as street protests intensified against shortages of fuel, food and other necessities and quit his seat in parliament in June.

(With inputs from agencies)