Responding to the ongoing political and economic crisis in Sri Lanka, Tamil civil society groups have issued a group statement urging all actors to seize this historic opportunity for “real change for an island plagued by decades of ethnic conflict”.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa has resigned as Sri Lanka’s President after he fled the island amidst mass protests demanding his resignation. 

The resignation letter was reportedly sent by email to the speaker of parliament. The resignation will be formally announced on Friday.

Rajapaksa has been trying to flee Sri Lanka since Saturday after tens of thousands of protesters stormed his official residence. 

The Sri Lankan army warned that troops were “legitimately empowered to exercise their force,” after it claimed two rifles were snatched from soldiers by protestors on Wednesday.

Sri Lanka’s besieged president Gotabaya Rajapaksa has reportedly left the Maldives, where he fled to earlier this week and is currently on his way to Singapore.

According to the Associated Press, the war crimes accused president will then fly to Saudi Arabia, from Singapore.

Reports from Maldivian journalists suggest that Rajapaksa and his wife are on Saudi Arabian Airlines flight SV788 from Male to Singapore. He will land in Singapore shortly before 7PM local time.

Amidst excessive efforts of the Sri Lankan state to suppress the work of journalists in the northeast, journalists of the Mullaitivu Press Club, Tamil university students, and Tamil journalists in Batticaloa protested to condemn the suppression of media and the recent attacks on journalists by Sri Lankan security forces in the south. 

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, stressed that the “developments in Sri Lanka are its internal affair.”

The statement comes in response to an escalating political crisis. Acting President, Ranil Wickremesinghe, imposed a state of emergency and curfew in an attempt to curtail protests. Wickremesinghe has also ordered the military to do whatever is necessary to restore order.

Numerous countries have expressed concern regarding recent developments, emphasizing the importance of respecting human rights and the rule of law.

Sri Lanka’s fleeing president Gotabaya Rajapaksa issued a gazette stating he is “unable to exercise, perform and discharge” his duties as president, and that he appoints prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as acting president.

In a gazette issued from the Maldives, where he is currently staying after having fled Sri Lanka last night, Rajapaksa said he was “unable to exercise, perform and discharge the powers, duties and functions of the Office of the President by reason of my absence” and that he appoints Wickremesinghe under Article 37 (1) of Sri Lanka’s constitution.

Outgoing Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will submit his resignation letter to Sri Lankan parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena after arriving in Singapore. 

Singapore is set to grant asylum to Rajapaksa, the Indian television channel Republic TV reported. 

The genocidaire fled the country after a mass uprising in the capital Colombo on July 09 and appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe as acting president.  

The accused war criminal is currently staying at the Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafush in the Maldives after he fled Sri Lanka in a military aircraft. 

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has called for a peaceful political transition in Sri Lanka, they have emphasized the need for an inclusive process that respects the rule of law.

The crisis in Sri Lanka continues to escalate as protesters marched into the Prime Minister’s office earlier today.

Acting President, Ranil Wickremesinghe, has imposed a state of emergency and a curfew. Wickremesinghe has also ordered the military to do whatever is necessary to restore order on the island, accusing protesters of fascism.