Rajapaksa landed in Singapore on a flight from the Maldives after fleeing his country following anti-government protests.
Abeywardenena has received an email with Rajapaksa’s resignation, the speaker’s office confirmed to CNN on Thursday, but added that “we cannot accept this email at face value.”
“Its legality needs to be checked. It has been shared with the competent authorities for verification of the same,” the office said. “Once we have the official confirmation and it is legally verified, we hope to make a statement about it tomorrow [Friday] morning. “
Abeywardenena’s office added that it expects to receive a paper copy of the letter, but that it would take longer as it would be sent from Singapore.
According to a high-ranking government source, the letter was emailed after Rajapaksa arrived in Singapore. The source spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details that have not been publicly shared by officials.
Singapore said Rajapaska had been able to enter the country on a “private visit”, but that he had not applied for or been granted asylum.
“It is confirmed that Mr. Rajapaksa has been authorized to enter Singapore on a private visit. He has not applied for asylum and has not been granted any asylum. Singapore generally does not grant asylum applications.” says the statement from the Singapore Foreign Ministry. .
Rajapaksa vowed to resign over the weekend after angry protesters stormed his official residence, swimming in his pool and demanding the end of his family’s ruling dynasty. He left the Maldives ’capital, Male, aboard a“ Saudi flight, ”a high-ranking security source in Colombo told CNN.
CNN believes the source was referring to Saudia Flight 788, which left Male at 11:30 a.m., according to the source. The flight landed in Singapore at 19:17 local time on Thursday, according to the Changi Airport website. CNN has contacted Saudi Arabia, the flag carrier of Saudi Arabia, but has not received a response.
Rajapaksa had been in the Maldives for a day after fleeing Sri Lanka in the early hours of Wednesday, the same day he had said he would resign.
But the absence of a formal resignation letter raised questions about the intentions of a seemingly self-exiled leader who appointed the incumbent prime minister after leaving his island nation.
Shortly after Rajapaksa left the country, protesters stormed the office of incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe to demand his removal. Wickremesinghe responded by calling a curfew across the country overnight.
On Thursday, Wickremesinghe granted Sri Lanka’s armed forces special arrest powers and instructed them to “exercise force” if necessary to dispel protests across the country, army spokesman Brigadier said. Nilantha Premaratne, in a televised speech.
“Given the escalation of violent acts, protesters with the intention of harming the armed forces or public property are sincerely urged to give up all forms of violence immediately or to be prepared to face the consequences, since members of the armed forces legitimately have the power to exercise force, ”Premaratne said.
Sri Lanka’s parliament will not meet again until Rajapaksa formally sends its resignation letter, President Abeywardena said on Thursday.
Earlier, parliament was scheduled to begin the process of selecting a new president on Saturday, with the aim of voting for a new leader on July 20.
This timeline is now on hold until Rajapaksa officially leaves office.
Many protesters have vowed to continue protesting until the two men resign.
On Thursday morning, as questions revolved around Sri Lanka’s future, calm had descended on the streets of the commercial capital Colombo.
A lawyer representing the Popular Protest Movement said Thursday that all occupied buildings except the Presidential Secretariat will be returned to authorities.
“We want to state that this is a peaceful protest and that we have no intention of resorting to any form of violence,” Swasthika Arulingam told reporters.
“This has always been and will continue to be a peaceful movement.”
But everywhere there are indications that the country is about to use the knife.
Amid fuel shortages, abandoned vehicles line the streets near gas stations. People are no longer able to drive to work, so instead they cycle. Some have started sleeping in their cars.
Sri Lankan police said a police officer had been seriously injured during the protests and was receiving treatment at the hospital. An army sergeant had also been injured, he added.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Thursday that he was following events in Sri Lanka “very closely” and called for a “peaceful and democratic transition”.
“It is important that the root causes of the conflict and the complaints of the protesters be addressed,” he wrote on Twitter. “I urge all party leaders to accept the spirit of commitment to a peaceful and democratic transition.”
Rukshana Rizwie in Colombo, Sri Lanka, contributed to this report.