Sri Lankan media have reported that the country's embittered President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is still in the Maldives despite reports that he had departed to Singapore last night.
The situation in both Sri Lanka and here in the Maldives remains tense as the Maldivian public expressed their outrage at the government for allowing Gotabaya a safe haven in the country.
Meanwhile, Sri Lankans living in the Maldives staged a protest in Male' yesterday against the Maldivian government for allowing their President to come to the country while he was wanted back home for a war crimes investigation.
Amid the chaos, it was first believed that Gotabaya would leave the Maldives last night aboard the Singapore Airlines flight bound to Singapore amid the backlash.
But Sri Lankan online newspaper, Daily Mirror reported that Gotabaya Rajapaksa has not departed for Singapore on the scheduled Singapore Airlines flight from Male to Singapore but instead will now await to travel on a private aircraft.
The report also said that talks are now ongoing to secure a private aircraft for the Sri Lankan President to depart from the Maldives to Singapore.
Local authorities have refused to comment on the Sri Lankan President's arrival let alone his departure from the Maldives.
