'I gave everything to my job and country' - Ousted leader in Singapore now says he did 'utmost' for bankrupt Sri Lanka

Army soldiers stands guard outside the parliament building in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Saturday, July 16, 2022. Sri Lankan lawmakers met Saturday to begin choosing a new leader to serve the rest of the term abandoned by the president who fled abroad and resigned after mass protests over the country's economic collapse. - AP

SINGAPORE/COLOMBO, July 16, 2022 (AFP): Sri Lanka's ousted president did his "utmost" to avoid an economic catastrophe but the coronavirus pandemic derailed his efforts, he said in his resignation letter read out to parliament Saturday.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa's brief note, sent from the safety of a safe haven in Singapore, blamed Covid-19 for the financial meltdown that triggered months of protests, culminating in his humiliating escape abroad.