On August 11, it’s anticipated that the former president of Sri Lanka, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, would fly out of Singapore and travel to Bangkok, Thailand.
The Thai Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the former president of Sri Lanka, has applied for entrance into Thailand in order to make a quick visit to a second destination in Southeast Asia after leaving his island nation last month amidst fierce demonstrations.
Tens of thousands of protestors attacked the president’s official mansion and office on July 13, and days later Mr. Rajapaksa fled to Singapore amid intense upheaval brought on by Sri Lanka’s worst economic crisis in seven decades.
Later, the former military commander made his retirement from the presidency public, becoming him Sri Lanka’s first head of state to do so.
According to two people who asked to remain anonymous, Mr. Rajapaksa is expected to travel from Singapore to Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, on Thursday.. Requests for response from the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry were not immediately returned.
90 days allowed for entry
Rajapaksa has a diplomatic passport, according to Tanee Sangrat, a spokeswoman for the Thai Foreign Ministry, which grants him admission for 90 days. When Mr. Rajapaksa planned to come was not specified by him.
“The former President of Sri Lanka’s admission into Thailand is for a temporary visit,” Mr. Sangrat remarked.
The former president will not seek political asylum in Thailand, according to the Sri Lankan side, and would instead go for another nation.
Since departing Sri Lanka, Mr. Rajapaksa has not made any public appearances or statements, and Reuters was unable to reach him right away.
This month, the government of Singapore said that it had not granted him any advantages or immunity.
Up and down
The 73-year-old, who is a prominent Rajapaksa family member, served in the Sri Lankan military before serving as defence secretary.
The deadly civil war was ultimately put an end in 2009 when he served as defence secretary when government troops overcame the Tamil Tiger insurgents. Right now, several advocacy organisations seek an investigation into allegations that Mr. Rajapaksa committed war crimes. Rajapaksa has already vehemently refuted the accusations.
The South Asian nation’s biggest financial catastrophe since independence from Britain in 1948, according to some detractors and demonstrators, was caused by Mr. Rajapaksa and his family mismanaging the economy during his presidency.
Mahinda Rajapaksa, his older brother, served as both prime minister and president of Sri Lanka. Basil Rajapaksa, the elder brother, held the position of finance minister up to this year’s beginning.
It’s too soon for him to come back, Wickremesinghe said.
Ranil Wickremesinghe, Mr. Rajapaksa’s successor, has recommended that the former leader delay any upcoming trip back to Sri Lanka.
Mr. Wickremesinghe stated to the Wall Street Journal in an interview on July 31 that he didn’t think the moment was right for him to return. “There’s no sign of him coming back anytime soon,”
Legal experts have stated that if Mr. Rajapaksa returned to Sri Lanka and was charged, he might not be protected by the law.
