SRI LANKA: As per reports provided by Singapore’s immigration office, former Sri Lankan President and now fugitive-on-the-run Gotabaya Rajapaksa has fled the city-state after his social visit pass expired.
Rajapaksa, the disgraced leader who fled his nation last month after being swept in a storm of huge protests by angry mobs of distraught Sri Lankans, is now expected to land in Thailand and spend some time hiding there before moving on to other Southeast Asian nations.
Cornered by thousands of angry citizens over the raging economic crisis in the country, never seen before in nearly seven decades, and having the presidential residence and office stormed by mobs, Rajapaksa fled to Singapore on July 14 and resigned from office shortly after.
Rajapaksa will reportedly return to Sri Lanka in November when his 90-day visa to Thailand expires and as he ultimately runs out of options to seek temporary refuge in another nation.
The Thai Prime Minister, Prayut Chan-O-Cha, has assured foreign media that Rajapaksa’s admission into Thailand has been granted on humanitarian grounds and that it would be only a brief visit.
Apparently, the Sri Lankan government had filed a plea on behalf of the former president for his safe passage and temporary residence in Thailand. The administration has also been in constant contact with its Southeast Asian neighbours like Singapore, the Maldives and now Thailand in order to secure temporary arrangements for the fugitive’s temporary stay in those nations.
Meanwhile, a local Sri Lankan newspaper reported that Rajapaksa acquired the monetary funds for the safe passage of him and his wife from Colombo to Male last month by dipping his hands into the pot of state money. The other expenses needed for the process of fleeing were paid in full by him and his son, Manoj Rajapaksa.
The Rajapaksas are currently put up in lavish houses, surrounded by hordes of rich amenities, thanks to the numerous strategic contacts the family has made abroad over the years.
Also Read: President Gotabaya Rajapaksa Resigns Over Email
