Former Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksahas requested entry into Thailand for a temporary stay in a second Southeast Asian country after fleeing his island nation last month amid mass protests, the Thai foreign ministrysaid on Wednesday.
Rajapaksa fled to Singaporeon July 14 following unprecedentedunrest caused by Sri Lanka’s worst economic crisis in seven decades, and days after thousands of protestersstormed the president’sofficial residence and office.
The retired military officer then resigned from the presidency,becoming the first Sri Lankan head of state to quit mid-term.Rajapaksa is expected to leave Singapore and head to Thailand’s capital Bangkok on Thursday, two sources said, asking not to be named.
Sri Lanka’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Tanee Sangrat, a Thai foreignministry spokesman, said Rajapaksa holds a diplomatic passport that allows him entry into the country for 90 days. He did not say when Rajapaksa intendedto visit.“The entry to Thailand by the former President of Sri Lanka is for a temporary stay,” Sangrat said.
“The Sri Lankan side informsus that the former Presidenthas no intention for politicalasylum in Thailand and will travel to another country afterwards.”
Rajapaksa has made no public appearances or commentssince leaving Sri Lanka, and Reuters was unable to immediatelycontact him.Singapore’s government said this month that the city-state had not accorded him any privileges or immunity.
A member of the influential Rajapaksa family, the 73-year-old served in the Sri Lankan military and later as defence secretary.
During his time as defence secretary, government forces finally defeated Tamil Tiger rebels in 2009 to end a bloody civil war.Some rights groups now want accusations that Rajapaksacommitted war crimes to be investigated. Rajapaksa has previously strenuously deniedthe allegations.Some critics and protestersalso accuse Rajapaksa and his family of mishandling the economy during his term as president, leading to the South Asian country’s worst financialcrisis since independence from Britain in 1948.
His elder brother, Mahinda Rajapaksa, is a former Presidentand Prime Minister.Their younger sibling, Basil Rajapaksa, served as financeminister until earlier this year.Rajapaksa’s successor, Ranil Wickremesinghe, has suggested that the former President should refrain from returning to Sri Lanka in the near future.“I don’t believe it’s the time for him to return,” Wickremesinghetold the Wall Street Journal in an interview on July 31. “I have no indication of him returning soon.”If Rajapaksa came back to Sri Lanka, he might not be protected under the law if any charges were filed against him, legal experts have said.