Sri Lanka's former Prime Minister Gotabaya Rajapaksa reappeared in Thailand after his Singapore visa expired following the events that led to him being ousted from his country's government.
The former official flew by private jet from Singapore to Thailand on Thursday, said a high-ranking police official with direct knowledge of his movements. The source added that Rajapaksa's jet landed at Bangkok's Don Mueang Airport and noted that his stay in Thailand will be treated confidentially.
Rajapaksa in Thailand
In a social media post on Wednesday, Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Tanee Sangrat said that Thailand had received a request from Rajapaksa to enter the country. The official said that as a holder of a Sri Lankan diplomatic passport, Rajapaksa can enter Thailand without a visa for up to 90 days.
However, Sangrat emphasized that the former Sri Lanka prime minister's stay is only temporary and noted that Rajapaksa was not seeking political asylum. The ousted leader previously fled from his home country for the Maldives in July amid mass anti-government protests, before traveling to Singapore where he tendered his resignation, as per CNN.
Residents in Sri Lanka have experienced growing anger for months after the country's foreign exchange reserves plummeted to record lows, with dollars running out to pay for essential imports including food, medicine, and fuel.
Rajapaksa's sudden exit from Sri Lanka last month was a historic moment for the country of roughly 22 million people. His family had ruled with an iron fist for much of the last two decades, before losing the faith of their citizens.
According to Aljazeera, Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha added that he was aware of Rajapaksa's intended visit to the country. He noted it was allowed for humanitarian reasons because the former president was seeking asylum in a third country. While he did not elaborate on other things, Chan-Ocha said Rajapaksa will not engage in political activity while in Thailand.
Ousted From Sri Lanka
The former Sri Lanka prime minister has made no public comments regarding his travel plans after fleeing his home country. Residents from Sri Lanka have staged massive street protests for several months demanding democratic reforms and solutions to the nation's economic collapse.
Protesters occupied official offices and residences in Sri Lanka's capital Colombo and blamed mismanagement and corruption by the Rajapaksa family for the economic crisis. The island nation is also negotiating with the International Monetary Fund for a bailout program.
On top of criticisms over his management of Sri Lanka's economy, Rajapaksa has also been accused by human rights groups of involvement with war crimes when he was defense secretary during Sri Lanka's civil war, which ended in 2009.
Last month, an international human rights group formally asked Singapore to indict Rajapaksa for crimes against humanity during Sri Lanka's civil war. The South Africa-based International Truth and Justice Project argued that Singapore should exercise universal jurisdiction to arrest the former prime minister for grave breaches of international humanitarian law.
Sri Lanka's tourism-related economy was badly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic which also resulted in the slashing of remittances from workers overseas, rising oil prices, populist tax cuts, and a seven-month ban on the import of chemical fertilizers last year, Reuters reported.
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