Former Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
Colombo: Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled the country in July amid public protests in Sri Lanka, will return home from Thailand on Saturday. Confirming this on Friday, official sources said that he would return to Sri Lanka on Saturday morning. Rajapaksa fled the country on July 13 after months of protests demanding his immediate resignation in Sri Lanka turned violent on July 9, amid the unprecedented economic crisis in Sri Lanka. At that time, protesters stormed several other government buildings, including the presidential residence in Colombo.
where will you live? it’s not decided yet
Official sources said Rajapaksa would return to Sri Lanka on Saturday morning. However, no information has been received about his flight yet. It is also not clear whether he will be staying at his private residence in Mirihana, an eastern suburb of Colombo. As a former president, Rajapaksa is entitled to a government bungalow and other facilities. Former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa said he had received information about the possible return of his younger brother, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, according to NewsFirst’s website.
Gotabaya is in Thailand for almost 2 months
Mahinda Rajapaksa also said that he had no idea whether Gotabaya would join politics after his return. Gotabaya Rajapaksa had earlier escaped from Colombo to Maldives by a Sri Lanka Air Force plane. After Maldives, he left for Singapore, from where he sent his resignation on 14 July. Rajapaksa later flew to Thailand in search of a temporary hideout. Thailand’s Foreign Minister Don Pramudawinai has said Rajapaksa could stay in the country for up to 90 days as he still holds a diplomatic passport.
Gotabaya does not go anywhere from the hotel!
Later there were reports that Rajapaksa lives in a hotel in Thailand under security personnel and does not travel anywhere. After Rajapaksa stepped down, the Sri Lankan Parliament elected the then acting President and six-time Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as his successor. Wickremesinghe had the support of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), the largest party in the 225-member parliament. Media reports said that President Wickremesinghe has made arrangements for his repatriation at the request of Rajapaksa-led SLPP.
Rajapaksa became President in November 2019
SLPP general secretary Sagar Kariyawasam had said on August 19 that a request in this regard was made in a meeting with President Wickremesinghe. Kariyawasam had said that he has appealed to the President to make arrangements for Rajapaksa’s return and provide him with tight security and necessary facilities. Rajapaksa, a former military officer, took over as the President in November 2019.
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