Ousted Sri Lankan President arrives in Thailand

Former Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who, last month, fled anti-government protests in his country, arrived in Thailand on Thursday night on a flight from Singapore, where he had been staying, since mid-July.Thai television stations showed Rajapaksa and his wife, outside the VIP hall at Bangkok’s Don Mueang airport as they were led to a limousine, which then drove off to an undisclosed destination.

Officials in Thailand, on Wednesday, said they had been asked by the Sri Lankan government to allow him entry, and that he would be permitted to stay temporarily.Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said he was aware of Rajapaksa’s intended visit and that it was allowed for humanitarian reasons because the former president was seeking asylum in a third country.

He did not elaborate but said Rajapaksa would not engage in political activity while in Thailand.Rajapaksa has made no public comments about his travel plans. After fleeing Sri Lanka last month, he first went to neighbouring Maldives, aboard a Sri Lankan military plane, and then to Singapore, where his visa expired on Thursday.He submitted his resignation, only after he left Sri Lanka.

Sri Lankans staged massive street protests for months demanding democratic reforms and solutions after the country’s economy collapsed.Protesters, who occupied official offices and residences in Sri Lanka’s capital, Colombo, accused the Rajapaksa family of mismanagement and corruption that caused the economic crisis, leading to serious shortages of essentials, such as medicines, food and fuel.

The island nation is negotiating with the International Monetary Fund for an economic bailout.Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Tanee Sangrat said Wednesday that Rajapaksa’s stay was “temporary in nature, with the aim of onward travel. No political asylum has been sought”.

He said the ousted president held a diplomatic passport and would be allowed to stay for 90 days, without a visa.In addition to being criticised for mismanaging his country’s economy, Rajapaksa has been accused, by human rights groups, of being involved in war crimes when he was Defence Secretary during Sri Lanka’s civil war, which ended in 2009. – The Nationa/ANN