COLOMBO 01 Sep (Online): Bankrupt Sri Lanka\u2019s deposed former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa is expected to end his self-imposed exile in Thailand and return home on Saturday, a top defence official told AFP.<\/p>\n
The 73-year-old fled the island under military guard in July after a huge crowd stormed his official residence, following months of angry public protests blaming him for the island nation\u2019s unprecedented economic crisis.<\/p>\n
He issued his resignation from Singapore before flying onward to Bangkok, where he has been petitioning his successor to facilitate his return.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has been living in a Thai hotel as a virtual prisoner and was keen to return,\u201d the defence official, who asked not to be named, told AFP on Friday.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are told he will return very early on Saturday.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have just created a new security division to protect him after his return on Saturday. The unit comprises elements from the army and police commandos.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sri Lanka\u2019s constitution guarantees bodyguards, a vehicle and housing for former presidents.<\/p>\n
Rajapaksa travelled to Thailand after Singapore declined to extend his 28-day visa, but security authorities in Bangkok told him not to step out of his hotel for his own safety.<\/p>\n
The former president had a 90-day visa to remain in Thailand, but opted to return with his wife, a bodyguard and another aide, the official said.<\/p>\n
Rajapaksa\u2019s youngest brother, Basil, the former finance minister, met with President Ranil Wickremesinghe last month and requested protection to allow for the deposed leader\u2019s return.<\/p>\n
\u201cBasil Rajapaksa requested the president to make arrangements for the former president to return home,\u201d their Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) party said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Sri Lanka has endured months of acute food, fuel and medicine shortages, lengthy blackouts and runaway inflation after running out of foreign currency to finance essential imports.<\/p>\n
The coronavirus pandemic was a hammer blow to the island\u2019s tourism industry and dried up remittances from Sri Lankans working abroad, both key foreign exchange earners.<\/p>\n
Rajapaksa, who was elected in 2019 promising \u201cvistas of prosperity and splendour\u201d, saw his popularity nosedive as hardships multiplied for the country\u2019s 22 million people.<\/p>\n
His government was accused of introducing unsustainable tax cuts that drove up government debt and exacerbated the crisis.<\/p>\n
Rajapaksa\u2019s resignation ended his presidential immunity, which could see the revival of stalled corruption cases against the former leader.<\/p>\n
Wickremesinghe was elected by parliament to seek out the remainder of Rajapaksa\u2019s term. He has since cracked down on street protests and arrested leading activists.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
COLOMBO 01 Sep (Online): Bankrupt Sri Lanka\u2019s deposed former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa is expected to end his self-imposed exile in Thailand and return home on Saturday, a top defence official told AFP. The 73-year-old fled the island under military guard in July after a huge […]<\/p>\n
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