The recently ousted president of Sri Lanka, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, is expected to arrive in Thailand on Thursday, seeking temporary shelter. This is the second Southeast Asian country the former president has fled to after escaping his island nation last month amid mass protests.
Rajapaksa flew to Singapore on July 14, via the Maldives, following remarkable unrest triggered by Sri Lanka’s worst economic crisis in seven decades. The former president fled days after thousands of protesters raided his official residence and office. Singapore’s government said this month that the city-state had not accorded him any privileges or immunity.
The retired military officer then resigned from the presidency, becoming the first Sri Lankan president to quit mid-term.
A Thai foreign ministry spokesman, Tanee Sangrat, said that Rajapaksa has a diplomatic passport which allows him entry into the country for 90 days. He did not say exactly when Rajapaksa intended to visit.
“The entry to Thailand by the former president of Sri Lanka is for a temporary stay,” Sangrat said.
“The Sri Lankan side informs us that the former president has no intention for political asylum in Thailand and will travel to another country afterwards.”
Rajapaksa has made no public appearances or comments since leaving Sri Lanka.
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