Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa expected to arrive in SL - Udayanga Weeratunga

Wednesday, 17 August 2022 - 14:48

Former+President+Gotabaya+Rajapaksa+expected+to+arrive+in+SL+-+Udayanga+Weeratunga+
Former Sri Lankan Ambassador to Russia Udayanga Weeratunga says that former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will arrive in Sri Lanka on 24 August.

He made this remark while speaking to the media after recording a statement with the Criminal Investigation Department.

Weeratunga arrived at the CID premises this morning to provide a statement on the procurement of four second-hand MiG-27 fighter jets to the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) from Ukraine.

Former Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who left the country amidst protests, arrived in Thailand in August on a flight from Singapore, where he had been staying since mid-July.

Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said that he was aware of Rajapaksa’s 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.

After leaving Sri Lanka last month, he first went to the neighbouring Maldives in a Sri Lankan military plane and then to Singapore, where he submitted his resignation only after he left Sri Lanka.

Thai Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Tanee Sangrat said Wednesday that Rajapaksa’s “stay is temporary in nature with the aim of onward travel” and that “no political asylum has been sought”. He said that because the former president held a diplomatic passport, he would be allowed to stay for 90 days without a visa.


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