International
oi-Madhuri Adnal
Singapore,
Aug
11:
Sri
Lanka’s
ousted
president
Gotabaya
Rajapaksa
left
Singapore
for
Thailand
after
his
short-term
visit
pass
expired
on
Thursday,
according
to
a
media
report.
Rajapaksa
boarded
a
flight
from
Singapore
to
Bangkok,
after
Thailand
confirmed
a
day
before
that
it
had
received
a
request
from
the
current
Sri
Lankan
government
for
him
to
visit
the
country.
Lanka’s
ousted
president
Gotabaya
Rajapaksa
Responding
to
media
queries,
Singapore’s
Immigration
&
Checkpoints
Authority
said
that
Rajapaksa
left
Singapore
on
Thursday,
The
Straits
Times
newspaper
reported.
Prime
Minister
Prayut
Chan-o-cha
on
Wednesday
confirmed
a
temporary
visit
to
Thailand
by
the
73-year-old
embattled
Sri
Lankan
leader
for
humanitarian
reasons,
and
said
he
promised
not
to
conduct
political
activities
in
the
kingdom
during
his
search
for
permanent
asylum
in
another
country.
Rajapaksa,
who
is
currently
in
Singapore
after
fleeing
Sri
Lanka
in
July
amid
mass
anti-government
protests,
is
seeking
refuge
in
Thailand
as
his
Singapore
visa
runs
out
on
Thursday.
”
title=”Former
Sri
Lanka
president
Gotabaya
Rajapaksa
not
accorded
any
privileges,
immunity
by
Singapore
govt”
/>Former
Sri
Lanka
president
Gotabaya
Rajapaksa
not
accorded
any
privileges,
immunity
by
Singapore
govt
After
flying
to
the
Maldives
on
July
13,
Rajapaksa
then
fled
to
Singapore,
where
he
announced
his
resignation
a
day
later
after
months
of
protests
over
the
country’s
economic
crisis.
“This
is
a
humanitarian
issue.
We
have
made
a
promise
that
it’s
a
temporary
stay.
No
(political)
activities
are
allowed,
and
this
will
help
him
find
a
country
to
take
refuge
in,”
Prayut
was
quoted
as
saying
by
the
Bangkok
Post
newspaper
on
Wednesday.
Foreign
Minister
Don
Pramudwinai
said
the
ousted
president
can
stay
in
Thailand
for
90
days
as
he
is
still
a
diplomatic
passport
holder,
the
report
said.
Don
said
the
Sri
Lankan
government
did
not
oppose
the
visit
and
the
Thai
government
would
not
make
accommodation
arrangements
for
him.
The
visit
would
not
pose
conflicts
with
Colombo
as
acting
President
Ranil
Wickremesinghe
had
worked
for
him
when
he
was
in
power,
he
added.
The
minister
said
a
condition
for
Rajapaksa’s
stay
was
that
he
should
not
cause
problems
for
Thailand.
Story first published: Thursday, August 11, 2022, 16:59 [IST]
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