Singapore allows ex-Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to extend stay by 14 more days

International

pti-PTI

Singapore/Colombo,
July
27:
The
Singapore
government
has
allowed
former
Sri
Lankan
president
Gotabaya
Rajapaksa
to
extend
his
stay
in
the
country
for
another
14
days
after
he
fled
the
crisis-hit
island
nation,
according
to
a
media
report
on
Wednesday.

The
report
on
the
extension
of
Rajapaksa’s
visit
pass
came
a
day
after
Sri
Lanka’s
Cabinet
spokesman
Bandula
Gunawardena
said
the
ex-president
was
not
hiding
and
is
expected
to
return
to
the
country
from
Singapore.

Rajapaksa,
73,
arrived
in
Singapore
on
July
14
on
a
“private
visit”
from
the
Maldives
after
he
fled
his
country
to
escape
a
popular
uprising
against
his
government’s
economic
mismanagement.
He
first
fled
to
the
Maldives
on
July
13
and
from
there
he
proceeded
to
Singapore
the
next
day.

The
Straits
Times
newspaper
reported
that
Rajapaksa’s
short-term
visit
pass,
which
was
issued
when
he
arrived
here
on
a
“private
visit”
two
weeks
ago,
has
been
extended
by
another
14
days.

After
Rajapaksa
landed
in
Singapore,
the
Ministry
of
Foreign
Affairs
here
confirmed
that
he
had
been
allowed
entry
on
a
“private
visit.”

The
ministry
stressed
that
the
ex-president
had
not
asked
for
asylum.
Singapore
generally
does
not
grant
requests
for
asylum,
the
spokesman
had
said.
The
ex-president
was
issued
a
14-day
visit
pass
when
he
arrived
at
Changi
Airport
on
a
Saudia
flight
from
the
Maldives
on
July
14.
He
initially
stayed
at
a
hotel
in
the
city
centre,
but
is
believed
to
have
moved
to
a
private
residence,
according
to
the
report.
He
has
not
been
seen
in
public
in
Singapore.

PM
Modi
sends
congratulatory
letter
to
Sri
Lankan
President
Ranil
Wickremesinghe
on
his
election

When
asked
about
Rajapaksa
at
a
weekly
Sri
Lankan
Cabinet
media
briefing,
Cabinet
Spokesman
Gunawardena
told
reporters
in
Colombo
on
Tuesday
that
the
former
president
was
not
in
hiding
and
he
is
expected
to
return
from
Singapore.
Gunawardena,
who
is
also
the
Minister
for
Transport
and
Highways
and
Mass
Media,
said
he
does
not
believe
the
former
president
fled
the
country,
and
is
in
hiding.
He,
however,
did
not
offer
any
other
details
of
Rajapaksa’s
possible
return.

Meanwhile,
Sri
Lanka’s
Supreme
Court
on
Wednesday
barred
former
prime
minister
Mahinda
Rajapaksa,
ex-finance
minister
Basil
Rajapaksa
and
former
Central
Bank
Governor
Ajith
Nivard
Cabraal
from
leaving
the
country
till
August
2,
extending
an
overseas
travel
ban
that
was
imposed
till
July
28.

The
petitioners
claimed
that
the
three
persons
were
directly
responsible
for
the
unsustainability
of
Sri
Lanka’s
foreign
debt,
its
debt
default
and
the
current
economic
crisis.

On
July
15,
Sri
Lanka’s
apex
court
had
barred
the
trio
from
leaving
the
country
till
July
28.
That
ban
has
now
been
extended
till
August
2,
according
to
news
portal
Colombo
Gazette.

Sri
Lanka
has
seen
months
of
mass
unrest
over
the
worst
economic
crisis
and
many
blame
the
former
government
led
by
Rajapaksa
and
his
family
for
mishandling
the
island
nation’s
economy.
The
government
declared
bankruptcy
in
mid-April
by
refusing
to
honour
its
international
debt.

Sri
Lanka,
a
country
of
22
million
people,
is
under
the
grip
of
an
unprecedented
economic
turmoil,
the
worst
in
seven
decades,
leaving
millions
struggling
to
buy
food,
medicine,
fuel
and
other
essentials.
Sri
Lanka’s
total
foreign
debt
stands
at
USD
51
billion.