Sri Lanka's ex-president Rajapaksa leaves Singapore for Thailand as short-term visit pass expires
Former Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa has left Singapore, as his short-term visit pass has expired.
Responding to media queries, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority said Mr Rajapaksa left Singapore on Thursday (Aug 11).
Mr Rajapaksa boarded a flight from Singapore to Bangkok on Thursday evening, after Thailand confirmed that it had received a request from the current Sri Lankan government for him to visit the country.
Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha told the media on Wednesday that permission was granted on humanitarian reasons, according to the Bangkok Post, while the nation's Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai said Mr Rajapaksa will enter the country with a diplomatic passport, which would allow him to stay 90 days.
Mr Rajapaksa is seeking temporary shelter after he fled his island nation last month amid mass protests.
He flew to Singapore on July 14, via the Maldives, following unprecedented unrest triggered by Sri Lanka's worst economic crisis in seven decades, and days after thousands of protesters stormed the president's official residence and office.
Shortly after he arrived in Singapore, Mr Rajapaksa, 73, tendered his resignation as the country's leader.
Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs had said on his arrival in Singapore that the former president had been allowed entry on a private visit on a 14-day visit pass and had not asked for asylum.
This pass was later extended for another 14 days.
While in Singapore, Mr Rajapaksa kept a low profile and was not seen in public.
He initially stayed at a hotel in the city centre, but was believed to have moved to a private residence.
It is not clear how long Mr Rajapaksa will remain in Thailand or what his next destination may be.
Mr Don said the Thai government believed Mr Rajapaksa's stay would not cause any trouble for Thailand, and that the Sri Lankan government did not oppose the decision, according to the Bangkok Post.
According to Reuters, Thai foreign ministry spokesman Tanee Sangrat said Mr Rajapaksa's stay in Thailand was temporary, and "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".
On July 31, Sri Lanka's new President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was voted in by lawmakers earlier last month, told the Wall Street Journal that he did not think it was the right time for Mr Rajapaksa to return to the country as this could inflame political tensions.
Sri Lanka remains mired in economic crisis, with the country's central bank expecting inflation to increase to 70 per cent this month.
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