Rajapaksa’s stay in Singapore is not an asylum
Former Sri Lanka president Gotabaya Rajapaksa has left Singapore after entering the country on a social visit pass close to a month ago.
In response to media queries, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) confirmed that Rajapaksa left on Thursday (Aug 11).
ICA did not give any other details, according to todayonline.com.
Rajapaksa was given a 14-day visit pass when he first arrived here on July 14.
This was after he was ousted from office over Sri Lanka’s economic collapse and fled to the Maldives before making his way to Singapore on a Saudi Arabian Airlines plane.
Rajapaksa was then given an extension of his short-term visit pass which would expire on Aug 11.
Arrival Time Unknown
When Rajapaksa first arrived in Singapore last month, the authorities here said that he was not granted asylum, and that Singapore generally does not grant requests for asylum.
Reuters reported that Rajapaksa is expected to arrive in Thailand on Thursday, though it is unclear what time is the expected time of arrival.
Thai authorities said before that Rajapaksa would stay in the country temporarily and that he has no intention to seek political asylum.
Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha told the media on Wednesday that this is a “humanitarian issue” and that “there is an agreement that it’s a temporary stay”.
Reuters also reported that the current Sri Lankan government had supported Rajapaksa’s trip to Thailand, and that his diplomatic passport would allow him to stay there for 90 days.
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