Colombo

Sri Lanka's deposed former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa is expected to end his self-imposed exile in Thailand and return home imminently, authorities told AFP on Friday. The country faced unprecedented economic crisis following which the 73-year-old fled under military escort in July. Angry crowds stormed his official residence holding him reponsible for the condition of the country. 

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He issued his resignation in Singapore before flying onward to Bangkok, from where he has been petitioning his successor to facilitate his return, now slated for late Friday evening or early Saturday.

Also Read | Former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa will return to Sri Lanka, says cabinet spokesperson

"He has been living in a Thai hotel as a virtual prisoner and was keen to return," a defence official, who asked not to be named, told AFP.

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"We have just created a new security division to protect him after his return," the official added. "The unit comprises elements from the army and police commandos."

Sri Lanka's constitution guarantees bodyguards, a vehicle and housing for former presidents.

Meanwhile, rights activists are already up in arms and will press for Rajapaksa's arrest over a series of crimes. This includes his alleged role in the 2009 assassination of prominent newspaper editor Lasantha Wickrematunge. He faces charges in a California court over Wickrematunge's murder and also the torture of Tamil prisoners at the end of the island's civil war in 2009. 

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"We welcome his decision to return so that we can bring him to justice for the crimes he has committed," said Tharindu Jayawardhana, a spokesman for the Sri Lanka Young Journalists' Association.

Rajapaksa travelled to Thailand in August after Singapore declined to extend his short-term visa. However, authorities in Bangkok instructed him not to step out of his hotel due to safety reasons.

Rajapaksa's youngest brother, Basil, the former finance minister, met with President Ranil Wickremesinghe last month and requested protection to allow for the deposed leader's return.

Police deployed plainclothes officers and armed guards outside a government residence allocated to Rajapaksa in Colombo on Friday. Security at his private home was also stepped up, officials said.

Police at Colombo's main airport said a security operation was underway to prepare for his arrival.

"What we are told is that he will fly commercial," an airport official told AFP. "If it is on schedule, the aircraft should land just before midnight."

(With inputs from agencies)