Sri Lanka's ousted president to fly to Thailand for temporary stay

SriLanka's former president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, is expected to arrive in Thailand on Thursday and stay temporarily in a second Southeast Asian country since fleeing his island nation last month in the midst of mass protests.

Rajapaksa fled to Singapore on July 14 and resigned from office shortly afterward, following unprecedented unrest over his government's handling of the worst economic crisis in seven decades, and days after thousands of protesters stormed the president's official residence and office.

Alsoread |Sri Lanka govt asks Thailand to grant entry to Gotabaya Rajapaksa

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The former military officer, who is the firstSriLankan head of state to quit mid-term, is expected to travel from Singapore to Thailand's capital of Bangkok on Thursday, two sources said. It was unclear what time he would arrive.

Thai authorities said Rajapaksa had no intention of seeking political asylum and would only stay temporarily.

"This is a humanitarian issue and there is an agreement that it's a temporary stay," Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha told reporters on Wednesday.

Prayuth also said Rajapaksa could not participate in any political activities while in Thailand.

Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai said the currentSriLankan government supported Rajapaksa's trip to Thailand, adding that the former president's diplomatic passport would allow him to stay for 90 days.

Rajapaksa has made no public appearances or comments since leavingSriLanka.

SriLanka's economic crisis is a result of several factors, including COVID-19, which battered its tourism-reliant economy and slashed remittances from workers overseas, rising oil prices, populist tax cuts, and a seven-month ban on the import of chemical fertilisers last year that devastated agriculture.

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