Former Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who last month fled anti-government protests in his country, arrived in Thailand on Thursday night on a flight from Singapore, where he had been staying since mid-July.
Thai television stations showed Mr Rajapaksa and a woman believed to be his wife outside the VIP hall at Bangkok’s Don Mueang airport as they were led to a limousine, which then drove off to an undisclosed destination.
Officials in Thailand on Wednesday said they had been asked by the Sri Lankan government to allow him entry, and that he would be permitted to stay temporarily.
Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said he was aware of Mr Rajapaksa’s intended visit and that it was allowed for humanitarian reasons because the former president was seeking asylum in a third country.
He did not elaborate but said Mr Rajapaksa would not engage in political activity while in Thailand.
Mr Rajapaksa has made no public comments about his travel plans. After fleeing Sri Lanka last month, he first went to the neighbouring Maldives aboard a Sri Lankan military plane and then to Singapore, where his visa expired on Thursday.
He submitted his resignation only after he left Sri Lanka.
Sri Lankans staged massive street protests for months demanding democratic reforms and solutions after the country’s economy collapsed.
-
A nurse checks on a premature baby at the Castle Street Hospital for Women in Colombo. Lahiru Harshana / The National -
Consultant Dr Saman Kumara with nursing staff at the Castle Street Hospital for Women in Colombo. Lahiru Harshana / The National -
Dr Saman Kumara, a consultant neonatologist. Lahiru Harshana / The National -
Dr Saman Kumara says life saving equipment to monitor the health of infants and save babies from respiratory distress is required in Sri Lanka. Lahiru Harshana / The National -
A nurse treats a sick child in Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children in Colombo. AFP -
Sri Lanka expatriates in the UAE send vital medical supplies back home to a nation reeling from a foreign exchange crisis. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Medical supplies needed urgently by hospitals in Sri Lanka are packed in a warehouse in Dubai's Ras Al Khor area. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
A mother with her child waits for medicines at the pharmacy in Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children in Colombo. AFP -
A mother sits beside her child in Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children. AFP -
A mother with her child speaks to a nurse in Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children. AFP -
A pharmacist attends to a man in Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children. AFP -
A health worker packs medicines in the hospital. AFP -
People queue to get medicine from the outpatient department during strike action at the National hospital in Colombo. EPA -
Patients wait to receive drugs at Colombo South Teaching Hospital in Colombo. Getty Images -
A man stands outside a pharmacy in Colombo. Getty Images -
Pharmacists arrange drugs at Colombo South Teaching Hospital. Getty Images -
A patient stands with his mother outside Colombo South Teaching Hospital in Colombo. Getty Images -
A deserted outpatient department during the island-wide strike at the National hospital in Colombo. EPA -
Mudiyansege Chandrawathi, a cancer patient, has a drink after attending a clinic at the national cancer hospital in Maharagama, a suburb of Colombo. AP Photo -
A hospital worker carries a tray of drugs at a government-run hospital in Colombo. AP Photo
Protesters who occupied official offices and residences in Sri Lanka’s capital, Colombo, accused the Rajapaksa family of mismanagement and corruption that caused the economic crisis, leading to serious shortages of essentials such as medicines, food and fuel.
The island nation is negotiating with the International Monetary Fund for an economic bailout.
Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Tanee Sangrat said Wednesday that Mr Rajapaksa’s stay was “temporary in nature, with the aim of onward travel. No political asylum has been sought”.
He said the ousted president held a diplomatic passport and would be allowed to stay for 90 days without a visa.
In addition to being criticised for mismanaging his country’s economy, Mr Rajapaksa has been accused by human rights groups of being involved in war crimes when he was defence secretary during Sri Lanka’s civil war, which ended in 2009.
