Former Sri Lanka president Gotabaya Rajapaksa has left Singapore: ICA

SINGAPORE — 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 Mr Rajapaksa left on Thursday (Aug 11).

ICA did not give any other details.

Mr Rajapaksa was given a 14-day short-term 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.

Mr Rajapaksa was then given an extension of his short-term visit pass, which would expire on Aug 11.

When Mr 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.

International news wire agency Reuters reported that Mr Rajapaksa is expected to arrive in Thailand on Thursday, though it is unclear what time he would arrive in the Southeast Asian country.

The Thai authorities said before that Mr Rajapaksa would stay in the country temporarily and that he has no intention to seek political asylum.

Thailand’s premier 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 Mr Rajapaksa’s trip to Thailand, and that his diplomatic passport would allow him to stay there for 90 days.