Ex-president Rajapaksa to return to Sri Lanka on Sept 3: Official sources

Former Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa will return to the country from Thailand in the early hours of Saturday official sources confirmed on Friday nearly two months after he fled the country following an uprising against his government over the island nations worstever economic crisisRajapaksa 73 fled the country on July 13 after monthslong mass public demonstrations demanding his immediate resignation on July 9 gained momentum after protesters stormed the Presidents House in Colombo and several other state buildings in the capitalRajapaksa is to return to Sri Lanka in the early hours of tomorrow official sources here saidHis flight details are not known yet sources saidIt was not clear if he would be returning to his private house in the Colombo eastern suburb of MirihanaAlso Read ExSri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa likely to return on Saturday ReportsAs a former president Rajapksa is entitled to a government house and other privilegesRajapaksa fled Sri Lanka to the Maldives on a Sri Lanka Airforce plane and then proceeded to Singapore from where he sent in his resignation on July 14Later he flew to Thailand seeking temporary shelter Thailands foreign minister Don Pramudwinai has said that Rajapaksa can stay in the country for 90 days because he is still a diplomatic passport holderHowever Rajapaksa was not allowed to engage in political activities in Thailand He is also reportedly confined to a hotel and surrounded by security personnelAfter Rajapaksa was ousted Sri Lankas parliament elected thenActing President and sixtime former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as the new Head of State He had the backing of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna SLPP the largest bloc in the 225member parliamentMedia reports say President Wickremesinghe has made arrangements for his return after the SLPP led by the Rajapaksas requested himOn August 19 the SLPP General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam said that the request was made at a meeting held with President WickremesingheKariyawasam had said that they asked the president to facilitate his Rajapaksas return and ensure security and necessary facilitiesRajapaksa an exmilitary officer became president in November 2019Sri Lanka is going through its worst economic crisis since its independence in 1948 which was triggered by a severe paucity of foreign exchange reservesThe IMF on Thursday announced that it will provide Sri Lanka with a loan of about USD 29 billion over four years under a preliminary agreement to help the bankrupt island nation tide over its worst economic crisis and protect the livelihoods of the people