Sri Lanka's ex-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa returns home, gets special security

Sri Lankas former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has been given special security and a state bungalow for accommodation on his return here from Thailand where he fled amid monthslong mass protests over the countrys worst economic crisis officials said on SaturdayRajapaksa 73 was accorded a warm welcome as he returned to Colombo from Thailand amid tight security on late Friday He was festooned with flowers by a welcoming party of ministers and politicians as he disembarked at Colombos Bandaranaike International Airport from Bangkok via SingaporeThe former president wanted to move into his private residence at Mirihana in Colombos eastern suburb of Nugegoda However security considerations prevented him from going to his private residence where he always lived even after becoming the president in 2019 officials saidAfter being welcomed by lawmakers of the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna SLPP party Rajapaksa left the airport in a motorcade heavily guarded by armed soldiers and was driven to the posh Colombo residential area of Cinnamon Gardens where a statemaintained bungalow was provided to him they saidRajapaksa will be living in a state bungalow close to Wijerama Mawatha area in Colombo while a large security contingency will be deployed to maintain security in the area the Daily Mirror newspaper reportedFormer presidents are constitutionally guaranteed a house personal security and staff after they leave officeAlso Read Ousted Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa to stay temporarily in Thailand PM PrayutEarlier the duty manager of the airport said that the former president arrived in the country at around 1130 PM on Friday aboard a Singapore Airlines flightHe will not be involved in politics despite many of the party members expecting him to start politics againiquest a source from the ruling SLPP told EconomyNext website after confirming Rajapaksas arrivalMany core party members are also against the former president coming into parliament using the national list They do not want him to become the leader againHe has not committed any crimes So he has all the rights to return to the country and all privileges as the former presidentiquest the report quoted the source as sayingRajapaksas return is a sensitive issue for the new government led by President Ranil Wickremesinghe which does not want more protests and will need to ensure his securityWe are not opposed to the return of Mr Rajapaksa Any Sri Lankan citizen can return to the country Father Jeewantha Peiris a prominent protest leader told the BBCPeople came to the streets because of the alleged corruption against his government We dont have any personal enmity against him Peiris saidThe ousted leader his wife Loma Rajapaksa and two bodyguards left the country on July 13 aboard an air force plane bound for the Maldives before travelling to Singapore where he officially resigned a day later He then flew to Thailand two weeks laterThe ousted president had been staying in Thailand on a temporary visa and flew back home via Singapore The expresident travelled from Thailand to Singapore to take the flight as there are no direct flights between Bangkok and Colombo sources saidHe 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 Thailand had 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 was confined to a hotel and surrounded by security personnelLocal media reports on August 19 quoted SLPP General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam as saying that his party had requested the president to facilitate the former presidents return and iquestensure security and necessary facilitiesAfter Rajapaksa was ousted Sri Lankas parliament elected thenActing President and sixtime former Prime Minister Wickremesinghe as the new Head of StateWickremesinghe has a mandate to serve out the rest of Rajapaksas term which ends in November 2024Rajapaksa an exmilitary officer became president in November 2019The Rajapaksa family has dominated Sri Lankan politics for over two decades Mahinda Rajapaksa the 76yearold patriarch of the Rajapaksa family has been the countrys president and prime minister Basil Rajapaksa 71 was earlier finance minister Chamal Rajapaksa 79 was Minister of Irrigation and Speaker of the Parliament from 2010 to 2015 Namal Rajapaksa the eldest son of Mahinda was the Minister of Youth and Sports from 2020 to 2022Sri Lanka a country of 22 million people 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 peopleThe country is also expected to restructure its debt worth USD 29 billion with Japan expected to coordinate with other creditor nations including China on this issueIn midApril Sri Lanka declared its international debt default due to the forex crisis The country owes USD 51 billion in foreign debt of which USD 28 billion must be paid by 2027There have been street protests in Sri Lanka against the government since early April due to its mishandling of the economic crisisA crippling shortage of foreign reserves has led to long queues for fuel cooking gas and other essentials while power cuts and soaring food prices have heaped misery on the peopleThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without 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