Colombo: The ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) party has asked President Ranili Wickremesinghe To facilitate the protection of its predecessor Gotabaya Rajapaksa so that he can return to the beleaguered island nation.
SLPP Secretary General Sagar Kariyawasam told reporters that the request was made at a meeting with President Wickremesinghe on Thursday, amid reports that Rajapaksa, who fled the country after unprecedented anti-government protests last month, may return to Sri Lanka next week.
Rajapaksa, 73, fled the country on July 13 after thousands of people stormed his official residence on July 9.
“We asked the President to facilitate his return and ensure the safety and necessary facilities,” Kariyawasam said.
Sri Lanka’s constitution allows privileges including personal protection and an office with staff to former presidents.
After flying to the Maldives by a Sri Lanka Air Force plane, the former president left for Singapore, from where he sent his resignation on 13 July.
Later, he went to Thailand for temporary accommodation and is expected to return from Thailand next week, a cousin announced on Wednesday.
According to a media report on Thursday, Rajapaksa may apply for a US green card as he was eligible to apply for his wife Loma Rajapaksa being a US citizen.
In 2019, Rajapaksa renounced his US citizenship to contest the 2019 presidential election.
Wickremesinghe was elected a stop-gap president to balance Rajapaksa’s tenure until November 2024.
He was elected in a parliamentary secret ballot on 20 July, where he won a secret vote in the 225-member assembly with 134 members, in which he also chose his nearest rival from the SLPP.
His opponents now accuse him of being a president who is at the mercy of the SLPP, which still commands a parliamentary majority despite a setback where many members were shunned by the ongoing economic crisis. The public outcry about it was heightened, which was the worst. History of the island.
Wickremesinghe is now tasked with reviving the island’s ailing economy hit by the balance of payments and foreign exchange crisis.
He leads the effort to secure an IMF bailout. The SLPP said that they would offer it assistance to revive the economy.
Sri Lanka is in the midst of an unprecedented economic crisis that has led to a severe shortage of fuel and other essential commodities.
The island nation of 22 million needs about $5 billion over the next six months to meet basic necessities for its citizens, who are battling long queues, growing shortages of essential goods and frequent power cuts.
SLPP Secretary General Sagar Kariyawasam told reporters that the request was made at a meeting with President Wickremesinghe on Thursday, amid reports that Rajapaksa, who fled the country after unprecedented anti-government protests last month, may return to Sri Lanka next week.
Rajapaksa, 73, fled the country on July 13 after thousands of people stormed his official residence on July 9.
“We asked the President to facilitate his return and ensure the safety and necessary facilities,” Kariyawasam said.
Sri Lanka’s constitution allows privileges including personal protection and an office with staff to former presidents.
After flying to the Maldives by a Sri Lanka Air Force plane, the former president left for Singapore, from where he sent his resignation on 13 July.
Later, he went to Thailand for temporary accommodation and is expected to return from Thailand next week, a cousin announced on Wednesday.
According to a media report on Thursday, Rajapaksa may apply for a US green card as he was eligible to apply for his wife Loma Rajapaksa being a US citizen.
In 2019, Rajapaksa renounced his US citizenship to contest the 2019 presidential election.
Wickremesinghe was elected a stop-gap president to balance Rajapaksa’s tenure until November 2024.
He was elected in a parliamentary secret ballot on 20 July, where he won a secret vote in the 225-member assembly with 134 members, in which he also chose his nearest rival from the SLPP.
His opponents now accuse him of being a president who is at the mercy of the SLPP, which still commands a parliamentary majority despite a setback where many members were shunned by the ongoing economic crisis. The public outcry about it was heightened, which was the worst. History of the island.
Wickremesinghe is now tasked with reviving the island’s ailing economy hit by the balance of payments and foreign exchange crisis.
He leads the effort to secure an IMF bailout. The SLPP said that they would offer it assistance to revive the economy.
Sri Lanka is in the midst of an unprecedented economic crisis that has led to a severe shortage of fuel and other essential commodities.
The island nation of 22 million needs about $5 billion over the next six months to meet basic necessities for its citizens, who are battling long queues, growing shortages of essential goods and frequent power cuts.