Gotabaya Rajapaksa Former Sri Lankan President arrives in Thailand

Gotabaya Rajapaksa: Former Sri Lankan President arrives in Thailand

The source said Rajapaksa’s jet landed at Bangkok’s Don Mueang Airport and his stay in Thailand is being kept confidential.

Thai Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tanee Sangrat said in a social media post on Wednesday that Thailand had received a request from Rajapaksa to enter the country.

Sangrat said that as a Sri Lankan diplomatic passport holder, Rajapaksa can enter Thailand without a visa for up to 90 days, stressing that the ousted leader’s stay is temporary and he is not seeking political asylum.

had anger has been growing in Sri Lanka for months after the country’s foreign exchange reserves fell to record lows and dollars ran out to pay for essential imports such as food, medicine and fuel.

The former leader’s hasty departure last month was a historic moment for the nation of 22 million that the Rajapaksas had ruled with an iron fist for the past two decades before losing the trust of its citizens.

Rajapaksa is not the first member of the family to become president. His brother Mahinda Rajapaksa was elected to the top position in 2005 and achieved near-legendary status in 2009 when he declared victory in the 26-year civil war against the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa was then serving as defense minister and the brothers were accused by human rights groups of committing war crimes – allegations the family denies.

Recently, many Sri Lankans have accused the Rajapaksas of abusing the country’s economy.

Sri Lankan troops tear down protest camps in front of the President's office In the days after Rajapaksa’s resignation, lawmakers elected former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as president, but anger remains as many protesters see him as inextricably linked to the former leader’s regime.

Wickremesinghe appears to be distancing himself from the Rajapaksas, telling CNN last month the previous government had “covered up facts” about its crippling financial crisis.