Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, family, leave for Dubai
COLOMBO – Former Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who was ousted from power earlier this year over his government’s mishandling of the country’s economy, left for Dubai with his family on Monday (26). Local reports said he would be leaving for the US from Dubai.
Reports said Rajapaksa and his family members, including wife Ioma, daughter-in-law Sevvandi, son Manoj and grandchild left for Dubai from the Bandaranaike International Airport on Monday morning.
Rajapaksa, 73, fled Sri Lanka to the Maldives on a Sri Lankan Airforce plane in early July, after a huge crowd stormed his official residence following months of demonstrations sparked by an unprecedented economic crisis.
He then proceeded to Singapore, from where he submitted his resignation a few days later.
Weeks later, he flew to Thailand, seeking temporary shelter.
Thailand had said Rajapaksa could stay in the country for 90 days because he still held a diplomatic passport, but he would not be allowed to engage in political activities in Thailand. He was also confined to a hotel and surrounded by security personnel, making him a virtual prisoner.
In September, he was given special security and a state bungalow upon his return to Colombo from Thailand.
Rajapaksa, an ex-military officer, became president in November 2019.
Rajapaksa, formerly a dual citizen of both Sri Lanka and the US, had to give up his US citizenship ahead of the 2019 presidential elections.
His wife, son, daughter-in-law and grandchild are, however, all US citizens.
A corruption case against him when he was a top defence official was withdrawn soon after he was elected in 2019.
The Rajapaksa family has dominated Sri Lankan politics for over two decades. Mahinda Rajapaksa, the 76-year-old patriarch of the Rajapaksa family has been the country’s 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 2022.
Sri Lanka, a country of 22 million people, is going through its worst economic crisis since its independence in 1948, triggered by a severe paucity of foreign exchange reserves.
In September, the International Monetary Fund announced that it will provide Sri Lanka with a loan of about US$ 2.9 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.
The country is also expected to restructure its debt worth US$ 29 billion, with Japan expected to coordinate with other creditor nations, including China on this issue. In mid-April, Sri Lanka declared its international debt default due to the forex crisis.
The country owes US$ 51 billion in foreign debt, of which US$ 28 billion must be paid by 2027.
There have been street protests in Sri Lanka against the government since early April due to its mishandling of the economy.
A 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 people.
-PTI/ENCL
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.