Former Sri Lanka President Rajapaksa returns from Dubai

Ousted from power last year over his government’s mishandling of the country’s cash-strapped economy, former Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has returned from Dubai, his first foreign trip since returning to Sri Lanka four months ago.

Rajapaksa and his wife Ayoma landed at Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo on Thursday, the Daily Mirror Lanka newspaper reported. They arrived on an Emirates flight EK-650 from Dubai, the report said. Rajapaksa visited the exotic animal farm called “Fame Park” during his Dubai visit.

Also read: Gotabaya’s ‘hero’s return’ a sign that Rajapaksas still have a chance at Lankan politics

Rajapaksa, 73, fled to the Maldives on a Sri Lankan Airforce plane in July last year, as the country plunged into its worst economic and humanitarian crisis since its independence from Great Britain in 1948. Subsequently, he headed to Singapore, from where he submitted his resignation on July 14. However, he later flew to Thailand, seeking temporary shelter.

Thailand allowed Rajapaksa to stay in the country for 90 days as he was still a diplomatic passport holder. However, he was not allowed to engage in political activities and was confined to a hotel.

Rajapaksa was given special security and a state bungalow following his return to Sri Lanka from Thailand in September 2022. An ex-military officer, he became the country’s president in November 2019. Formerly a dual citizen of both Sri Lanka and the US, he had to give up his US citizenship ahead of the 2019 presidential elections. As per Sri Lankan Constitution, dual citizenship holders are barred from contesting elections. His wife Ioma, son Manoj, daughter-in-law Sewwandi 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A corruption case against him when he was a top defence official was withdrawn soon after he was elected the country’s president in 2019.

Interestingly, Rajapaksa applied for restoration of his US citizenship earlier this month after he failed to get asylum in any country, according to The Sunday Times newspaper. However, the US government is yet to consider the request, the newspaper reported.
The Rajapaksa family has dominated Sri Lankan politics for over two decades. Mahinda Rajapaksa, the 76-year-old patriarch and elder brother of Gotabaya was the country’s president and prime minister. Younger brother Basil Rajapaksa, 71, was earlier finance minister.

Sri Lanka, a country of 22 million people, is passing through its worst economic crisis since its independence in 1948 which was triggered by a severe paucity of foreign exchange reserves. There have been street protests in Sri Lanka against the government since April last year due to its mishandling of the economic crisis. 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.

(With Agency inputs)