Gotabaya Rajapaksa returns to Sri Lanka after fleeing, will stay at govt residence

COLOMBO: Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa who fled the country due to mass protests, has returned to Sri Lanka. Gotabaya left the country on July 13 due to public outrage. He arrived at Colombo airport around midnight on Friday. Ministers and MPs from the party reached the airport to receive him.

As ex-President, Gotabaya lives in a government-sanctioned residence in Colombo. He left the airport heavily guarded by police. After fleeing the country, he was staying in Maldives, Singapore and Thailand on a visitor visa. Currently, no cases have been registered against him in Sri Lanka.

Gotabaya left the country before officially resigning due to the possibility of arrest. He was moved to a secret base by the army before tens of thousands of protesters stormed the presidential residence. From there he fled to Maldives and then went to Singapore and later to Thailand.