Story Highlights
- Gotabaya reached Singapore after escaping from Sri Lanka
- Singapore said – Gotabaya neither asked for asylum, nor was given
The troubles of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled Sri Lanka and took refuge in Singapore, have increased. Actually, the Singapore administration has asked Rajapaksa to leave the country. It has been said by the administration that the 15-day exemption given to them to stay in Singapore cannot be extended further. On the other hand, Sri Lanka’s acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe has declared emergency under Section 2 of the Public Safety Ordinance.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s government in Sri Lanka was in trouble when people struggling with economic crisis took to the streets. A large number of protesters were on the streets against Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his family. Even the protesters had captured the Rashtrapati Bhavan. After this Gotabaya Rajapaksa left Sri Lanka. He also resigned from the presidency on Thursday.
After Gotabaya’s resignation, the Singapore administration also refused to give asylum to the former president. It is believed that many cases can be tried against Gotabaya in Sri Lanka. After Gotabaya’s arrival in Singapore, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement saying that he has reached here on a personal visit.
The Singapore Foreign Ministry said that he has neither sought asylum, nor has he been granted any asylum. The statement said that Singapore generally does not provide asylum. On the other hand, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has held the post of caretaker president until the new President is elected in Sri Lanka. He has imposed emergency to take strict action against the protesters, so that the security forces can take strict steps. A new president will be elected in Sri Lanka on Wednesday.
What next for Rajapaksa?
Actually, Rajapaksa had escaped from Sri Lanka on Wednesday and reached Maldives first and then reached Singapore from there. But it is believed that the destination of Rajapaksa is not Singapore. Singapore is just a transit point for them, Gotabaya intends to leave for Saudi Arabia from there. However, some reports are claiming that Gotabaya wanted to reach Singapore only.
