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Reuters
BANGKOK — Sri Lanka's former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa has left Singapore, the island nation's immigration service said in a statement Thursday, while local media reported he was traveling to Thailand by plane. 16}
The Straits Times reported that Rajapaksa boarded a flight from Singapore to Bangkok on Thursday night after the country's immigration authority said in a statement that he had left Singapore.
Rajapaksa plans to stay temporarily in Thailand, his second country in Southeast Asia since fleeing Sri Lanka to Singapore on July 14, and resigned shortly thereafter. 70 years and days since thousands of protesters stormed the president's residence and offices.
The former military officer, the first Sri Lankan head of state to resign in mid-term, will travel from Singapore to Bangkok, Thailand's capital, according to two sources. It was unclear what time he would arrive.
Thai authorities said Rajapaksa did not intend to seek political asylum and was only staying there temporarily.
"There is agreement that this is a humanitarian matter and a temporary stay," Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha told reporters on Wednesday.
Prayuth also said Rajapaksa could not participate in any political activities while in Thailand.
Foreign Minister Don Pramdwinai said the current Sri Lankan government supports Rajapaksa's trip to Thailand, adding that the former president's diplomatic passport allows him to stay for 90 days.
Rajapaksa has not appeared publicly or commented since leaving Sri Lanka and Reuters was unable to immediately reach him.
Sri Lanka's economic crisis has hit a tourism-dependent economy and slashed remittances from overseas workers his COVID-19, rising oil prices, populist tax cuts, 7 It is the result of several factors, including months of abstinence. Last year's import of chemical fertilizers that devastated agriculture. (His Panu Wongcha-um in Bangkok; Reporting by Chen Lin in Singapore; Editing by Kanupriya Kapoor and Robert Birsel)
