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2022.08.10 13:39 GMT+8

Sri Lanka's ousted president expected to fly to Thailand: Reuters

Updated 2022.08.10 18:48 GMT+8
CGTN

Former Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is expected to arrive in Thailand on Thursday, seeking temporary shelter in a second Southeast Asian country after fleeing his country, Reuters has reported, citing two sources.

There has been no confirmation from the Sri Lankan government. But a spokesperson from the Thai foreign ministry confirmed that Thailand received a request for Rajapaksa to visit, adding that he has no intention to seek political asylum.

Rajapaksa fled to Singapore on July 14, via the Maldives, following unrest triggered by Sri Lanka's worst economic crisis in seven decades and days after thousands of protesters stormed the president's official residence and office.

Some critics and protesters have accused Rajapaksa and his family of mishandling the economy during his term as president.

According to local media reports, the Supreme Court in Sri Lanka on Wednesday also extended its interim order preventing former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and former Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa, both Gotabaya Rajapaksa's brothers, from leaving the country until September 5. 

(With input from Reuters)

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