Former Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa arrived in Bangkok on Thursday after his visa expired in Singapore, where he had taken refuge after fleeing his palace overrun by protesters.
The ousted leader landed by private jet at Don Mueang International Airport around 8:00 p.m. (1200 GMT), a senior Thai official said.
He left the airport's VIP section about 40 minutes later with his wife and got into a black sedan, local media reported.
“
As a holder of a Sri Lankan diplomatic passport, the former president can enter Thailand without a visa for a period of 90 days (...).
The stay is temporary with the intention of making another trip (to leave Thailand, editor's note).
No political asylum has been requested
,” said a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement sent to the press.
Return to the country
Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled Sri Lanka on July 9 after his official residence was stormed by tens of thousands of demonstrators exasperated by the severe economic crisis in the country.
After a stopover in the Maldives, he arrived in Singapore on July 14, from where he tendered his resignation.
His 14-day visa was extended once by local authorities, until August 11.
"
He asked for a new extension, but he didn't get an answer on Wednesday morning
," a close friend of the former president told AFP from Colombo.
His plan would now be to return to Singapore after a short stay in Thailand, according to this source.
AFP could not reach the Sri Lankan embassy in Singapore, which supported Gotabaya Rajapaksa's plan to extend his stay in the city-state.
The 73-year-old ousted leader is said to be ready to return home as protests against his rule have died down, but his successor Ranil Wickremesinghe has advised him against returning so soon, one of his relatives.