Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, is staying at a hotel in the heart of Bangkok and police are advising him not to leave for security reasons, a source quoted by local media in Bangkok has reported.
Mr Rajapaksa arrived with three other people on a chartered flight from Singapore at Don Mueang International Airport around 8pm on Thursday.
According to the source, the group had planned to land in Phuket but concerns about a possible information leak resulted in the flight being redirected to Bangkok.
Officials have asked the former leader to remain within the hotel during his stay in the country, the source told the Bangkok Post.
Mr Rajapaksa fled Sri Lanka on July 14 for Singapore amid massive protests over the country’s worst economic crisis in decades.
He resigned from the presidency after arriving in the city-state, where his visa expired this week.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha told reporters on Wednesday that Mr Rajapaksa would be allowed to enter Thailand on humanitarian grounds but would be advised to keep a low profile.
Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai of Thailand said the former Sri Lankan president could stay for up to 90 days as he carried a diplomatic passport. Mr Rajapaksa has made no public appearances or comments since leaving Sri Lanka.
Move Forward Party MP Rangsiman Rome yesterday took to Facebook to attack the government for allowing Mr Rajapaksa to stay in Thailand while “[turning] away Myanmar people fleeing war in the neighbouring country”.
Source: Bangkok Post
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