Sri Lanka’s former President Rajapaksa receives government residence and security

• Sri Lanka’s former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has returned to the country he fled in July.
• The government provides an official residence and security for him.
• He has not indicated his intentions for the post yet, a senior official says.

The government provided an official residence and security to Sri Lanka’s ousted President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Saturday after he returned to the country he fled in July during economic unrest, according to two senior officials.

Rajapaksa fled in the early hours of July 13 after massive protests engulfed Colombo and enraged demonstrators stormed his official residence and office.

After arriving in Singapore, he resigned and travelled to Thailand.

A spokesman for the Sri Lankan government and the president’s office did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment on Rajapaksa’s return.

The former president met with members of the ruling party and lawmakers at the airport early Saturday before being whisked away to the government-allocated residence.

According to a senior official, Rajapaksa has not indicated his intentions.

“What he told us last night was that he needs some time as he wasn’t even allowed to step out of his room due to security reasons,” one official said, adding Rajapaksa had not been allowed to go to the gym.

“Once he has spent some time at home he will let us know what he wants to do,” said the official, who asked not to be named.

Sri Lanka, which is experiencing its worst economic crisis since independence, reached a staff level agreement with the International Monetary Fund this week for a $2.9 billion loan.

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