Commandos guard returning president

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AFP) — Bankrupt Sri Lanka's deposed former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa is expected to end his self-imposed exile in Thailand and return home on Saturday, a top defense official told AFP.

"He has been living in a Thai hotel as a virtual prisoner and was keen to return," the defense official, who asked not to be named, told AFP on Friday. "We are told he will return very early on Saturday."

"We have just created a new security division to protect him after his return on Saturday. The unit comprises elements from the army and police commandos," the defense official added.

Sri Lanka's constitution guarantees bodyguards, a vehicle and housing for former presidents.

The 73-year-old fled the island under military guard in July after a huge crowd stormed his official residence, following months of angry public protests blaming him for the island nation's unprecedented economic crisis.

He issued his resignation from Singapore before flying onward to Bangkok, where he has been petitioning his successor to facilitate his return.

Protection request

Rajapaksa traveled to Thailand after Singapore declined to extend his 28-day visa, but security authorities in Bangkok told him not to step out of his hotel for his own safety.

The former president had a 90-day visa to remain in Thailand, but opted to return with his wife, a bodyguard and another aide, the official said.

Rajapaksa's youngest brother, Basil, the former finance minister, met with President Ranil Wickremesinghe last month and requested protection to allow for the deposed leader's return.

"Basil Rajapaksa requested the president to make arrangements for the former president to return home," their Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna party said in a statement.

Sri Lanka has endured months of acute food, fuel and medicine shortages, lengthy blackouts and runaway inflation after running out of foreign currency to finance essential imports.

The coronavirus pandemic was a hammer blow to the island's tourism industry and dried up remittances from Sri Lankans working abroad — both key foreign exchange earners.