Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa returns to Sri Lanka

Colombo: Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa returned to Sri Lanka on Saturday, less than two months after he fled the country following a mass revolt against the country's worst economic crisis, a media report said.Rajapaksa arrived at the Bandaranaike International Airport near here amid a heavy security presence, the Daily Mirror reported.

Rajapaksa will be living in a state bungalow in the heart of Colombo while a large security contingent will be deployed to maintain security in the area.Several Ministers were at the airport to welcome the former President.

The daily did not say from where Rajapaksa arrived but he was last known to be in Thailand, which he reached after fleeing to the Maldives and Singapore in July.

Rajapaksa fled Sri Lanka on July 9 after tens of thousands of protesters overran the Presidential Palace and two other key government buildings during a mass show of strength against the government.

Rajapaksa left for Thailand after the Singapore government failed to extend his visa for a the third time.The daily said that Rajapaksa will remain in Colombo till his application for a US Green Card gets approved by the American government.

"Rajapaksa will be accorded all privileges as a former President and will be allocated additional security," the report said.(UNI)