Applications for extensions of short-term visit passes (STVPs) are assessed on a case-by-case basis, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said on Wednesday (Jul 20).
In a statement released in response to media queries about former Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s entry into Singapore, the authority said that he was granted an STVP when he arrived.
The ICA reiterated that Mr Rajapaksa had entered Singapore on a private visit.
“Visitors from Sri Lanka who enter Singapore for the purpose of social visits will generally be issued with a STVP with a duration of up to 30 days,” it said.
Those who need to extend their stay in Singapore may apply online for an extension of their STVP, ICA added. These will be assessed on a case-by-case basis, it said.
Shortly after his arrival in Singapore on Jul 14, Mr Rajapaksa submitted his resignation via email, which was accepted by the parliamentary speaker the next day.
“He has not asked for asylum and neither has he been granted any asylum,” Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said then.
MFA and the Singapore Police Force had confirmed that Mr Rajapaksa entered Singapore on a private visit.
Mr Rajapaksa flew into Singapore from the Maldives, after fleeing from protests in Sri Lanka which were triggered by the country’s worst-ever economic crisis.
Ranil Wickremesinghe, who acted as president in his stead, was on Wednesday voted by Sri Lanka’s parliament to be Mr Rajapaksa’s permanent replacement as the next president.
(Curtesy Channelnewsasia.com)
