Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled the country last month amid public protests calling for his resignation, is awaiting a US Green Card in order to return to the US and settle there with his wife and son, according to the media reports
Reports indicate as per to highly placed sources, Rajapaksa’s lawyers in the United States began the procedure last month for his application to obtain the Green Card because his wife Ioma Rajapaksa is a US citizen.
His lawyers in Colombo will now be required to submit additional documents here in order for the procedure to proceed.
The former President, who is currently staying with his wife in a hotel in Thailand, will return to Sri Lanka on August 25, cancelling his original plan to stay in Thailand until at least November.
According to sources, Rajapaksa consulted his lawyers two days ago and decided to return to Sri Lanka later this month because he was not given the freedom to move in Thailand as expected due to security concerns.
Thai police had advised the ousted president to stay indoors for security reasons upon his arrival in Bangkok.
According to foreign media reports, plainclothes police officers from the Special Branch Bureau had been deployed to ensure Rajapaksa’s safety at the hotel, the location of which has not been disclosed. Officials asked the former president of Sri Lanka to stay in the hotel while he was in the country.
When Rajapaksa returns to Sri Lanka later this month, the cabinet will discuss providing him with a state house and the security afforded to a former President.
Rajapaksa fled to the Maldives and then to Singapore last month. He entered Singapore on a medical visa and had it extended twice so that he could stay as long as possible. Because his visa could not be extended any further, Rajapaksa and his wife flew to Thailand, where he was assured he could stay until he decided on his third destination.
However, because his movements in Thailand are now restricted, he will return to the country.
