Singapore : The Singapore government has issued a new visa to ex-Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, extending his short-term visit pass issued when he first arrived here over a week ago by another 14 days till August 11, a media report said on Wednesday. Rajapaksa arrived in Singapore on July 14 on a private visit from the Maldives after he fled his country to escape a popular uprising against his government's economic mismanagement. He first fled to the Maldives on July 13 and from there he proceeded to Singapore the next day.
Rajapaksa has been issued a new visa, extending his stay here till August 11. His visit pass has been extended by 14 days, The Straits Times reported. After Rajapaksa landed in Singapore, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here confirmed that he had been allowed entry on a private visit. The ministry stressed that the ex-president had not asked for asylum. Singapore generally does not grant requests for asylum, the spokesman had said.
The ex-president was issued a 14-day visit pass when he arrived at Changi Airport on a Saudia flight from the Maldives on July 14. He initially stayed at a hotel in the city centre, but is believed to have moved to a private residence, according to the report. He has not been seen in public in Singapore. Sri Lanka's Parliament on Wednesday elected Ranil Wickremesinghe, an ally of Rajapaksa, as the successor to Rajapaksa, who resigned after reaching Singapore. It was the first time in 44 years that Sri Lanka's Parliament directly elected a president.