Ousted Sri Lankan President Rajapaksa Returns To Island Nation

Ousted Sri Lankan President Rajapaksa Returns To Island Nation
Sri Lanka’s ousted president Gotabaya Rajapaksa was provided with an official bungalow for accommodation and special security by the government on his return to the country on Saturday.

Rajapaksa, who had fled the country amid worst economic crisis in July, was accorded a warm welcome by a posse of lawmakers and party functionaries at Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport before being moved to the government residence.

"What he [Rajapaksa] told us last night was that he needs some time as he was not even allowed to step out of his room due to security reasons. He had not been allowed to go to the gym. Once he has spent some time at home he will let us know what he wants to do,” Reuters quoted a government official as saying.

Sri Lanka has been grappling with its worst economic crisis since Independence. The country recently concluded a staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a loan of US$2.9 billion.