Former Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa may return to the island nation soon, state reports. Rajapaksa fled Lanka after protestors stormed his residence demanding his resignation earlier in August.
Rajapaksa went to Maldives from the island nation and then to Singapore where he resigned and is currently staying at a hotel in Thailand. His cousin Udayanga Weeratunga had earlier said that he will be returning to Lanka on August 24 while some reports quoted intelligence agencies advising a delay in his arrival.
As the reports of his return have emerged, the human rights body have written to President Ranil Wickremesinghe to provide adequate protection to the family of his predecessor as guaranteed by the Constitution and facilitate the former president's return to the crisis-hit country.
In a letter, the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) on Monday said that it had received several complaints alleging that the former president had tendered his resignation under threat and coercion and the government had failed to provide adequate security to him during this period.
"And now, the ex-president and his family intend to return to the country. The complaint is based on the premise that the ex-president and family cannot return to the country due to the prevailing threats they face and that it violates fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution for every citizen," it said.
The HRCSL also cited Article 14 (1) (i) of the constitution, which claims that "every citizen is entitled to the freedom to return to Sri Lanka." "It is alleged in the complaint that Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his family, who are citizens of this country, are unable to return to the country due to prevailing threats to their lives," the rights body said.
"It is recommended that the Government of Sri Lanka takes all necessary steps to assess the threat situation and provide the ex-president with the security protection provided under the law for an ex-president to return to the country whenever he makes such a request," the letter said.
President Wickremesinghe has reached out to Rajapaksa to finalise arrangements and facilitate his return to the crisis-hit country, the Daily Mirror newspaper reported on Monday, citing highly-placed sources.
Sri Lanka's Constitution allows privileges to former presidents, including personal security and an office with staff.
With PTI inputs
