Days after Basil Rajapaksa, founder of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), left for the United States on election day, former Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has also departed the country, heading to Bhutan.
This development follows the SLPP General Secretary's denial that any members of the Rajapaksa family were fleeing the country. Gotabaya Rajapaksa reportedly arrived in Kathmandu on Monday, traveling via Thimpu, the capital of Bhutan.
He is said to be staying at a hotel in Lalitpur, Nepal. According to SP Naresh Subedi of the Lalitpur District Police, security arrangements have been made for the events Gotabaya Rajapaksa will attend during his visit, which includes a planned trip to Chitwan.
Prior to Gotabaya’s departure, Basil Rajapaksa left the country on election day, citing "medical purposes." SLPP General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam explained that Basil Rajapaksa had been scheduled for medical tests abroad a few weeks earlier but chose to remain in Sri Lanka to work "day and night" for the election campaign of the party's presidential candidate, Namal Rajapaksa.
Meanwhile, Dissanayake has been sworn in as the new president, promising "clean" politics as Sri Lanka works to recover from its worst economic crisis.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa was forced out of office in 2022, following widespread protests in the South.
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