Seven weeks after he fled Sri Lanka, former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is back in the country. He arrived at Colombo’s Bandaranaike international airport early on Saturday. After being received by lawmakers of his party, Gotabaya left the airport in a heavily guarded motorcade. As former president, he is entitled to an official residence and security. After angry mobs stormed his home and office amid an unprecedented economic crisis, Gotabaya left for the Maldives in a Sri Lankan air force plane on July 13. A day later, he flew to Singapore on a private jet. After spending two weeks there, he travelled to Bangkok where he was confined to a hotel due to security reasons. Gotabaya’s wife is an American citizen and he has applied for permanent residency in the United States.
