Courtesy News18.com

Former Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled the country last month amid public protests calling for his resignation, is awaiting a US Green Card in order to return to the US and settle there with his wife and son, according to a report by the Daily Mirror.

The report quoted ‘reliable sources’ as saying that Rajapaksa’s lawyers in the United States began the application process for his Green Card last month, as he was eligible to do so because his wife, Ioma Rajapaksa, is a US citizen.

His lawyers in Colombo will now be required to submit additional documents here in order for the procedure to proceed, the report said.

The former President, who is currently staying in a hotel in Thailand with his wife, will return to Sri Lanka on August 25, cancelling his initial plan to stay in Thailand until at least November.

Sources told the Daily Mirror Rajapaksa consulted his lawyers two days ago and decided to return to Sri Lanka later this month because he was not given the freedom to move in Thailand as expected due to security concerns.

Thai police had advised the ousted President to stay indoors for security reasons upon his arrival in Bangkok.

According to foreign media reports, plainclothes police officers from the Special Branch Bureau had been deployed to ensure Rajapaksa’s safety at the hotel, the location of which has not been disclosed. Officials had asked the former Sri Lankan president to stay in the hotel during his visit.

When Rajapaksa returns to Sri Lanka later this month, the cabinet will discuss providing him with a state house and security normally reserved for former presidents.

Rajapaksa fled to the Maldives last month, then to Singapore. He entered Singapore on a medical visa and had it extended twice so that he could stay as long as possible. Because his visa could not be extended any further, Rajapaksa and his wife flew to Thailand, where he was assured he could stay until he determined his third destination.