On July 13, the ousted leader, his wife and two bodyguards left aboard an air force plane for the Maldives, before traveling to Singapore from where he officially resigned. He flew to Thailand two weeks later.
Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai says the current Sri Lankan government supported Gotabaya Rajapaksa's trip to Thailand, adding that the former president's diplomatic passport would allow him to stay for 90 days.
The six-time prime minister was chosen by a secret ballot of lawmakers a day ago to finish the term of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled the country after protesters stormed his residence last week.
Sri Lankan protesters, who are occupying President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's residence in the capital Colombo, say they will won't leave the premises until Rajapaksa actually leaves the office.
Cash-strapped Sri Lanka sharply hiked fuel prices to a record high, causing further pain to the country's 22 million people in its worst crisis since independence.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe says the island nation needs to secure $75 million in foreign exchange in the next few days to pay for essential imports.
There have been flare-ups of violence around the country despite stringent security measures, as protesters continue shouting slogans against the government while defying a curfew.
An aide to the prime minister confirmed that Mahinda Rajapaksa has submitted a letter of resignation to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, as at least five people died and nearly 200 were injured in a day of violence.
Rohan Weliwita, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, said the president has not communicated any intent to remove the prime minister.
The power transfer from president to parliament will be one of the steps aimed at politically stabilising the crisis-hit country, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa says.
Sri Lanka's Finance Ministry said creditors, including foreign governments, were free to capitalise any interest payments due to them or opt for payback in Sri Lankan rupees.
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