Sri Lanka’s ousted president Gotabaya Rajapaksa faces arrest calls after return

Mr. Rajapaksa announced his resignation from Singapore and spent weeks under virtual house arrest at a Bangkok hotel before his return late on September 2

Deposed Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa faced calls for his arrest on September 3 after returning home from self-imposed exile under the protection of his successor’s government.

Mr. Rajapaksa fled the island nation under military escort in July after a huge crowd stormed his official residence following months of demonstrations sparked by an unprecedented economic crisis.

The 73-year-old announced his resignation from Singapore and spent weeks under virtual house arrest at a Bangkok hotel before his return late on September 2.

Leaders of the protest campaign that toppled his government said Mr. Rajapaksa, who lost his presidential immunity after leaving office, should now be brought to justice.

“Gotabaya returned because no country is willing to accept him, he has no place to hide,” Joseph Stalin, the leader of a teachers’ trade union that helped mobilise demonstrators, told AFP.

“He should be arrested immediately for causing such misery for the 22 million people of Sri Lanka,” he added. “He can’t live freely as if nothing has happened.”

Mr. Rajapaksa’s government was accused of chaotic mismanagement as the Sri Lankan economy spiralled into a blistering downturn.