US rejects Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s visa application

Border authorities deny having prevented Rajapaksa from leaving the island

July 12 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The United States authorities have rejected this Tuesday the visa application presented by the president of Sri Lanka, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who recently announced his resignation when the Asian nation is going through an unprecedented crisis that has led to major protests.

This news, advanced by the Indian newspaper ‘The Hindu’ and reported by the Ceylonese newspaper ‘Daily Mirror’, occurs in a context in which there is speculation about the possible flight of the president, who had dual Ceylonese and American nationality, if Well he resigned the second to be able to stand for the 2019 elections.

According to a senior official consulted by the aforementioned Indian newspaper, Rajapaksa would have sought “a safe conduct to the United States” after the massive anti-government demonstrations in recent days on the island, although this request has been denied by Washington.

Amid rumors about a possible attempt to flee the country, the Sri Lankan immigration and border authorities have denied having prevented Rajapaksa from leaving the country, although they have not stated whether the president has done so or not.

The Sri Lanka Immigration and Emigration Officers Association (SLIEOA) has said officials do not have the legal standing to prevent Rajapaksa, who still holds the country’s presidency, from leaving the island.

Along the same lines, the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) has also come out against a series of information published on social networks and which indicates that Rajapaksa would currently be staying in a private residence of the head of Air Force Marshal Sudarshana Pathirana.

SLAF spokesman Dushan Wijesinghe has asserted that there is no truth behind these reports and that it is all part of a propaganda campaign that aims to tarnish the image of the military body and its chief.