Short-term visit extensions assessed on case-by-case basis, says ICA in response to queries on Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s entry

Shortly after his arrival in Singapore on Jul 14, Mr Rajapaksa submitted his resignation via email, which was accepted by the parliamentary speaker the next day.

“He has not asked for asylum and neither has he been granted any asylum,” Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said then.

MFA and the Singapore Police Force had confirmed that Mr Rajapaksa entered Singapore on a private visit.

Mr Rajapaksa flew into Singapore from the Maldives, after fleeing from protests in Sri Lanka which were triggered by the country’s worst-ever economic crisis.

Ranil Wickremesinghe, who acted as president in his stead, was on Wednesday voted by Sri Lanka’s parliament to be Mr Rajapaksa’s permanent replacement as the next president.