Ex-President Rajapaksa Set to Return to Sri Lanka on Friday
- Strongman leader fled after angry demonstrations in July
- Protesters blame Rajapaksa for the economic meltdown
Gotabaya Rajapaksa
Photographer: Andy Buchanan/Pool/Getty Images
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Sri Lanka’s former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa is set to return to the island nation as early as Friday after he fled a surge in anti-government protests in July, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
His return signals new President Ranil Wickremesinghe is confident of maintaining order after cracking down on the protest movement that has blamed Rajapaksa for policy missteps that set off Sri Lanka’s worst economic crisis since independence.