Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa arrived in the island from his trip to Malaysia where he took part in the conference of Asian Political Parties.

Rajapaksa left the island on September 1 to take part in the conference with several other 'Joint Opposition' MPs. Ministers Daya Gamage and Anoma Gamage also took part in the event.

Rajapaksa was also scheduled to take part in several events in Kuala Lumpur during his stay in the city. However, he had to cancel these events due to protests by pro-LTTE groups. A group of protesters assaulted a monk on Saturday near his temple in Kuala Lumpur.

Meanwhile, Sri Lankan High Commissioner Ibrahim Ansar was also assaulted at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport after he had seen off the two ministers and MP Dinesh Gunawardena.