Former Maldives president visits Sri Lanka

Former Maldives President Abdul Gayoom is in Sri Lanka for a visit that will see him attend the Commonwealth Day as the Guest of Honor, the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement here Thursday. Former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom of Maldives and his wife Nasreena Gayoom were welcomed on arrival by External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris. "Former President Gayoom will be the Guest of Honour at the Commonwealth Day event which will be hosted on April 26 by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa in his capacity as chair-in- office of the Commonwealth,"the statement said. Gayoom was president of Maldives for over three decades and is considered by his critics to have been a dictator. He was eventually voted out of power in 2007 after the country held its first ever democratic election. Gayoom's half-brother is the current president of Maldives.