New DPL postings on the cards

Veteran lawyer Daya Perera PC is tipped to take over as Sri Lanka's High Commissioner in Ottawa. During the UNP regime Mr. Perera served as Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York. Sources said Mr. Perera was expected to succeed W.S. Karunaratne, the last secretary to President Kumaratunga, who is the incumbent High Commissioner in Ottawa, but Mr. Perera downplayed the matter yesterday saying ‘it was news to him.’

Veteran lawyer Daya Perera

Another former Kumaratunga Presidential Secretary Kusumsiri Balapatabendi, who has been serving as our High Commissioner in Canberra much longer than Mr. Karunaratne in Ottawa, is also expected to relinquish his duties shortly. Foreign Office sources said the Canberra vacancy is likely to be filled by senior SLFP lawyer and Chairman of its new Disciplinary Committee Senaka Walgampaya PC.

High Commissioner in London Kshenuka Seneviratne too is now expected to be posted to another A Grade station. The post being mentioned is the Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York. It will be her third consecutive term overseas.

Meanwhile Ranjith de Silva, who recently tendered his resignation from the post of Director Communications at the Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process citing disenchantment with the treatment accorded to him at SCOPP, is now tipped to be the new Director Publicity at the Foreign Ministry, once the incumbent holding that post Ravinath Ariyasinghe, the one time Rupavahini anchor, assumes duties as our ambassador in Brussels.

Ranjith, a veteran Reuters man and a former US government employee contacted in this regard said yesterday that no specific offer had been made to him so far and it was still mere speculation. Colombo Post editor and one-time editor of the Daily News Bandula Jayasekera is tipped to be Consul General in Toronto. Mr. Jayasekera relinquished his job yesterday at the Colombo Post and handed his work to a senior sub-editor.