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Tax payers’ money for diplomutt’s Benz blunder
View(s):Tax payers’ money for diplomutt’s Benz blunder
The acting head of a Sri Lanka diplomatic mission in South Asia fired his driver and chose to drive the official Mercedes Benz.
He took it to a fuel station. Instead of petrol, he got the tank filled with diesel. Soon the engine developed trouble. Now the Sri Lankan taxpayer’s money is being spent to repair the vehicle.
Meanwhile, the acting head had used his powers to recruit a local driver recommended by one of his new found buddies. The blundering diplomutt is now said to be back in Colombo, not in his organisation but in a Ministry that matters most.
Tamil groups stage protest outside Lankan mission in Malaysia
Boorish behaviour by some untrained Sri Lankan diplomats who are not career officers is not doing any good to the country’s image. This is how a Malaysian website described an incident where the diplomat allegedly insulted Malaysia using intemperate language. This is what it says: “Tempers flared and the Sri Lankan national flag was ripped to pieces by a group of angry protesters this morning who demanded an apology from the deputy high commissioner who had apparently insulted Malaysia.
“Armed with placards, the protesters, who gathered outside the high commission here, claimed that on Dec 27, Sunil (full name withheld) had chased a group of protesters from the commission’s grounds and uttered the words: “What the f**k Malaysia and f**k constitution.”
“Sunil was said to have made these remarks when the Tamil Progressive Team (TPT) brought a few Sri Lankan workers to the high commission, who were abused and not paid their salaries. “We are asking for Sunil and the high commission to express their apologies and we will disperse peacefully… what they said was insulting to all Malaysians,” said TPT president K. Kalaimughilan.
“A group of police personnel numbering around 30 stood guard outside the building to prevent the protesters from marching towards the high commission’s grounds. “Kalaimughilan, who was adamant that the protesters be allowed to meet Sunil, tried to break the human barrier created by the police. Following this, a scuffle broke out between Kalaimughilan and a few police personnel who were holding him back. Kalaimughilan told FMT that the police had no dignity and were working in tandem with the embassy.
“Why are you [police] stopping us? Don’t you have any dignity? That guy [Sunil] said harsh words about Malaysia and you’re not doing anything to arrest him and you’re stopping us Malaysians?” he said. Kalaimughilan, who led the group of 15 protesters, repeatedly chanted: “Sri Lanka…die…Sri Lanka…die…we are a patriotic bunch…we will protect our rights.”
“Kapar MP S. Manikavasagam, who was present at the protest, asked the Police for help in getting an official from the high commission to explain the matter to the protestors.
“A public relations officer from the embassy later met Manikavasagam and MS Arjunan, who is the information chief of Kepong PKR. “We deny that Sunil ever uttered any of those words inside the embassy grounds and we will wait for the police to investigate and we must conduct this in a civilised manner,” said the official.
“However, Manikavasagam told the official that he was giving them two weeks to issue an apology. “If after two weeks there is no action…I will bring thousands of people to protest here and things might get ugly… if it’s necessary to bring a coffin and burn it here…I will do it,” he warned.
“During the protest, Kalaimughilan also tore the national flag of Sri Lanka while calling for the country to be “destroyed”.
Meanwhile, Major General Lalith Daulagala, Sri Lanka’s Acting High Commissioner in Malaysia told the Sunday Times:
“There have been several protests held in front of the High Commission, the first on December 27 and the last on January 22. On December 27 the protestors tried to enter the High Commission premises but they were stopped. The Police came and stopped them. This is an attempt to get Malaysia to vote in favour of a resolution against Sri Lanka at the UNHRC. We have been following the members of this group called the Tamil Progressive Team which is a group sympathetic to the LTTE. In January a group of around 10-15 were engaged in the protest. In 2009 Malaysia voted in favour of the resolution on Sri Lanka and in 2012 it abstained. These groups want to pressure the government in Malaysia to vote against Sri Lanka if there is a resolution this year. He denied that any High Commission official was engaged in verbal exchange with the protestors. We have informed the External Affairs Ministry of these developments”.
Chief of Protocol serves the MP
Sajin Vass Gunawardena, monitoring MP for the Ministry of External Affairs, was in London last week trying to use diplomacy to “soften” up those involved in Commonwealth affairs.
He invited them to tea at the Park Lane Hilton where he stayed. On hand for these meetings was none other than Sri Lanka’s Chief of Protocol, Majintha Jayasinghe. The CoP usually travels abroad only when the head of state goes overseas. Fixing appointments for an MP or even the Minister while in Britain is usually done by the country’s mission in consultation with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Here is an instance where the CoP was with the Monitoring MP scheduling appointments in London. The talk in the corridors of the External Affairs Ministry is whether the Ministry has come down to this level to have to send its CoP to get appointments and why Kshenuka Senewiratne, the lady who styles herself as the virtual number two of the EAM and was High Commissioner in Britain for six straight years and therefore the expert on the Commonwealth was not taken on the mission.
Namal plays cards at funeral parlour
Several young MPs were seen at the Jayaratne Funeral Parlour in Colombo to pay their last respect to late W. Karunajeewa, chairman of the People’s Bank and a life long stalwart of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party.
Hambantota MP Namal Rajapaksa telephoned Udith Lokubanadara (Badulla District MP) and asked him to join him with other friends to pay their last respects to Karunajeewa.
With that done, Namal said he had not played cards in a long time. As is customary at nights in funerals, he sat down with his friends for a card session that went on till the wee hours of the morning.
People smuggling: Australia denies role by top Lankan official
A news report published in the national newspaper The Australian – a report that was flatly denied both by Canberra and Colombo — has become the talking point in External Affairs Ministry circles. Here is what another newspaper, The Age, said:
“The Gillard government has flatly denied a news report that a senior Sri Lankan government official was suspected by Australian authorities to have been complicit in the people-smuggling trade.
“The Australian reported Friday that intelligence agencies had identified a high-profile Sri Lankan official close to President Mahinda Rajapaksa who had authorised asylum-seeker boats leaving Sri Lanka bound for Australia.
But a spokesman for Foreign Minister Bob Carr said the claims were untrue.
”There is no evidence to support the allegation that this official is complicit in people-smuggling,” he said.
”Australia and Sri Lanka have a strong record of co-operation in preventing people-smuggling ventures.” The official was not named in the news report, which drew an angry response from the Sri Lankan Consul-General in Sydney, Bandula Jayasekara, who called the claims ”unbelievable, ridiculous and mischievous”.
“The Australian stated that senior Gillard government figures were aware of the intelligence assessments about the Sri Lankan official. Options were canvassed for how to deal with the claims ahead of a December trip by Senator Carr to Colombo.
“Senator Carr did not raise the allegations with the Sri Lankan government during that visit. Much of the increase in asylum-seeker boat arrivals last year came from Sri Lanka, though this has tapered off in recent weeks.”
Ranil reprimands Sajith at Warakapola meeting
Opposition and UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe attended a meeting in Warakapola last week. Among others present were UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake and Parliamentarian Kabeer Hashim.
UNP Deputy Leader in waiting Sajith Premadasa arrived late. Wickremesinghe asked him to sit next to him. He told Premadasa that all party members must arrive at party events ahead of the party leader. He warned Premadasa not to repeat the mistake. The man aspiring to be re-born as the Deputy Leader assured that he would obey his leader’s directive in the future.
Speaker’s curd-and-apple pie
UPFA MP Namal Rajapaksa along with MP Sri Ranga was in Tissamaharama last Tuesday inspecting shortcomings in schools in the area.
Young Rajapaksa received a call from his uncle, Speaker Chamal Ranjapaksa. “Putha me wele koheda inne. Puluwan nam gedara evith yanna. (Son, where are you now. Please drop by at home if possible),” Chamal Rajapksa said.
Namal promptly complied. Speaker Rajapaksa and the two visitors were enjoying curd (yoghurt) brought by a well-wisher. At that point, the Speaker asked one of his assistants whether the curd was of good quality or not. “Me meekiri kiyala hondatama vishwasada? (Are you sure this is genuine buffalo curd?)”
Ow sir mewa honda meekiri thamai (Yes sir, this is original buffalo curd),” the assistant replied. Senior Rajapaksa remained unconvinced. “Mewa mee kiri nemei, mudawapu ela kiri. Mey gollo apitath boru karanwa. Mee kiri kiyala ela kiri genella denwa (This curd is not made from buffalo milk, but cow’s milk. These people attempt to fool us.)”
Then, Speaker Rajapaksa asked another helper to pluck some apples from a tree behind his house. Minutes later the helper turned up with what looked like freshly plucked apples and offered them to the two young MPs. “Mewa mehe wawapuwada? (Are these grown here?)” Sri Ranga asked Speaker Rajapaksa.
“Oow hondata hadanawanam meheth hedenawa, oya Nuwara Eliyeth wawala balanna. (Yes, if you take care it can grow here. You could grow them in Nuwara Eliya too),” a chuckling Chamal Rajapaksa told Sri Ranga, the MP from the Nuwara Eliya District. The apples were in fact imported ones.
A road in honour of nurses’ monk
Thimbirigasyaya Road will be the latest to get a new name. It is to be named “Venerable Muruththettuwe Ananda Nahimi Mawatha”. The Thera who has been the President of the Public Services United Nurses Union (PSUNU) is the Chief Incumbent of the Abhayaramaya located on this road. Recent name changes in Colombo include part of Ananda Coomaraswamy Mawatha being re-named Mahinda Rajapaksa Nelum Pokuna Mawatha, Guilford Crescent as Dr. Premasiri Khemadasa Mawatha and Havelock Road as Sri Sambuddathwa Jayanthi Mawatha.
Ranil reprimands Sajith at Warakapola meeting
Opposition and UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe attended a meeting in Warakapola last week. Among others present were UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake and Parliamentarian Kabeer Hashim.
UNP Deputy Leader in waiting Sajith Premadasa arrived late. Wickremesinghe asked him to sit next to him. He told Premadasa that all party members must arrive at party events ahead of the party leader. He warned Premadasa not to repeat the mistake. The man aspiring to be re-born as the Deputy Leader assured that he would obey his leader’s directive in the future.
Ambassador back after airport row over family
At long last, Ahmed Jawad, Sri Lanka’s ambassador at the centre of the row over the beheading of Sri Lankan housemaid Rizana Nafeek, has returned to Sri Lanka from Saudi Arabia.
However, it was not before a serious last minute ‘diplomatic’ incident. Last Tuesday, the thrice-recalled ambassador, on the verge of losing all his remuneration entitlements, made his way to the Riyadh King Khalid Airport to board a SriLankan Airlines direct flight to Colombo. Little did the Saudi Airport authorities know that the envoy was departing alone leaving his wife and children behind in the royal kingdom. When it became clear that it was only the “paternal breadwinner” that was making the getaway, immigration staff moved to stop the Sri Lankan diplomat.
They demanded to know why his family was not leaving with him arguing that the wife and children could not remain in the Kingdom without their legal sponsor.
It was only after the ambassador pleaded profusely with the Saudi officials, that he was permitted to leave. It was on the explicit agreement that his family would leave the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as quickly as possible.
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