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Udayanga Weeratunga

The diplomatic passport issued to Sri Lanka’s former Ambassador in Russia, Udayanga Weeratunga, whose whereabouts are not known, has been withdrawn.
The move by the Department of Immigration and Emigration comes after the Ukrainian Government complained that he gave weapons to pro-Russian rebels fighting Ukraine’s east. Details of this protest through a Third Person Note (TPN) from the Ukrainian Embassy in New Delhi to the Sri Lanka High Commission were reported in last week’s the Sunday Times (Political Commentary).

After the protest note was received, then Minister of External Affairs despatched to New Delhi the then Ministry Secretary Kshenuka Senewiratne and Additional Secretary cum Protocol Chief Majintha Jayasinghe. They met the Ukrainian Ambassador there and obtained details.

In a bid to ensure there was complete secrecy in their mission to New Delhi, the duo made it appear that they were travelling for meetings with envoys there concurrently accredited to Sri Lanka. This was weeks ahead of the January 8 presidential election. Thus, the duo arranged for meetings with Ethiopia’s Acting Ambassador Jerusalem Amdemariam and Argentenian Ambasador Raul Gustatravino.

How the new Government should proceed with the complaint against Mr. Weeratunga is to be decided when Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera returns to Sri Lanka. He is now in Pakistan for the visit of President Maithripala Sirisena.

Alarm bells over chairman’s multi-million pay hike for himself
The influential chairman of a state institution which boasts that it connects all Sri Lankans wanted his salary increased. The man has come to the limelight for his filial connections. The man, who now receives Rs. 950,000 a month, has forwarded a Board Paper himself seeking a three-fold increase of his salary. This was to include a payment be made to him for overlooking an affiliate institution.

The board members who were stunned by the Chairman’s move did not say “yes” to the proposal. The Malaysian shareholder vehemently objected. “How could we justify such an unconscionable increase? We cannot end up paying in millions for him alone. At the same time, a senior official, a political appointee made a pitch for a million rupees a month wage. This too was shot down. That is not Yahapalanaya (Good Governance),” said a board member of the company in which the Government has a majority stake. The foreign shareholder in the meantime is mulling a pull-out if this is how appointees of the new Government are going to cream the profits off the company.

Diplomatic service depoliticised
In a welcome departure from the recent past, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has made public the names of 42 candidates approved by the Public Service Commission. They have qualified to appear for the ‘structured interview’ to fill 25 vacancies in the Sri Lanka Foreign Service (SLFS) after succeeding in the written examination.

In what appears to be a clear move to revive the once politicised and thereby emaciated SLFS cadre, the MFA has ensured that the Board that interviews the 42 candidates who sat for a written examination held by the Commissioner of Examinations last year and obtained 40 or more marks, will not be told each candidate’s individual marks from the written test beforehand.

The 25 to be finally selected will be those who scored the highest aggregate from the written test and the interview. The computing of the marks will also be handled by the Commissioner of Examinations to avoid allegations of favouritism by the MFA. No longer will it be a case of ‘kissing goes by favour’ at the MFA and recruitments made through the back door and side door of the then Minister and his Monitor.

Rs, 21 million from public funds for Yoshitha’s overseas training

It cost the Sri Lankan taxpayers Rs. 21 million for overseas training programmes for Sri Lanka Navy Lieutenant Yoshitha Rajapaksa. He is the son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.  Three different courses in Britain were purchased at more than Rs. 6.2 million, Rs. 1 million and Rs. 5.4 million. Two different courses in Ukraine cost Rs. 3.9 million and Rs. 3.5 million. Added to that were travel expenses.

When Lt. Rajapaksa was assigned to the Presidential Security Division (PSD), he was a member of the PSD advance security teams that travelled overseas. That was ahead of foreign visits by former President Rajapaksa. In addition, the young officer was also assigned as Aide de Camp (ADC) to the President. This is in addition to his naval postings.

A Board of Inquiry has meanwhile, ruled that young Rajapaksa did not meet the enlistment criteria when he was recruited to the Navy. Appointed on the directions of the Ministry of Defence by Navy Headquarters, it has revealed that his documents relating to educational qualifications are missing from the personal file.

Lanka’s image in Britain improving
The new Government has taken several meaningful steps to meet some international concerns about investigating happenings in the last weeks of the war against the LTTE and satisfy some of the Tamil grievances over post-war activities in the north.  It has even agreed to engage with UN agencies and sought the help of South Africa to proceed with domestic reconciliation.

Just the other day the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative held a discussion at Birkbeck College, University of London on the postponement of the presentation of the report on Sri Lanka by the UN Human Rights Commissioner. This meeting was chaired by Frances Harrison, former BBC correspondent in Sri Lanka. She mentioned at the outset that the Sri Lanka High Commission was contacted a few times and invited to send a representative to sit on the panel. The organisers were told that there was none to take part.

But come the evening of the discussion and who is seated in the audience busily taking down notes of the proceedings but one of the High Commission staffers. Good on them. Today, the climate has changed and the Government is engaging with the international community and the Tamils. Kirsty Brimlow, chair of the Bar Human Rights Committee, who was one of the speakers acknowledged that many countries including one of Sri Lanka’s virulent critics, Canada, and Switzerland were happy with the current developments in Sri Lanka.

So there is a genuine message to go out to the world including the London audience which might not be fully acquainted with developments at home.
It took a Sri Lanka barrister attending the meeting to respond to some of the remarks by the panellists.

Why Sirisena missed his brother’s funeral
President Maithripala Sirisena, during his state visit to China, took time off to make an unscheduled stopover in Singapore. He went to a leading hospital there for a check up on a throat ailment.

As a result, he missed the funeral of his brother Priyantha last Monday. President Sirisena made up for it by attending an almsgiving at his brother’s residence.
The absence of President Sirisena at his brother’s funeral became the subject of criticism by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa during speeches he made at meetings.

Why Sirisena missed his brother’s funeral
President Maithripala Sirisena, during his state visit to China, took time off to make an unscheduled stopover in Singapore. He went to a leading hospital there for a check up on a throat ailment.

As a result, he missed the funeral of his brother Priyantha last Monday. President Sirisena made up for it by attending an almsgiving at his brother’s residence.
The absence of President Sirisena at his brother’s funeral became the subject of criticism by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa during speeches he made at meetings.