The last-minute cancellation on Wednesday of a trip to the East by visiting Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) was the result of delays following the delegates’ refusal to use a state-owned aircraft and their insistence on travelling in a private aircraft.
The Sunday Times learns that the MEPs had decided to use a private aircraft to fly to Trincomalee on the advice of their security advisers.
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| Robert Evans |
Over the past few days, conflicting reports have been coming in to explain the delegates’ scuppered three-day visit to Trincomalee, where they were to meet Eastern Province Chief Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan.
The matter became public news when Robert Evans, head of the seven-member delegation to Sri Lanka, told reporters on Friday that despite repeated assurances from the authorities that the visit would go ahead as planned, the party was forced to abandon their travel plans after arriving at Ratmalana airport, because of endless complications and delays.
Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said yesterday the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) had given the necessary authorisation for use of a private aircraft, although the CAA had not been given adequate notice.
The Sunday Times, meanwhile, learnt that the CAA was notified at least a week earlier that the delegates intended to use an aircraft that was to be chartered by the UN office in Colombo.
EU sources admitted the government had offered to fly the delegates on a
government aircraft, but that the offer had been turned down on the urging of the MEPs’ security advisers.
“We were going to pay the UN and use a private air service that they provide,” said an EU source, adding that everything appeared to be going smoothly until the day of the scheduled flight.
The source denied a government claim that the delegates had left the Ratmalana airport around 1 pm, although their flight was scheduled for 1.30 pm. “The delegates were at the airport till almost 2pm, and returned to Colombo when they found that no authorisation had been received up to that time for the private aircraft to take off,” the source said.
Meanwhile, government sources said the EU members left the airport while formalities for the flight were in the final stages of being processed. Explaining why the CAA took time to authorise the flight, the government explained that the UN aircraft had arrived in Sri Lanka from South Africa only on Sunday, July 20, and that the operating crew were unfamiliar with the route to Trincomalee.
Foreign Minister Bogollagama said Ministry officials, following protocol, had arrived in Trincomalee a day ahead of the delegates’ visit, and that there was no question of the government “sabotaging” the visit to the East. “We want more and more people to visit the East, and see for themselves democracy at work there,” the minister said.
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