Rohan Perera new envoy to UN

When Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera met U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in New York on Friday, he took the opportunity to introduce Sri Lanka’s new Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Dr. Rohan Perera, who has served as Legal Adviser to the Foreign Ministry for more than 32 years. Dr. Perera was a member of the delegation that accompanied the Foreign Minister who is seeking both  U.S. and U.N. support to defer a likely international investigation of war crimes charges against Sri Lanka. But the Secretary-General made no commitment to help back the Sri Lankan request. Dr. Perera, who will succeed outgoing Ambassador Palitha Kohona, has chaired the UN Adhoc Committee on Terrorism which has been pursuing a comprehensive international convention on terrorism.  When he was elected chair several decades ago, Dr. Perera’s predecessor, Canadian Ambassador Philippe Kirsch, patted him on the back and joked: “Congratulations Rohan, you are going to be chairman for life.” Read more in the Cafe column