Sri Lankan ambassadors respond to the Presidential rebuke
Sri Lankan diplomats serving in overseas missions say it is humorous to hear the President reprimanding mission heads saying their only aim was to educate the children when the President had used all resources in overseas missions to provide facilities to his three sons to be educated overseas.
Tuesday, 10 July 2012
The President had reprimanded the heads of Sri Lankan missions overseas during the two day workshop in the Diyathalawa defence academy. The President has said the ambassadors did not work for the country, but were busy trying to educate their children.
A head of a Sri Lankan diplomatic mission who attended the workshop said, “Then Sri Lankan High Commissioner to the UK Kshenuka Seneviratne was personally assigned the task of providing food and lodging to the President’s eldest son Namal Rajapaksa when he was pursuing his higher education in London. Namal’s mobile phone bill was paid by the Sri Lankan High Commission.”
Also, when second son Yoshitha Rajapaksa was studying at the Ukrainian Defence Academy, al facilities required by him were provided by the Sri Lankan ambassador in Kiev, Udayanga Weeratunge. When Yoshitha traveled to the South Hampton Academy for studies, it was once again the Sri Lankan High Commission in the UK that provided for his requirements.
The President’s youngest son, Rohitha Rajapaksa is now being looked after in the US by the Sri Lankan Embassy in Washington and Ambassador Jaliya Wickremasuriya. The official who gave us the information said that it was the embassy that had purchased a house for Rohitha near the NASA Academy and three vehicles for his use.
“Sri Lanka’s image amongst the international community has been damaged due to the government’s pig headed actions and that even a hundred workshops like the one that was held in Diyathalawa would not be able to lift the country’s image,” the official said.
