President disturbed by the Norway ambassador’s marriage
Thursday, 27 June 2013
President Mahinda Rajapaksa is displeased that the Norwegian government has sent a married lesbian lady as Norway’s ambassador to Sri Lanka, sources from Temple Trees said.
The President has had a lengthy discussion on the matter with a group of Bodhu Bala Sena (BBS) representatives who had recently visited Temple Trees. The President has expressed his displeasure at the Norway ambassador’s private life during a discussion on the association between BBS and the Norway embassy. Norway’s ambassador to Sri Lanka is Grete Lochen.
The President has told the BBS representatives that the Norwegian ambassador is a lesbian and that he had not permitted her partner legal entry to the country.
“Our most venerable thero, that woman had asked the External Affairs Ministry to make arrangements to get down her lesbian partner. GL told me. Lesbian marriages are not legal in our country. Ambassadors could only get down their spouse and family members. Since lesbian marriages are not recognized in the country I asked GL not to permit the entry of such a person. Our women will also want to behave in this manner if we permit such actions. But she has now got down her lesbian partner to the country as a servant. Our Minister GL does not have the backbone to handle these issues. Well, how can he take action when boys are fighting in the ministry to share the minister? On one side there are lesbians and on the other there are the gays. Our Sinhala Buddhist identity would come to an end if we allow these actions. We must be strict like the Catholic church,” the President has said.
When we inquired into the President’s allegation against the Norway ambassador, we found that she is legally married to her lesbian partner in Norway.
Norway permits gay and lesbian marriages. Sri Lanka on the other hand does not recognize gay and lesbian marriages and even identifies homosexual activities as a crime. However, the danger is the attitude of the head of state towards these ancient beliefs.
“Our most venerable thero, that woman had asked the External Affairs Ministry to make arrangements to get down her lesbian partner. GL told me. Lesbian marriages are not legal in our country. Ambassadors could only get down their spouse and family members. Since lesbian marriages are not recognized in the country I asked GL not to permit the entry of such a person. Our women will also want to behave in this manner if we permit such actions. But she has now got down her lesbian partner to the country as a servant. Our Minister GL does not have the backbone to handle these issues. Well, how can he take action when boys are fighting in the ministry to share the minister? On one side there are lesbians and on the other there are the gays. Our Sinhala Buddhist identity would come to an end if we allow these actions. We must be strict like the Catholic church,” the President has said.
When we inquired into the President’s allegation against the Norway ambassador, we found that she is legally married to her lesbian partner in Norway.
Norway permits gay and lesbian marriages. Sri Lanka on the other hand does not recognize gay and lesbian marriages and even identifies homosexual activities as a crime. However, the danger is the attitude of the head of state towards these ancient beliefs.
Monk remanded over killing
June 30, 2013, 10:23 pm
By Lalith Chaminda and S. K. Kaluarachci Galle correspondents
Galle Magistrate U. S. Kalansuriya yesterday ordered a Buddhist monk, Ven. Pasgoda Upashasntha Thera, to be remanded till July 9 over the killing of a man.
The victim, Saman Kumara Tillakatatne (44) of Hiriwalkumbura, Yakkalamulla had been attacked with a cricket bat and a brick allegedly by the monk, when he and a friend went to a temple in Labuduwa, Galle on Saturday to meet its Chief Incumbent.
He succumbed to his injuries the following day at the Karapitiya hospital.
According to the police, the chief incumbent had been away and the victim had got into an argument with the suspect monk over a movie the latter had been watching at that time.
The injured man was first admitted to the Udugama hospital. The same night he was discharged but the following day he started bleeding from his mouth and nose and his relatives rushed him to the Udugama hospital from where he was transferred to the Karapitiya hospital.
The victim had told his daughter before he was admitted to hospital a second time that was attacked by the suspect monk, according to the police.
Akmeemana police recovered the bat and brick allegedly used in the attack and a blood stained robe from the monk’s chamber.
