Udayanga Weeratunga also lifted embassy furniture
Apr 12, 2017
Recently, president Maithripala Sirisena toured Russia in the first official visit by a Sri Lankan head of state in 43 years. The then PM Sirimavo Bandaranaike visited Russia in 1974. The Sri Lankan ambassador at the time was Prof. Gunapala Malalasekara.
President Sirisena’s visit was organized by ambassador Saman Weerasinghe. His friendship with president Putin was an important factor in that.
When Dr. Weerasinghe arrived to take up his position as the ambassador, the Sri Lankan embassy in Russia looked like a madhouse. Ex-ambassador Udayanga Weeratunga had lifted all the furniture there and only the ambassador’s table remained. No maintenance had taken place in the sanitation facilities at the place, and before starting his duties, Werasinghe had to attend to all that. Water and electricity bills had not been paid for months. Instead of using embassy money to buy new furniture, he still uses furniture brought from his private home.
Weeratunga had used the embassy not to build diplomatic ties between the two countries, but for his notorious business deals. During the Rajapaksa regime, relatives and cronies without having any diplomatic or administrative experience were appointed to diplomatic postings and Sri Lanka had to face various problems internationally are a result.
When Dr. Weerasinghe arrived to take up his position as the ambassador, the Sri Lankan embassy in Russia looked like a madhouse. Ex-ambassador Udayanga Weeratunga had lifted all the furniture there and only the ambassador’s table remained. No maintenance had taken place in the sanitation facilities at the place, and before starting his duties, Werasinghe had to attend to all that. Water and electricity bills had not been paid for months. Instead of using embassy money to buy new furniture, he still uses furniture brought from his private home.
Weeratunga had used the embassy not to build diplomatic ties between the two countries, but for his notorious business deals. During the Rajapaksa regime, relatives and cronies without having any diplomatic or administrative experience were appointed to diplomatic postings and Sri Lanka had to face various problems internationally are a result.
