To Whom External Affairs Are Foreign

When Serving The Powers That Be

An adjournment debate on the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) was held in Parliament on
Wednesday. The motion was introduced by JP MP Anura !issanaya"a and seconded by #$P
%andy !istrict MP &a"shman %iriella. 'ollowin( are excer)ts of s)eeches made durin( the
debate.
* +ourtesy, The -unday Times. +olombo
JP MP Anura %umara !issanaya"e,
( Au(ust /0. 10/2. +olombo. -ri &an"a 3uardian) 4t5s no secret that the External Affairs
Minister is someone who bends )olices to suit the )osition of the side he is in. When he was in
the #$P. he said we must (o beyond /6 to /6 Plus. and now he says /6 is too much and we
must (o to /6 minus. This is a cle7er tactic. As the sayin( (oes. 8if you (o to the bats weddin(.
you ha7e to ada)t accordin(ly9. :e has shown cle7er ability for that. ;ut today. the EAM has
sli))ed away from your hands. We ha7e no )roblem with him s)endin( time abroad as he is the
EAM. but when he is in +olombo. is he mana(in( the EAM< These days. he has become the
main s)ea"er at 8Tharunayata :eta"9 and -&'P meetin(s. but we did not see former 'orei(n
Minister. the late &a"shman %adir(amar en(a(in( in such meetin(s.
The EAM has (one astray now. Who is in char(e of the EAM today< 4t5s a hidden force. The
EAM and the 'orei(n -er7ice is in crisis today. and we ha7e lost our friends in the international
community due to our bad )olicies. The 'orei(n -er7ice has been turned into a branch of the
-&'P today. li"e what was done to the Police. the Judiciary. the ;ribery +ommission. the
4nland =e7enue !e)artment and the +ustoms. 4 ha7e enou(h documentation to )ro7e this. Who
are the heads of -ri &an"a5s missions abroad these days<
&oo" at this list 4 ha7e. -ri &an"a5s Ambassador to $etherlands is ;uddhi Athauda> son of
Minister Athauda -ene7iratne. Ambassador to =ussia. #dayan(a Weeratun(a> ne)hew of the
head of state. 'or nine years he has been Ambassador there. Jaliya Wic"ramasooriya who was
Ambassador to Washin(ton. also a relati7e. was in7ol7ed in a fraud. but what ha7e you done as
Minister. about it< 4nstead of ta"in( any action. you ha7e nominated him as Ambassador to
+anada. This has brou(ht disre)ute to our country. :i(h +ommissioner to the Maldi7es !ixon
!ela is the father of the !iyawadana $ilame. :i(h +ommissioner to $i(eria A.-.P. &iyana(e.
also a confidant of the -&'P. Ambassador to -weden. ?shadi Alaha))eruma> brother of
Minister !ullas Allaha)eruma. What is his @ualification to hold such a )ost< :e is concurrently
accredited to se7en other countries. +onsul in -ydney. Aasara Abenaya"e> (randdau(hter of
late film star 3amini 'onse"a. A brea"u) of a lo7e affair led to her a))ointment. Ambassador to
Tur"ey. ;harathi Wijeratne> wife of late Minister Mano Wijeratne. Ambassador to ietnam.
Prof 47an Amarasin(he. Ambassador to 3ermany. -arath %on(aha(e. :i(h +ommissioner to
-in(a)ore. 'erial Ashroff. Ambassador to Jordan 3amini =aja)a"sa. -econd -ecretary in
&ondon. Muthu Padma"umara. 'irst -ecretary in Melbourne. ?sada Aa)a Abeywardene and
-econd -ecretary in the Permanent Mission to #$ in $ew Aor" +hamithri =ambu"wella. All
of them are either relati7es or friends of -&'P leaders. 4f this is not a branch of the -&'P. then
what is it<
What is this 'orei(n -er7ice< This is li"e )uttin( your relati7es into the Pro7incial +ouncils.
Those who ha7e failed the com)etiti7e examinations are )osted to o7erseas missions. There are
2B heads of missions and. of these. only // from the 'orei(n -er7ice. There are also four who
had retired from the ser7ice. and if you add them it will be /2. 4n +anberra. of the 10 officials.
/B are )olitical a))ointees. ?f the /CD 'orei(n -er7ice officers. E0 are stuc" in the EAM.
#$P MP Man(ala -amaraweera,
The #$P has consistently maintained that the o)enin( of the flood(ates of intentional scrutiny
can only be a7oided by holdin( an inde)endent and credible local in7esti(ation into the serious
alle(ations of 7iolations of human ri(hts and humanitarian laws of the =aja)a"sa re(ime. When
loo"in( at the recently a))ointed members of the ad7isory council. to assist the missin(
)erson5s commission. their credibility is @uestionable. 4s it a))ointed for the (reater (ood of the
country or to ser7e the interest of a few< There are serious @uestions about the credibility of
those a))ointed to this )anel. A closer examination of the credentials of these ad7isors ma"es it
clear that the moti7es of the 3o7ernment may not be )ristine and altruistic. as it may seem as
first (lance. The role of -ir !esmond !e -il7a F+ as an a)olo(ist for the excesses of the
=aja)a"sa re(ime durin( the last days of the war. is well documented.
The lesser "nown bac"(rounds of the other two ad7isors are also im)ortant. -ir 3eoffrey $ice.
one of the ad7isors. a Professor of &aw at 3resham #ni7ersity. is an ex)ert on head of state
immunity. Accordin( to re)orts. he was contacted by former &ibyan leader Mohamed 3adhafi
when he was referred to the 4nternational +riminal +ourt. :e did not (et a chance to re)resent
3adhafi. as he was "illed before anythin( could be done. The bac"(round of the second ex)ert.
Prof !. +rane. is e7en more interestin(. :e was hired by Moussa !adis +amara. former
President of =e)ublic of 3uinea. who now stands accused of war crimes for res)onsibility for
the massacre of /CD )eo)le in -e)tember 100B. What is interestin( is that Prof +rane mana(ed
to absol7e the )resident of the crime and )lace the blame and res)onsibility lower down the
chain of command. Therefore. Prof +rane has the ex)erience of sa7in( the s"ins of dictators
facin( war crimes char(es. and )innin( the blame lower down.
There is an attem)t to safe(uard a family. not the country. :ow much are these forei(n ex)erts
bein( )aid. because these "inds of lawyers don5t come chea)< 4 will not as" Minister 3.&.
Peiris because he does not "now what is ha))enin( in his Ministry. 4t is -ajin aas
3uanwardena and President5s -ecretary &alith Weeratun(a who are runnin( the ministry. 4t is
they who went around and found these ex)erts. 4t is a bi( rac"et. This is a mo7e to betray the
military and sa7e those who (a7e the orders. Those who once shouted they will (o to the
electric chair for the country. are now tryin( to betray the military.
Minister External Affairs 3.&. Peiris,
MP Anura !issanaya"a launched an attac" on the officials of the Ministry. which is unfair. As a
)olitician. 4 am )re)ared to face any mudslin(in( .Politicians cannot shy away from this "ind of
thin(. as it is )art and )arcel of )olitics. There are tale carriers in any ministry. who are
dis(runtled and carry tales to MPs. This ha))ens in my ministry as well. and 4 re(ret those
thin(s ha7e been brou(ht u) durin( a Parliamentary debate. 4 tau(ht for 1D years at the
#ni7ersity of +olombo. The students were not all from +olombo. but also from rural areas.
Many of them are in (ood )laces today. Those who enter the 'orei(n -er7ice are not recruited
based on their En(lish "nowled(e only. but are (i7en a trainin( while in ser7ice.

The MP said that 4 (o to 7illa(es and address meetin(s. 4 can say without any fear that 4 (o to
all areas of the country to ex)lain our forei(n )olicy to the )eo)le. 4 ha7e to (i7e a clear )icture
to the )eo)le. 4t is my res)onsibility. E7en former Minister %adir(amar addressed meetin(s in
+olombo. but he did not ha7e the ability to (o to the 7illa(e and address )eo)le in -inhala. but
he wor"ed from +olombo. -ome MPs s)o"e of African countries with ridicule and in a
dero(atory manner. That is their colonial mentality. When :E went to TanGania. there were
such comments made here. but a few days after President Mahinda =aja)a"sa5s 7isit there. #-
President ;ara" ?bama also 7isited TanGania. then no one said anythin(.

?))osition &eader =anil Wic"remesin(he. in an inter7iew with the :indu news)a)er in 10/0.
has said the solution to the ethnic )roblem can only be found with the inter7ention of 4ndia.
#-A and the Euro)ean #nion. :is o)inion was that the )roblems cannot be sol7ed in this
country. e7erythin( must be handed o7er to the international community. ;ut out forei(n )olicy
is not that. We firmly reject that stance. $ot three. but e7en if there are 60 re)etiti7e resolutions
a(ainst us. we will not chan(e our stance. We are well aware we are u) a(ainst formidable
forces. but we face them coura(eously. We will not "neel before )owerful forces. We ha7e not
been elected by the )eo)le for that. We "now how countries are bein( coerced into 7otin(
a(ainst -ri &an"a at the #$:=+. We are tellin( the truth to the #$:=+. $ot a sin(le Arab
country 7oted a(ainst us. What is this world 7iew without +hina. =ussia and the Arab world<
Today. loo" at the relations we ha7e de7elo)ed with countries. Ta"e +hina for exam)le. We
ha7e free trade a(reements with +hina and 4ndia. E7en Ja)an said they will not su))ort such a
resolution. whate7er the )ressure they come under. and so has -outh Africa.

We are not a(ainst a national mechanism to loo" into 7arious alle(ations. We are a(ainst the
international in@uiry. The local commission is continuin( its wor". and around /D.000
com)laints has been recei7ed so far. 4ts +hairman wrote to the President and said they are faced
with certain le(al issues and hence. they would li"e some )ersons with in>de)th "nowled(e in
the area. to assist it. Which is why the President had to a))oint the three>member ad7isory
)anel< 4t is our duty to assist our own commission. but this is not an international in@uiry. This
is not a #>turn or a H>turn as someone said. but it is a continuation of our )olicies. This is an
ad7isory committee. This is a local mechanism. not a forei(n mechanism.

Whate7er anyone says. we ha7e been consistent on the Palestine @uestion. There is a road
named after President Mahinda =aja)a"sa in =amallah. -tartin( as a youn( MP. he has been a
stron( ally of Palestine. We ha7e (ood relations with 4ndia. There are some )roblems. but both
sides are committed to resol7in( them in a cordial manner. ;oth sides realise the im)ortance of
this relationshi).