This refers to the news item entitled ‘Floodgates opened at the Foreign Ministry for Political Appointees to Overseas Embassies’ and the column ‘Talk at the CafeSpectator’ titled ‘Career diplomats kicked around like footballs’ appearing in the Sunday Times of January 15 and February 19, 2017 respectively.’. The references to me in the first article that [...]

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RIGHT OF REPLY from Sri Lanka’s Consul General in Mumbai

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This refers to the news item entitled ‘Floodgates opened at the Foreign Ministry for Political Appointees to Overseas Embassies’ and the column ‘Talk at the CafeSpectator’ titled ‘Career diplomats kicked around like footballs’ appearing in the Sunday Times of January 15 and February 19, 2017 respectively.’.

The references to me in the first article that I am a “relatively junior” member of the Sri Lanka Foreign Service is unfair in that I have 19 years of service which puts me in the senior-most 25% of those 175 members currently in the serving cadre of the Service.

I joined the Sri Lanka Foreign Service in 1998 after having completed my studies at the University of Melbourne in Australia, and also in France.

I am currently serving as Sri Lanka’s Consul General in Mumbai.

I have previously served in Sri Lanka’s Representation to UNESCO in Paris 2001-2005, Sri Lanka’s Embassy in Brussels and Mission to the European Union 2007-2010; Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representation to the UN in Geneva 2010-2011.

In the second article there is a reference to me as being appointed as Ambassador to Germany in place of Mr. Ranjit Uyangoda, who had already been appointed to the same post. I wish to state that while I had not canvassed for my appointment in any way, I remain an SLFS officer and am not a political appointee as the news item could even inadvertently convey.

It may also be noted that those who joined the SLFS in 1985 were appointed Ambassadors in 1998 at only 13 years of service. Hence, I, with 19 years of service have in excess of six years of experience than those from the intake of 1985 (i.e the batch of Mr Ranjit Uyangoda as referred to in both the articles) when they were appointed Ambassadors.

I wish to reiterate that I had no hand in my name being nominated as Ambassador to Germany in place of Mr. Uyangoda and that I will continue to serve my country to the best of my ability in whatever post I am assigned to.

Saroja Sirisena
Consul General of Sri Lanka in Mumbai

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