Mahinda dashing: Lanka protests to Oslo

The Government has lodged a strong protest with Norway over its reported inability to deal firmly with a visa applicant who had stormed the Sri Lanka Embassy in Oslo, removed a portrait of President Mahinda Rajapaksa that was on the wall and dashed it on the ground.

The applicant, a former Sri Lankan Tamil, is now a citizen of Norway. He had made an application to obtain a visa to travel to Sri Lanka. He had allegedly turned abusive after officials said it would take time to process. Norway's Ambassador Hans Brattskar, The Sunday Times learns, was summoned to the Foreign Ministry early this week by Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera.

The Minister is learnt to have told Mr. Brattskar that despite formidable sections in Sri Lanka being opposed to Norway, and attempted on many occasions to storm the Norwegian Embassy, the Government had taken tight security measures. However, he had said, it was regrettable that no such protection had been accorded to the Sri Lankan Embassy in Oslo. He is also learnt to have demanded that strong action be taken against the individual concerned.

Foreign Minister Samaraweera had also taken exception to Sri Lanka's Ambassador Ahamed Jawad being summoned to the Foreign Ministry in Oslo on three different occasions over one matter -- the reported shelling of Pooneryn area when Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission chief Lars Johan Solvberg was in the area. He had asked why the ambassador was summoned thrice and whether one explanation was not enough.

Mr. Samaraweera, sources close to the Minister told The Sunday Times, also took exception to recent remarks made by Norway's international Development Minister Erik Solheim on the Vakarai incident. He had said such a strong indictment was not necessary when Norway had not made any remarks after the Kebetigollawa massacre.