Sri Lanka High Commission in Ottawa

The High Commissioner, Asoka Girihagama and the Consul General, Kapila Jayaweera attended a Meeting with Sri Lankan expatriates at Brampton Buddhist Temple on 27^th July.

Around 100-120 Sri Lankan community members attended the meeting held in the temple’s sermon hall with the participation of the chief incumbent and other two monks. High Commissioner Girihagama explained the purpose of the meeting and briefed them on the activities of the High Commission and the Consulate, trade between the two countries, development projects, areas of cooperation and political issues that are currently being handled by the Mission and the Post including genocide allegations.

The Consul General, Mr. Kapila Jayaweera addressing the gathering explained the services rendered by the Consulate General office and issues that have impacted on Sri Lanka along with the action taken by the Mission and the Consulate.

The High Commissioner and the Consul General clarified various issues raised by the community members, which are related to dual citizenship, current trade activities, pension, genocide allegations and strategy to counter it. The chief incumbent and the organizers of the meeting appreciated the efforts of the High Commission and the Consulate to brief them on the current political scenario highlighted the importance of keeping them informed of the Mission’s and Consulate General Office’s activities.

The High Commissioner, Asoka Girihagama and the Consul General, Kapila Jayaweera participated in the 7^th Annual Pilgrimage to Martyr’s Shrine – Sri Lanka Day organized by the Canada – Sri Lanka Catholic Association Ontario on 27^th July

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The 7^th Annual Pilgrimage to Martyr’s Shrine – Sri Lanka Day, a Sri Lankan Catholic religious event was attended by over 300 Sri Lankan community members. Reverend Bishop Maxwell Silva has been invited from Sri Lanka to the function this year.

The High Commissioner addressing the gathering highlighted the importance of religious and cultural harmony and unity among the communities. He noted that the Sri Lankan community in Canada had paid their tribute to the victims of the Easter Sunday attack by organizing religious events in various cities in Canada and that underscored the importance of such religious and cultural events to bring the community members together irrespective of their differences.  

The High Commissioner and the Consul General attended the Annual General Meeting of the Ontario Pensioners Association (OSPA) on 26^th July at the Banquet Hall, Miracle Family Temple, and Scarborough, Ontario. Around 150 pensioners attended the meeting in which issues and grievances of the Sri Lankan pensioners were discussed.

The pensioners submitted their issues in writing to the President of the OSPA. The President (OSPA) will forward those issues to the High Commission through the Consulate General office in Toronto for forwarding them to DG/Pensions. The Secretary of OSPA, Mr. R. Ragupathy while appreciating the participation of the High Commissioner and the Consul General, expressed their expectation in resolving their pension issues by the Department of Pension at the earliest.

Addressing the 26^th session of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) held on 02 August 2019 in Bangkok, Thailand, Foreign Minister Tilak Marapana stressed the necessity for concerted global efforts to counter traditional and non-traditional security concerns including terrorism, violent extremism and cybercrime. In this context, Minister Marapana underscored the need for a deepened resolve among the ARF participants to overcome these challenges.

The 26^th ARF session focused on expanding confidence building measures and enhancing cooperation in areas such as the anti-terrorism effort, strengthening the nuclear non-proliferation regime, preventive diplomacy, countering violent extremism, promoting women, peace and security and ensuring the secure use of information and communication technologies.

Further, the Meeting condemned multifaceted acts of terrorism including the Easter Sunday attacks in Sri Lanka and the recent acts of violence in New Zealand and the Philippines.

Read more: Foreign Minister Marapana calls for increased cooperation to combat regional security challenges at the 26th ASEAN Regional Forum

GLOBAL

By SAMANTHA WRIGHT ALLEN JUL. 18, 2019

‘This is what we can’t accept’: A unanimous House motion in June called on the UN to investigate ‘allegations of genocide’ against the country’s minority Tamils, a term the South Asian nation categorically rejects.

It’s been a “very challenging” first year for Sri Lanka’s new high commissioner, whose arrival last fall came months before the 10th anniversary of armed conflict ending in the South Asian country that was also rocked by a slate of bombings on Easter Sunday this year.

Since his November 2018 start, Asoka Girihagama said much of his time has been devoted to developing political relationships in Canada against that backdrop, though he says the two nations share strong, and long-standing relations. Canada is also helping to support reconciliation, an ongoing effort between the minority Tamil and majority Sinhalese populations in the island nation still recovering from 26 years of war.

May marked the 10-year anniversary of its end, with commemorations across Canada, which is home to more than 200,000 people of Sri Lankan descent—according to Global Affairs Canada, though the community’s estimates are far higher—with most living near Toronto, and the majority of Tamil origin.

In June, before the House rose, MPs gave unanimous support for a motion that called on the Sri Lankan government to “protect the rights of religious minorities,” and said the United Nations should do an independent investigation “into allegations of genocide against Tamils,” including during the last phase of conflict in 2009.

“This is what we can’t accept,” he said of the term genocide, saying the UN investigation is unnecessary since the country has already supported a resolution at the United Nations Human Rights Council, which recognized the need for truth, justice, and reparations after the war.

It’s political statements like this that Mr. Girihagama said made for a “very challenging” first year, where he’s been “trying to convince this political leadership in Canada that there has been no genocide in Sri Lanka.”

“I’m really careful about these issues,”  he said in a July 5 interview at the downtown Laurier Avenue high commission, because they’re “very sensitive.”

Read more: Sri Lankan envoy reflects on ‘very challenging’ first year handling ‘sensitive’ files

It has been brought to my notice that last Tuesday (23 July) and Wednesday (24 July) several Members of the Parliament have brought up the issue of the visit of the Special Rapporteur on the freedom of assembly and of association, Mr. Clément Nyaletsossi  Voulé and the action taken by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in conveying a request for a meeting for the Special Rapporteur with Hon. Chief Justice and Hon. Judges of the Colombo High Court.

Since many a view had been expressed by Hon. Members of Parliament leading to considerable confusion, I wish to place before you the following:

• The visit of the Special Rapporteur on the freedom of assembly and of association which is currently underway is part of similar visits undertaken by UN Special Procedures Mandate Holders at the invitation of the Government of Sri Lanka.

• The idea of welcoming such visits is to have a transparent process in place whereby the Government of Sri Lanka hopes to engage with the international community, including the UN, in a spirit of openness and dialogue.

• This is not the first time that we have had a visit of a Special Rapporteur; there have been 08 such visits which have taken place since 8 January 2015. In all such occasions, it has been the regular practice for the Foreign Ministry to coordinate the activities of the SR in Sri Lanka and to arrange meetings with the Government sector. Before each such visit is undertaken, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs routinely receives from the UN, a list of persons that the visiting Special Rapporteur wishes to meet.

• With respect to the current visit by the Special Rapporteur which is in question, it is important to note that as with other such visits, the Ministry conveneda preparatory meeting of stakeholders to discuss arrangements. Thereafter, the Ministry writes to the relevant institutions, conveying the request for formal appointments by the Special Rapporteur. In this instance, the same procedure was followed, including with respect to over 20 meetings sought, including with the Hon. Chief Justice and Hon. Judges of the Colombo High Court.

• At the above mentioned preparatory meeting,representatives from the Department of Police and Attorney General’s Department highlighted the possibility of the visiting Special Rapporteur bringing up issues mentioned in the Foreign Ministry letter addressed to Secretary/ Ministry of Justice. The Attorney General’s Department undertook the task of providing updates on such cases.

• It was in this backdrop that the Actg. Secretary/ Foreign Affairs, addressed the letter to Secretary/ Ministry of Justice, Secretary/ Ministry of Defence and Hon. Attorney General, mentioning the cases. The purpose was to alert these institutions on the possibility of the Special Rapporteur raising issues regarding the particular cases.

• It would be noted from the letter from Actg. Secretary/ Foreign Affairs that nowhere has it been recommended that the appointment sought with Hon. Chief Justice and Hon. Judges of the High Court in Colombo be granted.The letter only conveyed the wish of the Special Rapporteur for these appointments.

• Similarly, nowhere in the Foreign Ministry letter it is stated that the cases will be discussed, but only alerted the institutions concerned that it may be discussed. This was consequent to the stakeholder meeting held on 5 July before the visit took place.

• The Foreign Ministry has followed proper procedure by communicating the requests for meetings by the Special Rapporteur through the Ministry of Justice and the Judicial Services Commission. The Judicial Services Commission having considered the Ministry letter consulted the Hon. Chief Justice who granted the appointment. 

• I am saddened to note that some Members of Parliament had sought to show that the Actg. Secretary/ Foreign Affair’s letter was an interference with the judiciary and also was in contempt of Court. Neither of these assertions are true.

• Again I wish to emphasize that this is not the first time that the Foreign Ministry has taken the course of action that it has taken for this particular visit. In fact two previous Foreign Secretaries have requested similar meetings in June 2017and October 2017 by writing directly to the Office of Hon. Chief Justice. However, in this instance, the Foreign Ministry had only conveyed the request of the Special Rapporteur to the Secretary/Ministry of Justice.

• In conclusion, I wish to highlight that during the visits of special procedures mandate holders, this Ministry has always worked with all relevant line agencies in Sri Lanka in a spirit of consultation and engagement.

Text in Sinhala (PDF)

Text in Tamil (PDF)

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently conducted Consular Awareness Programmes and Integrated Consular Mobile Services (ICMS), under the guidance and presence of Foreign Minister Tilak Marapana, in Trincomalee and Kandy districts, with the aim of educating the general public on the consular services and other kinds of assistance provided by the Ministry.

The two ICMS were organized in collaboration with the Trincomalee and Kandy District Secretariats and with the participation of officials from the Ministry of Foreign Employment, Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment, Department of Immigration and Emigration and the Registrar General’s Department in June and July 2019.

Awareness programmes on the services provided by the Consular Affairs Division were conducted for the benefit of government officials from the respective Divisional Secretariats.

During the ICMS, the Ministry, together with other stakeholders provided consular assistance and other services to large number of persons from Trincomalee and Kandy districts.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Colombo

23 July 2019