Sri Lanka High Commission in Ottawa

Sri Lanka, through its Ambassador in Washington Ravinatha Aryasinha, formally called on the US House Foreign Affairs Committee (FAC) not to proceed with H. RES. 413 on Sri Lanka moved by Congresswoman Deborah Ross (Democrat/North Carolina) on 18 May 2021.

In a communication addressed to FAC Chair Representative Gregory Meeks (Democrat/New York) and Ranking Member Representative Michael McCaul (Republican/Texas), the Sri Lanka Government said that it vehemently opposes the contents of the resolution which contains allegations relating to Sri Lanka that are inaccurate, biased and unsubstantiated, raising grave suspicion regarding the intention of the resolution.

The communication was accompanied by a detailed analysis of the resolution, which laid out paragraph by paragraph, its prejudicial nature.

It was observed that the proposed resolution which equates the LTTE - proscribed by the US since 1997 and named by the FBI in 2008 as “among the most dangerous and deadly extremists in the world” - to an ‘armed independence organization’, exposes the resolution’s origins and purpose. The Resolution encourages separatism and questions even the nature of the Sri Lanka State, by references to ‘Traditional Tamil Homelands’. This not only misrepresents established historical facts, and present-day realities, but also contributes to supporting the dismemberment of Sri Lanka, which is the ultimate goal of the LTTE and its supporters.

The resolution’s willful ignorance of the USA’s own security concerns about the LTTE and its front organizations and efforts at glorification of terrorism, will give inspiration to rump elements of the LTTE and its numerous front organizations within the US and across the world, as well as to other terrorist organizations.

Observing that the USA had been “a consistent defense partner of Sri Lanka, including in Sri Lanka’s war against terror”, the Sri Lanka Government said “the resolution which is at significant variance with stated U.S. policy, across Administrations – both Democratic and Republican, may lead to an erroneous conclusion that the House supports armed acts to achieve political goals. This would undermine the US Administration’s own foreign policy foundation of being rooted in democratic values, and negatively impact the warm bilateral relations between Sri Lanka and the USA”.

It was asserted that the Sri Lanka Government, having struggled for nearly 30 years to defeat LTTE terrorism, consistent with its constitutional duties to protect its citizens regardless of race, religion, language, caste, sex, political opinion or place of birth, launched a humanitarian operation to protect and liberate all Sri Lankans. The communication also outlined the measures taken by the Government since the defeat of terrorism in May 2009, to address the needs of 300,000 internally displaced who had been used as human shields by the retreating LTTE, to rebuild and develop infrastructure in the conflict affected areas and to restore livelihood opportunities to many, including to over 12,000 ex-LTTE combatants – also comprising 596 child soldiers, who were rehabilitated and reintegrated into the society.

It was recalled that following the ending of the conflict, the then government in 2013 conducted Northern Provincial Council elections, ensuring democratic freedoms and rights to the people of the North, and since 2017, all minority parties in Parliament, including the TNA and their allies, supported the deferral of elections. The Supreme Court ordered for a fresh legislation on this matter. For nearly 3 years, the HRC or Western countries having not taken issue with the delay of elections to Provincial Councils, including that of the Northern Province, however, presently have projected it as a major issue, at a time the current government has taken the initiative to conduct the election at the earliest possible.

The reports on Sri Lanka cited in the Resolution, including the OISL Report of 2015, constituted a mere subjective narrative of events including "desk-reviewed" information, which failed to reveal sources and were not verifiable. On the contrary, there was an abundance of verifiable evidence that has been ignored, contained in, inter alia, the Lessons Learnt Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), the ‘Paranagama Commission’, reports from the UN and international agencies including the UNDP, UNICEF and the ICRC, as well as information presented before the UK House of Lords by Lord Naseby challenging among other things the vastly exaggerated civilian casualty figures. Expert opinions including by international legal luminaries, as well as dispatches in real time by Colonel Anton Gash, Military Attaché of the British High Commission in Colombo and statements by Lt. Col. Lawrence Smith who had served as Defense Attaché of the US Embassy during the last phase of the conflict, also contested the narrative of the reports cited in the Resolution.

Having had Sri Lanka co-sponsor UN Resolution 30/1 in October 2015 and extracted a commitment that Sri Lanka will initiate an accountability mechanism which would include foreign judges and lawyers, which was unconstitutional, for 5 years neither the UN bodies nor the US and other proponents of this resolution, pressed the previous government to carry out its promises.

Calling for an “international mechanism” at this juncture is sinister, at a time the present Government has provided a credible transparent domestic process to address the concerns raised, by in January 2021 instituting a Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCOI), which had on 4 March 2021 invited “any person, persons or organizations to submit written representations or information or any other material which relates to the above for the Commission to inquire”. The Commission has been conducting hearings since April and heard testimony from witnesses.

Foreign Ministry

Colombo

05 June 2021

The High Commission of Sri Lanka in Ottawa recently facilitated the expansion of Sri Lankan  products imported into Canadian market by a Toronto-based importer and supplier of food items. The products that were imported by Mr. Goudas, which has been serving the region for over 50 years, include a new brand of Ceylon tea, coconut cream, coconut oil, and dairy products packed in Sri Lanka.

A virtual meeting was held between Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena and Minister of State of the UAE Ahamed Ali Al Sayegh on 31 May 2021. During the discussion Foreign Minister Gunawardena stated that the proposed investment promotion agreement between the countries to enhance the investment and trade can be finalized shortly.

Foreign Minister Gunawardena also thanked the UAE State Minister Al Sayegh for extending protection and provision of welfare for the Sri Lankan workers employed in the UAE.

Both Ministers discussed furthering bilateral relations and mutual support in multilateral fora. The two Ministers agreed to expand the air services between the countries.

Minister Gunawardena informed the need of working in solidarity and mutual cooperation to overcome the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and to continue unabated with the development of the two countries in the foreseeable future.

In addition to the two Ministers, the virtual meeting was attended by Foreign Secretary Admiral Prof. Jayanath Colombage, Sri Lankan Ambassador to the UAE Malraj de Silva and Senior Officials of the UAE State Ministry.

Foreign Ministry

Colombo

02 June, 2021

Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath in partnership with the Registrar General’s Department launched the pilot project to facilitate overseas Sri Lankans to obtain certified copies of birth, marriage, and death certificates through Sri Lanka Missions abroad. The system provides Missions access to the e-BMD database (electronic - Birth, Marriage and Death certificate Database) of the Registrar General’s Department in Sri Lanka.

The pilot project is initially implemented through the Sri Lanka Embassies / Consulates General in Tokyo (Japan), Kuwait, Doha (Qatar), Milan (Italy), Toronto (Canada), Melbourne (Australia), and Dubai (UAE). Building upon this, the Ministry and the Department will actively work towards periodically expanding the service to all other Sri Lankan Missions and Posts abroad, ensuring an efficient consular service to the Sri Lankan community.

Certified copies of birth, marriage and death certificates are a mandatory requirement for several purposes. The significant aspect of the pilot project is that it facilitates overseas Sri Lankans to obtain the required certified copies through Sri Lanka Missions overseas instead of their representatives in Sri Lanka having to do so on their behalf from the Office of the Registrar General.

Upon application, the authorized Sri Lanka Missions will issue certified copies through retrieval of such certificates from the e-BMD database.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment, and Tourism Vijitha Herath, launched the pilot project at the Ministry in the presence of Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Employment Arun Hemachandra, Secretary of the Ministry Aruni Ranaraja, Registrar General W.R.A.N.S. Wijayasinghe and senior officials from the Presidential Secretariat, Registrar General’s Department, and the Ministry.

Following the launch of the project by virtually connecting with the respective Sri Lanka Missions, Minister Herath described the initiative as an important milestone in the Government’s journey towards a digital Sri Lanka. He went on to emphasize that national initiatives on digitalization should be extended to the Sri Lankans living abroad as well adding that this project - designed and implemented within two months - showcases the government’s strong commitment and support to digitalization of services to the public.

Secretary Aruni Ranaraja in her remarks echoed the importance of delivering efficient and effective services to the public. While observing that digital platforms are an important tool for provisions of services to the public, she highlighted that through this initiative, the Ministry and Missions will enhance services to the overseas Sri Lankans.

Sri Lankan expatriates residing in countries where the pilot project is now operational can apply for certified copies of birth, marriage, and death certificates by submitting the application forms available at the respective Missions and Posts.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism

 Colombo

07 January 2025