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The High Commission of Sri Lanka in London has been actively engaged in maintaining relations with
the UK during and after the war with LTTE terrorism. HE the High Commissioner Justice Nihal Jayasinghe and the Deputy High Commissioner regularly met Members of British Parliament and important officials of the British government to interact with them with regard to the
developments in Sri Lanka.
After his arrival in London in July 2008, HE the High Commissioner called on Mr Shahid Malik, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development, Rt Hon Stephen Timms, Minister of State for Employment & Welfare Reform and Mr Stephen Hammond, MP for Wimbledon in
September 2008.
In October 2008 HE the High Commissioner called on Mr Keith Simpson, MP, Shadow Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the Conservative Party, Dr Liam Fox, MP, Shadow Defence Secretary and Mr Andrew Mackay, MP for Brackwell.
In November 2008 HE the High Commissioner met with Hon Gareth Thomas, MP, Minister of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and for International Development. In the same month High Commissioner met Rt Hon Paul Murphy, Secretary of State for Wales and Mr Tony Baldry,
MP for Banbury.
In December that year the High Commissioner met Mr Simon Hughes, MP, Vice-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Sri Lanka, Mr Michael Foster, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for International Development (also met in May 2009) and Rt Hon Joan Ryan, MP,
Deputy Chair of All Party Parliamentary Group for Tamils.
In January 2009 HE the High Commissioner met Sir Nicholas Winterton, Vice-Chair of All Party Parliamentary for Sri Lanka, Mr Brad Adams, Director Asia, Human Rights Watch and Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, MP for Cotsworld.
In February 2009 HE the High Commissioner met Mr Brian Binley, Conservative MP and Lord Malloch-Brown, Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
In March 2009 HE the High Commissioner met Admiral Lord West of Spithead, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Office, Mr Andrew George, MP, Rt Hon William Hague, Shadow Foreign Secretary of the Conservative Party, Lord Paul, Mr Michael Martin, Minister of Foreign
Affairs of Ireland and Officials of the Chamber of Commerce of Ireland.
In April 2009 HE the High Commissioner met Rt Hon Alan Hopes, Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster and delivered a lecture on the current situation in Sri Lanka to the students of the International Politics Association, St Andrew’s University, Scotland.
In June 2009 HE the High Commissioner met Mr Tom Brake, MP for Carshalton & Wallington. HE the High Commissioner accompanied Hon Prof G L Peiris, Minister of Export Development and International Trade to the meetings with Rt Hon Kenneth Clarke, Shadow Secretary of State for
Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and Lord Mervyn Daviews, Minister of State for Trade & Investment during his official visit to the UK.
HE the High Commissioner maintained regular contact with the Rt Hon the Lord Naseby, Co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Sri Lanka and its other members.
HE the High Commissioner kept a close rapport with the Counter Terrorism Command officials and received frequent calls from those officials.
HE the High Commissioner also met media personnel from British media including the BBC, Sky News, Al-Jazeera English television, the Sunday and Daily Telegraph, the Guardian, the Times and the Independent newspapers.
HE the High Commissioner continues to engage with the British government and the media in order to maintain a cordial relationship with the UK and to highlight the interest of Sri Lanka in the UK.
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