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The High Commissioner and Deputy High Commissioner met with Mr. Andrew Patrick, Additional
Director/South Asia. At the outset, Mr. Patrick stated that in view of the urgent engagement, the Permanent Under Secretary Sir Peter Ricketts could not accede to the request for a meeting on 24.02.10 and he deputed Mr. Patrick to meet the High Commissioner.
The High Commissioner recalled the long standing relations between Sri Lanka and the UK which goes
back to several centuries and stated that Sri Lanka attaches a great importance to her relations with the Britain because of the strong affinity prevails between the two countries. It is the wish of the government of Sri Lanka to further cement this relationship, the High
Commissioner stated. However Sri Lanka is deeply disturbed by the decision taken by the Foreign Secretary to attend the Global Tamil Forum (GTF) conference since the forum comprises several LTTE front organizations originating from several parts of the Globe.
The High Commissioner pointed out that the following two elements mentioned under the mission of the GTF clearly manifest its ambition to continue the separatist agenda of the LTTE which we believe is against the sovereignty and integrity of Sri Lanka:
To use all resources available to the Tamil Diaspora to establish the Tamil people’s right to
self-determination and their right to re-establish their nationhood which was taken away by force from them by the succeeding colonial powers including the Sri Lankan government
Help empower Tamil people in Sri Lanka to take control of their destiny and clearly formulate and
promote the benefit freedom for all in the pursuit of sustainable growth and prosperity in the self-governing nation of Tamil Eelam.
It is unfortunate that a friendly country like Britain is supporting such a movement. The
High Commissioner also stated that the government of Sri Lanka after 26 years of war is now embarking on its recovery and it is important that the government of Britain should help in this process.
Responding to the High Commissioner, the Additional Director stated that it appears that there is a
misunderstanding with regard to the participation of the British Foreign Secretary at the forum and stated that his participation is only to encourage the Tamil voice to follow the democratic path in order to reconcile them with the other communities in Sri Lanka. The
British Government have been constantly encouraging the Tamil diaspora to relinquish violence.
The Additional Director stated that the LTTE is a proscribed organization in the UK and it will remain so. He also referred to the speech that day by David Miliband at the Forum where he criticised the LTTE for its countless atrocities and forcibly recruited children.
In this context, he stated that the participation of Foreign Secretary Miliband should not be misunderstood by Sri Lanka.
The High Commissioner and the Deputy High Commissioner took exception to the certain points in the statement by the Foreign Secretary that day to the House. The arrest of General Fonseka was referred. It was mentioned that the Supreme Court of the country that week,
determined that the arrest of General Fonseka has been made well within the law of the country which is a clear manifestation that he is being treated in accordance with the law of the country. The Mission also took exception with regard to matters such as election
violations, IDP situation etc referred in the Statement.
The Additional Director stated that some of the matters that were highlighted in the Statement are on the basis of their interaction personally with Sri Lankans during their recent visits to Sri Lanka.
The High Commissioner responded to this saying that perceptions prevail in Colombo do not always reflect the general perception of the entire country which therefore cannot be considered as representative.
The meeting was held in a cordial atmosphere. The Additional Director stated that he will convey Sri Lanka’s concerns to the Foreign Secretary. |