Report in The Island, Sept 1, 2023
The Federation of National Organisations (FNO) has, in a letter addressed to Foreign Minister Ali Sabry, PC, requested him to take up with US Ambassador Julie Chung her continuous interventions in Sri Lanka’s domestic affairs. The letter was handed over to the Foreign Ministry on yesterday (31).
Dr. Gunadasa Amarasekera has signed the letter on behalf of the FNO. A senior spokesperson for the group told The Island that they had raised several issues including the flouting of diplomatic protocols and Vienna diplomatic conventions and also controversial declarations made in various parts of the country meant to cause further turmoil.
Referring to Ambassador Chung’s tweets issued following such visits, the letter brought to Minister Sabry’s attention a book written by National Literary Award winner Sena Thoradeniya titled “Galle Face Protest: Systems Change or Anarchy”, which deals with the external elements influencing domestic factors that overthrew the former President in July 2022. The book exposed the role the US and India played in that plot, the letter has pointed out.
“The US interference in Sri Lanka is increasing. Prof Levin of Carnegie Mellon University claims US interfered in at least 4 elections in Sri Lanka (1956-1970). Former US Secretary of State Jihn Kerry admitted to making a regime change here in 2015 too.
The petitioners who earlier moved the Supreme Court against the midnight Yugadanavi power plant deal, accused the former US ambassador Alaina Teplitz of unethically interfering by sending a letter to the Presidential Secretariat on 22 June 2020 in that regard.
The present ambassador recently met with military officials and requested them to build trust towards the minority communities. The ambassador also visited the Thirukketheeswaram (Koneswaram) Kovil, which was built on top of Gokanna Viharaya but claimed it had a history of 2500 years in her official tweet. She must prove this with documentary archaeological evidence or retract her statement & tender an apology.”
The letter alleges that immense sacrifices made by the armed forces in their war against terrorism have been compromised by the political and it was the responsibility of Ali Sabry as the current foreign minister to take tangible measures to prevent Colombo based foreign envoys from violating diplomatic norms.
https://island.lk/sabry-urged-to-rein-in-foreign-envoys-interfering-in-domestic-affairs/
