London High Commission defence attaché suspended

Wednesday, 7 February 2018 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Video of official making threatening gestures to protestors goes viral

The Foreign Ministry yesterday suspended the Minister Counsellor (Defence) attached to the Sri Lanka High Commission in London after a video of him making a threatening gesture to protesting crowds outside the High Commission went viral.

Brigadier Priyanka Fernando was seen making a throat cutting gesture to a group of largely Tamil diaspora protestors outside Sri Lanka’s High Commission on Sunday, which was Independence Day.

Authorities in Sri Lanka have taken serious note of videos being circulated on social and web-based media of an alleged incident involving the Minister Counsellor (Defence) attached to the Sri Lanka High Commission in London behaving in an offensive manner, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

“In this connection, instructions have been sent to Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner in London on 6 February 2018, to suspend the Minister Counsellor (Defence) from work, with immediate effect. Authorities in Sri Lanka, including the Sri Lanka Army, will initiate inquiries on the incident immediately,” the statement added.

Meanwhile, British Labour politicians Joan Ryan MP and Siobhain McDonagh MP have called on the Foreign Secretary to “withdraw Brigadier Priyanka Fernando’s diplomatic papers and expel him” from the UK.

Ryan and McDonagh, the Vice Chair and Senior Vice Chair of the Tamil All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), also said in their letter to Boris Johnson MP that the conduct of Brigadier Fernando – Sri Lanka’s Defence Attaché to the UK – was “inappropriate, unacceptable and threatening […] from someone who is serving in an official capacity as a guest of this country.”