New Ambassadors to Italy, Myanmar cleared by HPC

• Once destined to go to Aussie, Jagath Wellawatta will serve Italy
• High Post Committee also clears several new Secretaries

The High Post Committee (HPC) of Parliament has approved Jagath Wellawatta as Sri Lanka’s new Ambassador to Italy.

Wellawatta, a University of Colombo Senior Lecturer and Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation former Chairman, was to go as High Commissioner to Australia and his name was cleared by the Committee in August but he did not take up the post. No decision has been taken as to who will go as High Commissioner to Australia now.

J.M. Janaka Priyantha Bandara, the current High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to Nigeria, will take over as the new Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Myanmar. His name, too, was cleared by the committee.

The committee also cleared J.J. Ratnasiri’s appointment as the Secretary to the Ministry of Public Services, Provincial Councils and Local Government, Prof. J.M. Udith K. Jayasinghe as Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, and S.M. Piyatissa as Secretary to the State Ministry of Gem and Jewellery related Industries.

Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena presided at the HPC Committee meeting. Ministers Nimal Siripala de Silva, Douglas Devananda, and Bandula Gunawardena, State Ministers Dr. Sudarshani Fernandopulle and Vidura Wickramanayake, and MPs Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, Vijitha Herath, Rishad Bathiudeen and Thalatha Athukorala were also present at the meeting.