SL Ambassador to Japan Clarifies Protocol Assistance Given to MR Against Circular

The Srilankan President Maithripala Sirisena had quarried Srilankan Ambassador to Japan  Prof. Dhammika Ganganath Dissanayake regarding Protocol assistance and courtesies extended to  former President Mahinda Rajapaksa during his recent private visit contravening the circular  instruction .

In reply Prof. Dhammika Ganganath Dissanayake said, that he received a fax message from the Foreign Ministry on May 29 informing him to accord protocol assistance and other courtesies to former President and his 12 member delegation on their arrival, stay and departure, citing two circulars.

On receiving the fax message, as the only circular that dealt with the private visits by politicians had said, that the protocol assistance and other courtesies could be accorded only to the President, Prime Minister, Speaker of the Parliament, Chief Justice, Cabinet Ministers, Opposition Leader and the State Ministers, the ambassador said,  he sought further clarification and instructions from the foreign ministry.

He had also cited to the Ministry the fact that the instructions given by the Ministry during a visit to Japan by Mr. Rajapaksa in 2016 had differed from the latest instructions.

Mr. Dissanayake had informed the President that as he had not received any more instructions from the Foreign Ministry the Srilankan Embassy  in Japan was compelled to provide protocol assistance to the former President and his entourage only at the arrival and departure as per Japanese customs.