By Gagani Weerakoon

Ambassador Asitha Perera

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has ordered the Ministry of External Affairs to terminate the services of Sri Lankan Ambassador to Rome, Asitha Perera, following months-long protests by the Sri Lanka community and diplomatic staff in Italy.

Accordingly, the ministry yesterday dispatched the termination letter, signed by the Secretary to the Ministry, Karunaratne Amunugama.

Ministry sources said the termination letter demanded Ambassador Perera return to the country by 20 March 2013.

“In January 2013, Minister of External Affairs G.L. Peiris requested Perera to come to Sri Lanka for a consultation, citing there are serious allegations against him and his conduct. However, the Ambassador declined the request and sent a medical certificate saying his health at the time did not allow him to come to Sri Lanka,” sources said.

The closest reasons for service termination, according to diplomatic sources in Rome, were him shifting the celebrations of the 65th anniversary of Independence from the Embassy premises to a temple, allegedly to facilitate a brokering agent, who apparently is a close friend.

“This was the first time the Embassy of Rome failed to have the country’s Independence Day celebrations at the Embassy premises in the 60 years since its inception. The brokering agent is prohibited from entering the Embassy and the Police in Rome were to arrest him if he stepped into the Embassy,” diplomatic sources in Rome said, adding they complained about the abusive behaviour of the agent who used filth on Embassy staff, to the Ambassador to no avail.

“Since he ignored the complaints we boycotted or stopped working on Sundays. Since the tenure of the former ambassador to Rome, we worked on Sundays for the benefit of the Sri Lankan community living here without taking any benefit or claiming overtime,” they said.

Meanwhile, it is also said Ambassador Perera has kept three domestic aides at his residence without registering them with the Italian Foreign Ministry, thereby violating the Geneva Convention.

Sri Lankans living in Italy and the embassy staff requested the President to intervene and resolve the matter as Perera’s conduct was severely damaging to the image of the country.

Perera is the Ambassador to Italy, Greece and Algeria and also serves as the High Commissioner to Cyprus and Malta.
COURTESY:CEYLON TODAY