The report states that the government has decided to make political appointments despite the policy statement guaranteeing that professional Sri Lankan Foreign Service officers will be appointed to the diplomatic service. It is also revealed that there are citizens of the country among the diplomatic officers who will be appointed in this way.
Sources in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also state that one of the ambassadors who is scheduled to receive such appointments has obtained Australian citizenship.
Another country’s ambassador who is scheduled to be appointed is a person who is pursuing higher education in that country. While the person is studying at the university, he is working as a part-time cleaning assistant at the university. It is revealed that his wife is also working in the cleaning department of the university.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the person who is to be appointed as an ambassador is a junior officer in the administrative service and does not have enough experience to become an ambassador in a major country in the world.
Meanwhile, it has been revealed that a person who benefits from a powerful country in the world and a powerful neighboring country is preparing to be appointed as an ambassador in a major country in the region as a political appointment. It has also been revealed that the person who is to be appointed in this way has previously misled President Maithripala Sirisena and has tried to persuade the President to sign agreements beneficial to the relevant countries.
It has been further revealed that the Sri Lanka Foreign Service Association has taken steps to request a discussion from President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Vijitha Herath to discuss these political appointments, but has not been given an opportunity to do so so far.