Sri Lankan politicians denied UK visas
September 10 2009 by Mark Johnstone
No UK visa for Dr Palitha Kohona
Sri Lankan Foreign Secretary Dr Palitha Kohona and former Deputy Tourism Minister and MP Arjuna Ranatunga have been denied UK visas by the British High Commission in Columbo.
Both Dr Kohona and Ranatunga applied for UK visas but had their passports returned and visa applications turned down without explanation.
The move is being viewed by the Sri Lankan government as a violation of diplomatic protocols. The British High Commissioner in Columbo Dr Peter Hayes has been called by Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama to explain why both men were refused visas.
This is not the first time that the Foreign Secretary was refused a UK visa. He has been declined a visa on two occasions previously. UK immigration officials based at the High Commission in Columbo had originally requested Dr Kohona’s presence at their offices to obtain his visa. The Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry insists this was an unnecessary protocol.
The Foreign Ministry later sought a visa to London for Dr Kohona, but this second attempt was declined with the High Commission saying there was inadequate time to process the visa application.
Dr Kohona is set to begin his new job as Permanent Representative to Sri Lanka at the United Nations.
The British Commission has declined to comment on why both men have been refused a move to the UK.
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