Sri Lanka: Double standard of British diplomacy humiliates AG

Attorney General Mohan Peiris was embarrassed by the officials of British High Commission when he applied for a visa to visit the UK for an important official matter. The British High Commission has made Attorney General Mohan Peiris face an interview before issuing him the visa. The AG had no option but to comply as he needed to visit the UK over the very important official matter. Sources said that the British would surely know that the AG was not on a clandestine visit or seeking refuge there. Recently, a British diplomat assigned to the Bandaranaike International Airport stopped a Sri Lankan Ambassador Hemantha Waranakulasuriya’s aide from boarding a flight despite Sri Lanka’s Ambassador in Rome personally assuring the officials that everything was in order. There have been many instances of highhandedness by the British High Commission, specially when students visiting the UK for studies. However, double standard of British diplomacy is exposed when the British HC and its agents (VFS) had issued a visa to a politician under investigation by the government for his alleged links with the underworld as well as lucrative narcotics trade. The British also were very generous in issuing visas to LTTE elements when they wanted to visit that country and many LTTE terrorist leaders still live in that country.