Alleged Assault On Career Diplomat By Local Politician At New York Dinner Could Create A Poor Image Of Sri Lanka.
Posted on October 1st, 2014
In Retrospect By Sarath Kumara
October 1st 2014
While the reports are conflicting about an alleged assault on Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to the UK Dr. Chris Nonis at an official dinner in New York City, USA and whether or not he has resigned as a result is somewhat inconsequential to the dire ramifications the incident seems to carry which may bring to disrepute Sri Lanka’s image as it typifies the kind of behavious some local politicians and government reps, indulge in.
Needless to say it is almost common knowledge that in Sri Lanka certain politicians do tend to take the law into their own hands and act irrationally, abusively and behave in an authoritative manner at public gatherings etc., something that has gone on for long enough and about time some preventive as well as remedial action needs to be taken in local matters which often go unheeded by the top dogs in the status quo who choose to turn a blind eye but when the aberration spills into a diplomatic scenario overseas it seems almost unthinkable and shameful!
It is all Sri Lanka needs at a time when some of her global adversaries are simply waiting for an opportunity to fingerpoint at the Administration and for the alleged perpetrator of the assault, External Affairs Minister Mr.Vaas Gunewardena, regardless of what may have led to the assault it needs to be observed that it is an apathetical as well as irresponsible action fo which it is hoped an investigation will follow.
Needless to say it is a disgusting display of the lack of control of ones emotions in a capacity that not only calls for responsibility where the individual has not only circumvented his responsibilities but has also brought to disrepute the country he has represented in the capacity of monitor as reported and shown very poor decorum and judgement.
In the aftermath of it all A senior officer at Ministry of External Affairs in Sri Lanka has told BBC that Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to the UK Dr. Chris Nonis has resigned from his post although this news too is somewhat conflicting as there are reports also that the High Commissioner has not tended his resignation and that the President whose delegation it was that both Dr. Nonis and Mr. Vaas Gunerwardena were part of at the United Nation’s General Assembly Sessions, has promised a full inquiry and placated Dr, Nonis.
the BBC has also reported that Dr. Nonis had refused to comment if an assault took place or not, quite justifiably so in keeping with diplomatic protocols and the normal decorum expected from someone of his stature and intellect although it was reported in the media that the assault took place at a dinner which even President Rajapaksa has attended which makes the liability on the part of the assailant to conduct himself in a manner demanding respect for the occassion even greater where it appears he has thrown caution to the winds and needs to be reprimanded or more.
According to legal analysts if charges were pressed by the victim given the venue and circumstances Mr Vaas Gunewardena could be in some difficulty explaining himself as it could involve the New York Police although there is no indication of this so far.
The incident which now virtually bears an international perspective portrays an alleged assault on a Sri Lanka career diplomat by one of his own local politicians, the External Affairs Minister to be precise said to have been monitoring him (heaven knows towards what objective?) as this does not seem to be a normal practice unless there were petty personal differences involved which is also somewhat idiosyncratic to Sri Labka politics where all in all it could create a very poor image of Sri Lankans at diplomatic level on overseas assignments!
September 30th, 2014 at 3:41 pm
According to Buddhism, there are six factors for progress or advancement of beings.
1. Saddha (faith)
2. Sila ( discipline)
3. Hiri ( moral fear)
4. Ottappa (moral shame)
5. Chayga ( generosity )
6. Panna ( wisdom)
It is impossible for us to be seen as civilized nation if 2-5 of these are seen as being destroyed daily basis ( not sure of faith, even though most western nations use this as a weapon (God)).
Are we as a Buddhist Nation, progressing in anyway under the current leadership ?
September 30th, 2014 at 8:39 pm
There was an interesting comment by a reader of the original posting on this issue that ~ although the President has promised a full inquiry in the process of trying to placate the High Commissioner and retain him rather than resign as was rumoured ~ there would be little or no action realistically and that Minister Vaas Gunewardena’s shameful behaviour would be overlooked with no appropriate action as he was purported to be someone in favour with the President. If this be the case then the indemnities linked to the travesty of justice could prove to be another dilemma for the administration but time will tell.It certainly would not augur well for the President if this transpired.
September 30th, 2014 at 9:26 pm
Time is a good launderer and a healer. Perhaps president knew this and got Dr. Nonis hammered for something (perhaps ganging up with the west) by a lowly MP who is not even a minister. Time is with the president; he can declare elections in January or after one and a half years. By that time all would have forgotten this. Especially Sinhala minds can retain only a thing happened not more than two weeks. If not why did UNP do so well in recent elections?.
September 30th, 2014 at 10:36 pm
Sorry, the phrase within the bracket is an argument somebody can bring in. It is not for me to say he did it.
September 30th, 2014 at 10:53 pm
The Sajin Vaas physical aggression episode..a reflection
Take a pig. wash its excreta covered body. Buy for it a first class passage to NY. Offer it a five star hotel room and. Make it sit at table with the high and the mighty for meals and stand for souvenir photographs. What will the pig be thinking of all that while? Its excreta filled shit hole. Leave it free an instant and it will wallow in it.
Count the number of such pigs in the national and provincial parliaments. It is then one can formulate the correct definition for Sri Lanka.
As for the President the proverb that applies is: tell me who your friends are and I will tell you who you are.
Mario Perera
Kadawata
October 1st, 2014 at 12:09 am
I did a slight mistake. Those six factors are rather called “Noble Wealth”.
As a country are we acquiring any noble wealth or are we destroying away our existing noble wealth ?
Obviously our president and the pigs have no faith on ANY Noble wealth, they are interested in material and power wealth ( which pigs like typically).
Dr. Nonis’s father was a doctor too. His mother was Tamil, she owned Mackwoods group. Family lived in Kingsey Road Borella ( not far from JR’s house), before going to UK. They are not a political family. This man worked well to give Sri Lanka a good image. I don’t believe he utter words like “-ucking bitch”. His family is a well educated and well brought up type.
October 1st, 2014 at 4:17 am
තව දුරටත් රාජකාරි කරන්නේ සජින් වාස්ට දඬුවම් දුනහොත් පමණයි – නෝනිස්
http://lankacnews.com/sinhala/main-news/122802/
බි්රතාන්යයේ මහ කොමසාරිස් ධුරයේ තව දුරටත් තමන් කටයුතු කරන්නේ තමනට පහර දුන් මන්ත්රීවරයාට එරෙහිව විනය ක්රියාමාර්ග ගන්නේ නම් පමණක් යයි වෛද්ය ක්රිස් නෝනිස් මහතා දැනුම් දී ඇතැයි වාර්තා වෙයි.
මහ කොමසාරිස් ඉල්ලා අස්වීමේ ලිපිය රජයට එවයි
අජිත් අලහකෝන් – රනිල් ධර්මසේන
බ්රිතාන්යයේ ශ්රී ලංකා මහකොමසාරිස් ක්රිස් නෝනිස් මහතා සිය තනතුරෙන් ඉල්ලා අස්වීමේ ලිපිය රජයට භාරදී ඇත.
කෙසේ වෙතත් මෙම ඉල්ලා අස්වීමේ ලිපිය ජනාධිපතිවරයා විසින් භාරගත් හෝ භාර නොගත් බවට මෙතෙක් නිල වශයෙන් දැනුම් දීමක් කර නැතැයි ඉතා විශ්වාස කටයුතු ආරංචි මාර්ගයකින් “දිවයින”ට වාර්තා විය.මෙවැනි සිද්ධියක් වී ඇති බවට තමන්ටද දැනගැනීමට ලැබුණ බව ඊයේ (30 දා) පැවැති කැබිනට් තීරණ දැනුම්දීමේ මාධ්ය හමුවේදී රජයේ මාධ්ය ප්රකාශක, ඇමැති කෙහෙළිය රඹුක්වැල්ල ප්රකාශ කළේය.
October 1st, 2014 at 6:46 am
This guy is low-class jerk. If I were Mahinda I will sack or send a white Van to pick him up.
October 1st, 2014 at 7:19 am
The ramifications in the international arena, standing and credibility of own diplomats will be tarnished if the President does not take any action against Sajin Vaas. The President has stated that there will be an internal enquiry. Think we all know what happens with Sri Lankan enquiries and investigation. This episode has been internationalised.
If Sajin Vaas is not punished then either Dr Nonis was lieing and behaving like a spoilt brat or the Presidents condones the shameful behaviour of his closest advisers.
Either way its a Loss Loss situation.
This comes at the same time as the SBS Dateline Investigation “Turned Back to Torture” being aired in Australia where are Ambassador dismisses the report as doctored, orchestrated, bias and baseless.
October 1st, 2014 at 8:16 am
This incident has been tut-tutted about in diplomatic circles and many have nodded ‘it was an accident waiting to happen’. Dr Nonis was warned by many well-wishers before he accepted what many thought was a poisoned chalice.
“fools rush in where wise men never tread” but Chris Nonis, an educated man took the bait and was a babe in the wood among the thugs and goons he had to mix with, and in the end he had to suffer the humiliation of a public slapping and kick in the backside that will follow him all the way from New York to Labookellie via Lancaster Gate.
I believe he has done a fantastic job and hopefully continues to do so. It remains to be seen if he swallows his pride and unashamedly “toes the line” with MR and his cahoots. He does not need such a high profile assignment when he Chairs a very successful private group (Mackwoods Group- although I still think his sister is far more cleverer and astute than him to head up Mackwoods). Some have alleged he took this appointment to promote Mackwoods in the UK. I don’t believe it to be, even if it was the case, you cannot begrudge him as he has not neglected his primary role.
October 1st, 2014 at 8:38 am
Good article. Thanks Nanda
October 1st, 2014 at 11:12 am
What I heard, Sajin Vass is President’s confidential financial advisor. If so nothing happens. Every thing says, nothing happens.
It is just like Kudu dimu and the relative drug lords live happily. Duminda silva was treated with govt money and brought bak nothing happened etc., etc., It goes on.
October 1st, 2014 at 2:08 pm
HELAYA, HE IS HIS WIFE’S RELATIVE I BELIEVE.
ANUD, WHAT ARE THE FUNCTIONS OF A ” CONFIDENTIAL ” FINANCIAL ADVISOR. HIS QUALIFICATION IS ROWDYISM.