{"id":85010,"date":"2019-01-21T19:19:51","date_gmt":"2019-01-22T01:19:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=85010"},"modified":"2019-01-21T09:14:14","modified_gmt":"2019-01-21T16:14:14","slug":"tilak-marapana","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2019\/01\/21\/tilak-marapana\/","title":{"rendered":"Tilak Marapana"},"content":{"rendered":"

Asoka Weerasinghe Kings Grove Crescent . Gloucester . Ontario . K1J 6G1 . Canada<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n

20 January 2019<\/p>\n

Hon. Tilak Marapana
\nMinister of Foreign Affairs
\nMinistry of Foreign Affairs
\nSir Baron Jayathilaka Mawatha
\nColombo 1
\nSri Lanka<\/p>\n

Dear Honourable Minister:<\/p>\n

I was intrigued to read the news item Marapana instructs Lankan diplomats to boost image of Sri Lanka overseas<\/strong>\u201d on Monday 14 January, 2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the body of the news item, it said: Foreign Minister Tilak Marapana has called on Sri Lankan diplomats to boost the image of Sri Lanka overseas through efficient and effective execution of public diplomacy utilising its intrinsic\u00a0 brands such as Buddhism, gems, tea, spices, high-end export products and the warmth of traditional Sri Lankan Hospitality.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I understand that all this was said at the certificate awarding ceremony on 11 January to new officers recruited to the Foreign Ministry, after a two week long<\/p>\n

Public Diplomacy and Media Relations training program organized by your Ministry.<\/p>\n

Let me share my observations with you, Mr. Minister, to be fair to the new recruits who will be handling the Communications country’s image building portfolio which had been tarnished by the Tamil separatist lobby since\u00a0 June 1983.\u00a0 And they are still at it, day in and day out.<\/p>\n

I am going to be honest and I am going to be blunt and you can take it for whatever it’s worth.\u00a0 I was invited in 1989 by President Premadasa to help him in these files at the Ottawa High Commission as he realized that it wasn\u2019t adequately accomplishing to his satisfaction by the incumbent officers who play musical chairs coming and going every three years.<\/p>\n

I understood well President Premadasa\u2019s concern, as\u00a0 I as an Ottawan since 1968,\u00a0 found the performance of the Communication officers at the Mission pathetic.\u00a0 And we\u00a0 \u2018Sinhalese\u2019 patriots had to fill in the gaps working on our own time, spending our own monies, while most of the Mission\u2019s communication officers were taking the credit riding on our backs, to pick up brownie points to justify their presence at the Mission. There are many incidents that I can quote which I am livid about.<\/p>\n

I hasten to add, that I was no friend of President Premadasa, nor a relation of his, nor wanting a job at the Mission to educate my kids in Canada, or earn a wage from thd Sri Lanka Government.\u00a0 By the time I had that request from President Premadasa, I had never set eyes on him, and was an employee of the\u00a0 Canadian Federal Government for 20 years as an IS6 grade officer pulling in a decent wage.\u00a0 He obviously had been briefed by who ever it was, of my aggressive activism as the Chairperson of Project Peace for a United Sri Lanka<\/em> to guard the good name of my Motherland, Sri Lanka, and went toe-to-toe with the Sri Lanka rubbishing Tamil separatists and the Canadian parliamentarians of the Liberal, Conservative and NDP parties who still\u00a0 support the cause of a separate Tamil State Eelam.<\/p>\n

My partners at Project Peac<\/em>e <\/strong>were two amazing Sinhalese patriots, Asoka Yapa and Harrison Perera, both who were bright clinical debaters, who could articulate well, thread English words into convincing sentences, and both happen to be Christians, who were prepared to hold the hands of a Buddhist, that\u2019s me, to guard the good name of our Motherland, Sri Lanka.\u00a0 We were brothers-in-arms throughout phone threats by the Tamils to blow us up, and a good section of the Dinner gathering critics of\u00a0 the Sinhalese community in Ottawa who did not support our stance, but bashed us behind our backs.\u00a0 There were flies on the walls during these dinner gatherings who sneaked to me later of what went on and what was said,<\/p>\n

Like one June 1987 night around 11:00, the phone rings and an agitated female voice said, Asoka, you don\u2019t know me, but\u00a0 please don’t ask my name but I want to talk to you, or I will not be able to sleep tonight.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Sorry, Madam, these are not the days for me to talk to phantoms. Please tell me who you are and then we can continue our conversation.\u201d <\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Finally she obliged.<\/p>\n

And she said, I was at a dinner at the home of ?Mr & Mrs. X, and all during the\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>night I saw the dinner party group stabbing you, kicking and quartering you.\u00a0 The only thing that I didn\u2019t see was them burying you.\u00a0 All because you are defending Sri Lanka\u2019s good name.\u00a0\u00a0 I know you can handle the Tamils, but please be careful of your own people.\u00a0 They are your enemies.<\/em><\/strong>\u201d\u00a0 That was tough.\u00a0 I dismissed the crowd at these dinner circles as a bunch of \u2018spineless nincompoops who lacked the courage\u00a0 to confront me face-to face and say to me, Asoka, you are full of shit!<\/em><\/strong>\u201d\u00a0 And I resent intimidation.<\/p>\n

After agreeing with the wages, cum housing allowance, cum entertainment allowance, which was still $200 less of the wages I was earning at the federal government, I resigned from the Canadian federal government and reported for duty, on June 1, 1989, at the Mission at 85, Ranged Road in Ottawa\u00a0 A BIG MISTAKE.\u00a0 I will come to it later.<\/p>\n

And now comes the\u00a0 appalling, disgusting and shocking state of affairs at the Mission. There were no Benchmarks for me to follow as a Communications Officer to build the image of Sri Lanka. In other words, Mr.Minister, there were sweet \u2018F-all\u2019.<\/p>\n

No Sri Lankan artifacts, like masks, brass crafts, baticks, 35mm slides, nor a Kodak Carousel to show the slides with a up\/down screen, gems, no library, or Sri Lanka flags\u2026..nothing…nothing…nothing, There were sweet buggerall.\u00a0 I was annoyed since this Mission had been established in 1967, I believe.<\/p>\n

My work experience had been in the UK and Canada\u00a0 and never in Sri Lanka, and I refused to change gears to accommodate the way things were done in Sri Lanka. It certainly didn\u2019t jive with me.\u00a0 Like playing games of \u2018I am a Tin God\u2019<\/em><\/strong>, making appointments to meet a client at 9:00 in the morning, and the client happens to be a Torontonian, setting off for the appointment at 4:00 in the morning, to sit on a chair in the reception area at 9:00 in the morning and only to be called to be interviewed at 11:00.\u00a0 This I thought was not acceptable and unprofessional.<\/p>\n

When I was taken to my office which was situated next to the High Commissioner\u2019s Office, I asked the Chief Clerk, Is there a typewriter in the office?\u201d\u00a0 <\/em><\/strong>The answer came back, No, no, Mr. Weerasinghe, you don\u2019t have to type letters, we have a\u2019\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Stenographer to type the letters.\u201d<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0 Sorry Karunaratne, I want a typewriter on my desk as that will be my workhorse.\u00a0 I will type my own letters.\u201d<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 The following morning there was a brand new electric Brother typewriter on my desk.\u00a0 And I typed my own letters, 100s and 100s of them every month.<\/p>\n

Lucky for President\u00a0 Premadasa, when he hired me for the job, I came with my personal Museum quality mask collection, puppets, facsimiles of Heritage flags (I am a Museologist, former Head of Thematic Research at the National Museums of Canada: and Head of Exhibits, National\u00a0 Museum of Natural Sciences in Ottawa), my political library, my 35mm slides of Sri Lanka and organized carousels for my private presentations with my poetry on Sri Lanka, et cetera.\u00a0 I had little choice but to use my personal Libraries and artifact collections to get on with my work.\u00a0 President Premadasa trusted me and expected me to produce.\u00a0 And so I did.<\/p>\n

And here\u00a0 is what I achieved in Communications during my\u00a0 5 years to promote the Image of Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n

Were the Foreign Ministry personnel helpful so that I could get my job done.\u00a0 There was ZIP support from your Ministry.\u00a0 Well I was a pariah in away having taken one of their jobs and would do anything to sabotage my work.\u00a0 Starting with refusing to provide me with a business card,\u00a0 I refused to pay for it.\u00a0 It was a fight between HC Walter Rupesinghe and whoever it was at your Foreign Ministry.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I got the message and it was not going to\u00a0 be a nice five years but it was not going to phase me out either. They got it wrong.\u00a0 I was a professional in the field of communications.\u00a0 Just too bad for them.<\/p>\n

They prompted Minister C.V. Gunaratna to question my appointment in parliament.<\/p>\n

Pity he wasn\u2019t around when I left the Mission in June 1994, as I would have met him and challenged his questioning in parliament as I was no dodo,\u00a0 That if he can produce a single career diplomat during the past 20 years who had done an equally good job or\u00a0 better than what I have done for Sri Lanka, that I would be prepared to give back every cent that I was paid in wages to Sri Lanka\u2019s Treasury.\u00a0 And if he failed that he should arrange with the Sri Lankan Government to pay me\u00a0 the rent allowance, may be $2000s a month (in fact it was more than that)\u00a0 for the five years that I was employed by the Foreign Ministry. And that he do the the simple arithmetic – $2000 x 12 x 5,\u00a0\u00a0 That is how much I lost in wages having left the Canadian Federal Government to help President Premadasa in a time of crisis\u00a0 And I had a mortgage to pay.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Between June 1989-May 1994, I had 56 letters out of 64 to Editors on behalf of the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka, all vetted by HC Walter<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Rupesinghe and HC Walter Fernando published. I did not go through the Foreign Ministry as I wanted the response to go out within 36 hours.\u00a0 I did not have the time to fart-around, waiting for approved drafts to come from Colombo.\u00a0 My drafts edited and approved by the HC\u2019s was good enough for me\u00a0\u00a0 I had my strategy how to get our letters published The Letters picked up ink in<\/p>\n

    The Ottawa Citizen <\/em><\/strong>(Ottawa)<\/p>\n

    The Globe and Mail <\/em><\/strong>(Toronto)<\/p>\n

    The Toronto Star<\/em><\/strong> (Toronto)<\/p>\n

    Surrey North Delta Leader<\/em><\/strong> (British Columbia)<\/p>\n

    The Whig-Standard (<\/em><\/strong>Kingston)<\/p>\n

    Star India Journal<\/em><\/strong> (Toronto)<\/p>\n

    The Island<\/em><\/strong> (Sri Lanka)<\/p>\n

    What was interesting was when the Minister at the Indian High Commission who was responsible for Communications invited me for dinner at the Chateau Laurier one day,\u00a0 during dinner he asks me, Ashoka, tell me. everytime we open the Ottawa Citizen, letters page, there is a letter from you for the High Commissioner.\u00a0 We cannot get a single letter published.\u00a0 How do you do it?<\/em><\/strong>\u201d\u00a0 So I had to tell him and coach him how to go about it.<\/p>\n

    What was disappointing for me was, since I was not given an entertainment allowance as promised, I couldn\u2019t reciprocate his courtesy.\u00a0 That Sucked!\u00a0 So much for being an employee of the Sri Lanka Government.\u00a0 The worst employer I had in my working career.<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Participated in the Community Channel TV Shows to promote Sri<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Lanka\u2019s image.<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>I scripted and produced nine (9) \u2018\u2019SONGS OF LANKA\u2019 for MacLean-Hunter<\/p>\n

      Cable TV, Ottawa in their Studios.<\/p>\n

      Highlighted the following in these half-hour shows:<\/p>\n

      Dancing – Tea Plucker\u2019s Dance<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

      \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Gajaga Vannama<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

      \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Harvest Dance<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

      \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Kavi Maduwa<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

      \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Sinhala & Tamil New Year<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

      \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Kataragama<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

      \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Tea and Tea Gardens<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

      \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Gem mining<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

      \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Gems and Jewellery<\/em><\/strong> (Modelled by Ms. Chitranganee Wagiswara,<\/p>\n

      then First Secretary at the High Commission)<\/p>\n

      Kolam and Sanni Masks<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

      \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Puppetry<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

      \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Elephants and its influence on folk art<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

      \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Bharata Natyam<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

      \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A Muslim Dance<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

      \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Elephant Orphans at Pinnawela<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

      \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Wesak<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

      \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Interviewing Air Commodore Leonard Birchall<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

      \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Poetry on Sri Lanka, reading to Primary School<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

      \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Children with 35mm slide images, etc. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

      The children came in school buses with their teachers<\/p>\n

      to 85 Range Road.\u00a0 Since I had No entertainment<\/p>\n

      allowance as promised (That Sucked), I requested HC Rupesinghe to<\/p>\n

      provide the children with Orange juice and doughnuts.\u00a0 He very kindly<\/p>\n

      obliged.\u00a0 (And you talked of Sri Lankan hospitality.\u00a0 Hmmm!\u00a0\u00a0 That does not<\/p>\n

      exist\u00a0 in an environment of cussedness of Tin Gods and Goddess towards<\/p>\n

      pariahs outside the Career Diplomatic community. I say, Tough-Tiddy, Mr.<\/p>\n

      Minister.\u00a0 I don\u2019t buy that rubbish.)<\/p>\n

      Note that all the artifacts, film clips and video clips were from my personal rich<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

      Library,\u00a0 The antique Kandyan silver jewellery were from my wife\u2019s collection,<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

      purchased from Sriya and Daya Curio Shop at 493 Peradeniya Road, Kandy.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

      AS I TOLD YOU EARLIER, THE HIGH COMMISSION IN OTTAWA HAD SWEET BUGGERALL UNTIL 1994 TO PROMOTE SRI LANKA’S IMAGE.\u00a0 Perhaps it has\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>changed for the better since then.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

      After seeing the SONGS OF SRI LANKA<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 half-hour shows on the Community TV<\/p>\n

      Channel, the Communications Officer for the Malaysian High Commission invited me for lunch\u00a0 at Haveli Indian Restaurant<\/strong> in downtown Ottawa.\u00a0 During our meal he exuded how much he enjoyed our Sri Lanka Image promotional Shows, and asked me to walk him through how I produce such a Show,\u00a0 So I walked him through the time of my scripting, Studio recording\u00a0 the segments and I being the MC to editing and up to the airing the Show., \u00a0Wow Man, that is too much for me, and I doubt I could handle it\u201d,<\/em><\/strong> and he abandoned producing such TV Shows for the Malaysian High Commision.<\/p>\n

      You know, Mr.Minister, what sucks me most was the inability to reciprocate\u00a0 the Malaysian diplomat\u2019s courtesy and invite him for a lunch to discuss matters of mutual interests in Communications to promote our countries, without being given an Entertainment Allowance.<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Participating in public exhibitions to promote the image of Sri Lanka and her good name.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        \u00a0\u00a0The Art of Healing: Ritual Masks of Sri Lanka<\/em><\/strong> (Canadian Museum of\u00a0 Civilization, Ottawa) with the\u00a0 Sanni Mask collection of the Museum and my\u00a0 \u00a0 private collection.\u00a0 July 1990 – February 1991.<\/p>\n

        \u00a0\u00a0Festival of Masks: Sri Lankan ritual Masks<\/strong><\/em> (Provincial Museum, Quebec, with\u00a0my private collection.\u00a0 (August 1993.)<\/p>\n

        Sri Lankan-Canadian Writers in English<\/em><\/strong> (Provincial Museum, Edmonton,<\/p>\n

        Alberta.)\u00a0 (August 1993)\u00a0 The books came from my personal Literature library.<\/p>\n

        \u00a0Focus on Sri Lanka<\/em><\/strong>. (Algonquin College, Ottawa, February 1991).<\/p>\n

        All artifacts and Sri Lankan posters dry-mounted on gatorfoam were from my\u00a0\u00a0private collection.<\/p>\n

        \u00a0Sri Lankan Heritage (facsimiles) flags, puppets and masks <\/em><\/strong>were from my\u00a0\u00a0private collection with well researched labels at National Arts Centre,<\/p>\n

        Ottawa.\u00a0 (February 1990).<\/p>\n

        The Canadiana Fund. <\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Sri Lanka Kolam Masks from my private collection at\u00a0The National Gallery of Canada,\u00a0 (October 1993).<\/p>\n

        Heritage Flags of Sri Lanka<\/em><\/strong> (Facsimiles) from my private collection at\u00a0Heritage Day, Halifax, Nova Scotia.\u00a0 (April 1992)<\/p>\n

        (Mr. Minister, here is an ugly fact about one of your Diplomatic passport<\/strong>\u00a0carrying Minister Counsellors at the Mission, Weragama, apparently who<\/strong>\u00a0was responsible for Communications angered me so much that I<\/strong>\u00a0restrained myself from kicking his raw behind. This Diplomat lacked the<\/strong>\u00a0sophistication to phone me and ask me, Mister Weerasinghe, I<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0understand you always had Sri Lankan masks exhibited at\u00a0 public evens<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0and I\u00a0 cannot find them, do you know where they are?\u201d<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0 I could have told<\/strong>\u00a0him,<\/strong><\/p>\n

        \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0The reason you couldn\u2019t find them was because all of them belonged to<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0me and were from my private collection and they are with me at home.\u00a0 If<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 you wish to borrow them for an event you are most welcome to borrow<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0them as long as you will assure me that you will take good care of them<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 as they are valued Museum quality pieces and I don\u2019t want them to be<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 damaged<\/em><\/strong>.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

        \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 But do you know what, this rascally Diplomat did?\u00a0 He spread the word<\/strong>\u00a0 That\u00a0 I had removed (stolen) the masks from the Mission.\u00a0 I am still livid<\/strong>\u00a0and after 24\u00a0 years I want to get hold of his collars, shake him like a rag<\/strong>\u00a0doll until his bones rattle and fall at his feet. So much for the diplomats<\/strong>\u00a0who are sent to the Mission in Ottawa,<\/strong><\/p>\n

        \u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 On 14 February 1997, I sent a letter to HIgh Commissioner Ananda\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0Goonasekera explaining my anger towards\u00a0 this Diplomat attaching<\/strong>\u00a0copies of receipts of my purchases of masks in Sri Lanka going back to\u00a0<\/strong>Did\u00a0 I get an acknowledgement for my letter from this senior career<\/strong>\u00a0diplomat? <\/strong><\/p>\n

        \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Na! Not a whimper. He had decided to ignore my letter there by covering<\/strong>\u00a0Diplomat Weragama\u2019s arse,\u00a0 Too bad as it has left a bitter taste in my<\/strong>\u00a0tongue for this long. So much for Sri Lanka\u2019s Foreign Ministry diplomatic<\/strong>\u00a0 administrative etiquette and courtesy.\u00a0 Doesn’t say much, does it,<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0Mr. Minister?<\/strong><\/p>\n

        \u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Public Talks:<\/strong><\/p>\n

        Sri Lankan Healing Masks: Delicious Nightmares,<\/em><\/strong> \u00a0Canadian Museum of Civilization, Ottawa.\u00a0 Exhibited a few Masks from my private collection with explanatory labels.<\/p>\n

        Claim for a Separate State for Tamils in Sri Lanka: The Eastern Province<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

        Whose Home Land? – <\/em><\/strong>at SLUNA, AGM,\u00a0 Toronto. <\/em>This was the basis for an<\/p>\n

        Editorial in The Ottawa Citizen.<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 It was claimed by the High Commission that<\/p>\n

        they were the instigators of the Editorial.\u00a0 I managed to kill that \u2018Brownie Point<\/p>\n

        notion as they were trying to ride on my (expatriate) back.\u00a0 Minister, that was<\/p>\n

        Sick and a loud\u00a0 No…No. I had sent a copy of my SLUNA-talk to the Editorial Board of the Ottawa Citizen<\/em><\/strong> the following day.<\/p>\n

        \u00a0Buddhist Spirituality in Meditation<\/em><\/strong> at Sai Baba\u2019s 20th Anniversary<\/p>\n

        celebrations\u00a0 in Ottawa.<\/p>\n

        5,\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Show and Tell talks on Sri Lanka to Middle School children in Ottawa\u2019s<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

        \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 National Capital Region.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

        I introduced myself as the Communications Officer at the SriLanka High<\/p>\n

        Commission to the Ottawa Board of Education<\/strong> and the Carleton Board of<\/strong><\/p>\n

        \u00a0\u00a0Education<\/strong> and that I was available for a Show and Tell talk on Sri Lanka at<\/p>\n

        any of\u00a0 their schools\u00a0 The response was impressive and I ended up<\/p>\n

        presenting<\/strong> one-hour talks at 13 local schools.<\/strong><\/p>\n

        \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>\u00a0All what I requested from the Principals were a VHS player and a Globe.<\/p>\n

        The VHS Player was to play for them a couple of video recordings\u00a0 of our<\/p>\n

        panoramic Sri Lanka, and the other of the Pinnawala elephant orphanage,<\/p>\n

        which was always a hit.\u00a0 Both VHS recordings were from my private video<\/p>\n

        Library as the Mission had sweet buggerall in communication props to<\/p>\n

        promote beautiful Sri Lanka\u2019s images, Gems, tea gardens, etc,<\/p>\n

        The Globe was to pinpoint where Ottawa is and tell them how far apart we<\/p>\n

        live.\u00a0 That when I get on the plane after dinner at home, I will still be<\/p>\n

        travelling in the plane and have breakfast in the plane before I get<\/p>\n

        down at England’s London airport to change into another plane to fly to<\/p>\n

        Sri Lanka\u2019s airport in Colombo.\u00a0\u00a0 So I will be having Lunch in the plane,<\/p>\n

        and Dinner in the plane, and sleep in the plane, and will be woken up by<\/p>\n

        the Air-hostess to have breakfast and about another almost two hours<\/p>\n

        flying I will land in Sri Lanka\u2019s airport.\u00a0 That is how far we are in Ottawa<\/p>\n

        from Colombo in Sri Lanka.\u00a0 It is 32 hours of travelling from door to door.<\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        I used my artifacts, crafts, masks,\u00a0 gems and jewellery to show and allow<\/p>\n

        them to touch them.\u00a0 They are in awe every time I place a sapphire, a ruby<\/p>\n

        or a moonstone on their palms.<\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        Mr. Minister, I wanted to hand one of our Sri Lanka flags to the Principal of<\/p>\n

        the school that I gave a talk and requesting the Principal to hang it on<\/p>\n

        Commonwealth Day.\u00a0 So I requested the Foreign Ministry to provide me<\/p>\n

        with a dozen large flags.\u00a0 My request was ignored. Why should they!\u00a0\u00a0 The<\/p>\n

        exercise for them is to screw Asoka and not help him to be successful in<\/p>\n

        his assignment.\u00a0 After all they got Minister C.V, Gunaratne to question my<\/p>\n

        appointment to the Canadian Mission taking over one of the\u00a0 career<\/p>\n

        Diplomat\u2019s jobs.<\/p>\n

        .<\/p>\n

        But, Minister, I was asked by President Premadasa to help him in the<\/p>\n

        Communications portfolio and that is what I was determined to do. And<\/p>\n

        I was ever so thankful to him for giving me the opportunity to give back<\/p>\n

        five years of my life to my Motherland who nurtured me for the first 19<\/p>\n

        years of my life.\u00a0 I owed it to her.\u00a0 I just couldn\u2019t turn my back on her,<\/p>\n

        So I requested my sister to go to Laksala, buy me a dozen large Sri<\/p>\n

        Lanka\u00a0 flags and send them over to me.\u00a0 Thanks to my Sybil akka, she<\/p>\n

        did,\u00a0 and they were handed over to Principals at the 13 schools where I<\/p>\n

        made presentations on Sri Lanka.\u00a0 The Foreign Ministry\u2019s uncooperative<\/p>\n

        attitude to sabotage my work, really sucked.\u00a0 There are many ways to<\/p>\n

        skin a cat and I wanted to have the last laugh!\u00a0 It was a mini-war.<\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

          \n
        1. \u00a0\u00a0Helping Canadian High School Students and one Graduate Student <\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 to use SRI LANKA as their country assignments.<\/strong><\/p>\n

          \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

          \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>During the Summer when the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa is on<\/p>\n

          recess the Junior Commonwealth Conference is held in the Parliament<\/p>\n

          chambers,\u00a0\u00a0 and High school Nominees from each province congregate<\/p>\n

          there.<\/p>\n

           <\/p>\n

            \n
          1. Three High School students from British Columbia had been assigned<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            Sri Lanka as the Commonwealth country that they should represent.<\/p>\n

            They had made an appointment with HC Walter Rupesinghe to meet<\/p>\n

            with him to get some information about Sri Lanka.\u00a0 After having a chat<\/p>\n

            HC Rupesinghe passed them on to me to collect some Tourism<\/p>\n

            brochures etc.<\/p>\n

            I asked them and their teacher whether they would like me to coach<\/p>\n

            them. They jumped at the idea, and so I coached them.<\/p>\n

            They did so well that they went back home carrying the trophy for the<\/p>\n

            Best\u00a0 Country Presentation.\u00a0 And the country was our Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n

            As a Thank You<\/em><\/strong>, they took me together with their teacher to dinner at<\/p>\n

            the Chateau Laurier,<\/p>\n

             <\/p>\n

              \n
            1. \u00a0 <\/strong>A British Graduate student at the Patterson School of International<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

              Studies at Carleton University, contacted me wanting some information<\/p>\n

              on Sri Lanka. We met and I proposed that if she adopts Sri Lanka as her<\/p>\n

              Subject country of studies that I will provide all the necessary research<\/p>\n

              Material\u00a0 and my writings on the subject from my personal political<\/p>\n

              Library.\u00a0\u00a0 She happily agreed.\u00a0 The High Commission had sweet<\/p>\n

              buggerall to provide such research material.\u00a0 So I, on behalf of the Sri<\/p>\n

              Lanka High Commission collaborated.<\/p>\n

               <\/p>\n

              A highlight of this collaboration was when the Graduate student played<\/p>\n

              a\u00a0 recorded voice tape to HC Walter Rupesinghe of her seminar on Sri<\/p>\n

              Lanka, and after\u00a0 presented the tape to him.\u00a0 She started the seminar<\/p>\n

              by introducing herself as I am Walter Rupesinghe, the High<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

              \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Commissioner for Sri Lanka, and I will be making my presentation <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

              \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 for my country on\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026..\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

              High Commissioner Rupesinghe was impressed how exact she were<\/p>\n

              and how well she presented his case for Sri Lanka.\u00a0 She was given an<\/p>\n

              A+ for the seminar.<\/p>\n

               <\/p>\n

                \n
              1. \u00a0Working with the Parliamentary Spouses Association to produce<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 a video on Sri Lanka to be distributed throughout\u00a0 Canada\u2019s <\/strong><\/p>\n

                \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 parliamentary constituency offices to celebrate the Literacy week.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

                \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

                \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>\u00a0The video was recorded at the High Commision at 85 Range Road<\/p>\n

                while I\u00a0 was making a presentation to middle-school children on<\/p>\n

                Sri Lanka.\u00a0 The personal letter sent to me by Sue Evans, the<\/p>\n

                President of the Parliamentary Spouses Association<\/strong> on a paper<\/p>\n

                with their banner on June 1, 1993, will relate the success of the<\/p>\n

                effort by the High Commission promoting Sri Lanka\u2019s image. The<\/p>\n

                letter was hand written.<\/p>\n

                 <\/p>\n

                Dear Mr. Weerasinghe:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

                \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 What a delight it was to be at your presentation on Sri Lanka!\u00a0 I<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

                \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 can hardly wait to see the video tape…we expect it next week.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

                \u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

                \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Thank you so much for your enthusiasm for the Literacy Project<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

                \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 and for your willingness to become personally involved. It was<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

                \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 a pleasure to meet you and join the children in learning about<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

                \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 your country.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

                \u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

                \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I have always loved poetry – but do not profess the skill to write <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

                  \n
                1. \u00a0 After listening to your poems and those of your wife, I was<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                  \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 struck by the intimate details conveyed by just a few words of a <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

                  \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Poem\u2026.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

                  \u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

                  \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 On behalf of all our members I want to thank you for supporting <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

                  \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 this project.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

                  \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Sgnd. Sue Evans\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

                    \n
                  1. \u00a0University Thesis Adviser<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                    Was adviser to two Masters students at Carleton University.\u00a0 One on<\/p>\n

                    Anthropological significance on Sri Lankan Masking <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

                    \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 ceremonies.\u00a0 <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

                    And the other to an International Political Science student on<\/p>\n

                    \u00a0Sri Lanka: Aid and Development in today\u2019s political <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

                    \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 environment.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

                    \u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

                      \n
                    1. Provided Research materials and my published essays and <\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                      \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 critical writings from my personal library, to Ph.D., M.A., and\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

                      \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 B.A students for their Theses, and Special Term Papers <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

                      \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 exposing the perspective of Sri Lanka Government\u2019s position in\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

                      \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 the ethnic\u00a0 crisis. (The High Commission had sweet buggerall<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

                      \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 to help these students and that is why I used material from my<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

                      \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 private Library at home.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

                      Carleton University (Ottawa); Ottawa University (Ottawa); McMaster<\/p>\n

                      University (Hamilton, Ontario); Brock University (St. Catherines,<\/p>\n

                      Ontario);\u00a0 Brad College (New York, US); University of Windsor<\/p>\n

                      (Windsor, Ontario);\u00a0 McGill University (Montreal); Concordia<\/p>\n

                      University (Montreal); Simon Fraser University (Burnaby B.C.)<\/p>\n

                      U<\/u>niversity of Victoria, (Victoria, B.C,); University of British<\/p>\n

                      Columbia (Vancouver, B.C.) and University of Manitoba (Winnipeg,<\/p>\n

                      Manitoba).<\/p>\n

                       <\/p>\n

                        \n
                      1. Canadian National Museum\u2019s Sri Lankan Artifacts<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                        Adviser on cataloguing Sri Lankan artifacts at the Canadian<\/p>\n

                        Museum of Civilization.<\/p>\n

                          \n
                        1. \u00a0 \u00a0Press Releases<\/em><\/strong> – 223<\/li>\n
                        2. Sri Lanka News Letters<\/em><\/strong> – 53<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                          13,\u00a0\u00a0 Information Kits.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

                          When the Foreign Ministry nor the Department of Information<\/p>\n

                          were not providing information kits to be used as tools for<\/p>\n

                          defending Sri Lanka\u2019s good Image, I requested High<\/p>\n

                          Commissioners Walter Rupesinghe and Walter Fernando to find<\/p>\n

                          me funds to produce 100 Information kits ($600 for each title).<\/p>\n

                          I researched, wrote and produced such kits for our<\/p>\n

                          dissemination. among Canadian law-makers and Sri Lanka<\/p>\n

                          watchers who had sold their souls to garner Tamil votes\u00a0\u00a0 So<\/p>\n

                          these were Information Kits that I produced for the use by our<\/p>\n

                          High Commissioners\u00a0 They were professionally produced and<\/p>\n

                          looked attractive with silver coloured information kit folders tied<\/p>\n

                          with green ribbons.<\/p>\n

                           <\/p>\n

                          \u00a0The Information Kits were:<\/strong><\/p>\n

                          \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>\u00a0Sri Lanka: Human Rights<\/em><\/strong> (July 1991);\u00a0 Sri Lanka: a Mosaic at <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

                          \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 a\u00a0 Glanc<\/em><\/strong>e (January 1992) and Sri Lanka: A Hidden Secret – <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

                          \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Quick Facts <\/em><\/strong>(January 1994)<\/p>\n

                           <\/p>\n

                          And do you know what,Minister? \u00a0The smart\u00a0 Alec Minister<\/p>\n

                          Counsellor who joined the Mission after I left, tried to claim\u00a0 that<\/p>\n

                          he authored them. What a way to pick up Brownie points for<\/p>\n

                          survival.\u00a0 I pointed out that he was a liar.<\/p>\n

                           <\/p>\n

                          The comment from Mr. Bradman Weerakoon (Adviser on<\/p>\n

                          International Relations to the President), said in a letter to<\/p>\n

                          HE Walter Fernando on 16 March 1994 –\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0…….. I am sure<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

                          \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Asoka Weerasinghe, your innovative colleague working on<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

                          \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Press relations must have helped in the compilation of <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

                          \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 these papers.\u00a0 They contain authentic, factual matter which <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

                          \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 is being used by us at different times. The value of the <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

                          \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 information is that it is not long winded, but concise and <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

                          \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 focused on the Issues on which people have queries\u2026..\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

                          Minister Marapana, by now you may have realized that requesting the new recruits to the Foreign Ministry to Boost the Image of Sri Lanka overseas through\u00a0 efficient and effective execution of public diplomacy, utilizing its intrinsic brands such as Buddhism, gems, tea, spices\u2026..\u201d <\/em><\/strong>without providing Communication tools,\u00a0 will go nowhere.\u00a0 They will be lost.\u00a0 I have proved to you that communication tools were the reasons for the success in my efforts to Boost the Image of Sri Lanka overseas.\u201d There is no other way unless the career diplomat is innovative and creative.\u00a0 I challenge anyone to prove at the Foreign Ministry me wrong.<\/p>\n

                          I want you to be fair on these new recruits.They will achieve nothing unless the Government provides them the tools to get on with their jobs\u00a0 Tourism brochures ain’t enough..<\/p>\n

                          That is\u00a0 the basic Labour Code.\u00a0 Give your people the tools and they will get on with their jobs.\u00a0 I can speak on the pre-1989 Ottawa Mission.\u00a0 That Mission was a disaster with sweet buggeral to help\u00a0 a Communications officer to be effective.\u00a0 I did my job as requested by President Premadasa, as I was willing to make use of my private collection of cultural artifacts and my political and literature libraries and not charge back for the use of my private material and Sri Lanka got a good deal hiring me.\u00a0 And I believe\u00a0 I did a fairly reasonable job.\u00a0\u00a0 The two High Commissioners, Walter Rupesinghe and Walter Fernando were pleased.<\/p>\n

                          My Political Library and writings were donated, 30 boxes of them, to the Sir John Kotelawala Defence University at Ratmalana, on November 2013.<\/p>\n

                          While I say Boo\u201d to Minister C.V. Gooneratna for questioning my appointment at a senior position at the High Commission in Ottawa, in Parliament and Boo\u201d to those at the Foreign Ministry who prompted him to question my appointment, I am prepared to tell you frankly, that the Sri Lanka Government was the worst employer I worked for.\u00a0 If I could give a grade between 85 to 95% to all my employers in the UK and Canada, I could only give Sri Lanka measly 35% and nothing more,and that is a failing\u00a0 Grade.<\/p>\n

                          And Mr. Minister, you could quite happily have a sigh of relief. that\u00a0 this appointee of President Premadasa\u2019s was a hard worker and that you all got back value from me for every cent you all paid me.\u00a0 And thank\u00a0 your God\u00a0 that I was no thief, a rogue or a pick-pocket picking a poor man\u2019s pocket while doing a job for your Ministry of Foreign Affairs,\u00a0 as there have been several in your Ministry\u2019s fold.\u00a0 I am clean.<\/p>\n

                          And before I conclude I want to identify two groups of people to say Thank You<\/strong> for<\/p>\n

                          giving me some faith on Sri Lankan colleagues who I was in contact with while working at the Sri Lanka High Commision in Ottawa, not having worked for a Sri Lankan outfit before.<\/p>\n

                          Firstly, for High Commissioners Walter Rupesinghe and Walter Fernando, who softened my embarrassment for not being provided as promised an entertainment allowance to reciprocate\u00a0 courtesies of my media and communication contacts and\u00a0 contacts with diplomats from the Asian Missions like India, Bangladesh and Malaysia who had luncheon and dinner meetings with me and emptied their wallets to pay my bills.<\/p>\n

                          The two High Commissioners\u00a0 were extremely gracious to invite all my contacts for a dinner at the High Commissioner\u2019s residence, once a year,\u00a0 and asking me to extend invitations to them for our National Day celebrations.\u00a0 I am really, really thankful for their sensitivity and sincerity for helping me out.\u00a0 Two absolute gentlemen that Sri Lanka\u2019s Diplomatic Corp should be proud of.<\/p>\n

                           <\/p>\n

                          Secondly, I want to identify three persons two from the Foreign Ministry and the third a President\u2019s appointee, who commanded my respect as working colleagues. They may have\u00a0 had difficulty in accepting my working etiquette dealing with Canadians and Sri Lankan-Canadians who tried to harm my Mother Lanka, but at the end of the day they knew that my heart was where it rightly belonged in an effort to, guard my Mother Lanka.\u00a0 And that I was on a Mission – no one, absolutely no one harms my Motherland unfairly.\u00a0 The three are the late Rodney Vandergert, Chitranganee Wagiswara and Bandula Jayasekera,\u00a0 I doff my hat to all three of them most affectionately and sincerely.<\/p>\n

                          And to conclude this strange experience working for the Sri Lanka Government\u2019s<\/p>\n

                          Foreign Ministry let me tell you that on my return from lunch on 5th February 1993,\u00a0 and way to my office High Commissioner Walter Rupesinghe called me in and we had a chat.\u00a0 He was on his way\u00a0 back home, to Sri Lanka, after the end of his tour of duty.<\/p>\n

                          He said that he was sorry that I was treated badly by the Sri Lanka Government and that I was out of pocket in wages by thousands of dollars, having left the Federal Government, but I hope this will show you my appreciation for helping me\u00a0 out and for having a good working relationship\u201d<\/em><\/strong>, he said, and handed a piece of paper typed on the High Commision letter head.: It\u00a0 was dated 5th February 1993 and said:<\/p>\n

                          \u00a0Mr. Asoka Weerasinghe functioned as my Media and Communications Director during\u00a0 my term of service in the High Commission.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

                          \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Asoka\u2019s passionate love for Sri Lanka and his superb understanding of our political, economic and social problems, made him admirably suited to promote the Image of the country and to counter the adverse publicity generated by elements hostile to our democratic lway of life and the unitary state.\u00a0 Asoka carried out these arduous and challenging duties with exemplary enthusiasm and finesse.\u00a0 He is indeed an asset to the Mission.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

                          \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Asoka is an artist, poet and a person of several other intellectual pursuits.\u00a0 The amalgam of all these attributes, not often found in one person, made him a Media and Communications Director par excellence.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

                          \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I wish him well in all his future endevours,<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

                          \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Sgnd.\u00a0 Walter Rupesinghe<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

                          \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 High Commissioner\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

                           <\/p>\n

                          Sincerely<\/p>\n

                          Asoka Weerasinghe<\/p>\n

                           <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                          Asoka Weerasinghe Kings Grove Crescent . Gloucester . Ontario . K1J 6G1 . Canada 20 January 2019 Hon. Tilak Marapana Minister of Foreign Affairs Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sir Baron Jayathilaka Mawatha Colombo 1 Sri Lanka Dear Honourable Minister: I was intrigued to read the news item Marapana instructs Lankan diplomats to boost image of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-85010","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-asoka-weerasinghe"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85010","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=85010"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85010\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=85010"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=85010"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=85010"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}