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Consular Services
Sri Lanka Profile
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H.E. The
President’s Speech which was delivered at
the Inauguration Ceremony of Expo 2012 on 28th March 2012 at
Sirimavo Bandaranaike Memorial Exhibition Centre, BMICH.
Press Release Implementation of
Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) Scheme
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Vacancy - Post of Driver cum Messenger
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Welcome to the official web site of the Consulate General of the
Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka in Sydney.
Should you require any
further information please do not hesitate to contact us by email, fax,
telephone, or letter. We will be only too glad to assist you. We
wish you a happy and interesting surfing.
Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Sydney,
Australia.
Useful Information
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The Consular Counter is open
from 9.30 am to 1.30 pm on all working days except on public holidays.
Public Holidays
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Consular services are
provided on first come first served basis and prior appointments are not
necessary.
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Applicants for consular
services are required to come with their passports.
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All original documents must
be submitted along with a photocopy.
For instructions on your
specific requirements please visit the relevant pages of Consular
Services
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Acting Consul General : Mr.
W.S.M.S. Wijesundara
{With consular jurisdiction throughout New South Wales, Tasmania and South
Australia}
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Office Days
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Monday to Friday
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Office Hours
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9.00 am to 4.45 pm
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Consular Hours
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9.30 am to 1.30 pm
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Time Difference with
Sri Lanka
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+ 4.30 hours (Winter)
+ 5.30 hours (Summer)
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Public Holidays
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Latest Channel
4 Film on Sri Lanka - ABC Radio Australia live Interview of Admiral
Thisara Samarasinghe, High Commissioner |
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Tuesday, 20 March 2012
09:57 |
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Sri Lanka's envoy to
Australia, Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe, has condemned the makers of
a new British documentary on the end of the war against the Tamil
Tigers, as biased.
Sri Lanka condemns new documentary on Tamil war deaths (Credit: ABC)
He also says the government has not had the opportunity to view of
the documentary ahead of its screening.
The documentary - which goes to air on Channel Four in London this
week - is said to show images of abuses against civilians and rebels
in the final phase of the conflict in 2009. The UN Human Rights
Council is debating whether Sri Lanka's military acted illegally
during the final stages of the war.
Presenter: Liam Cochrane
Speaker: Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe, Sri Lanka's High Commissioner
to Australia
SAMARASINGHE: First and foremost I have not seen this so-called
document which is expected to be telecast this evening in London.
Having said that I have got some information with respect to what
could be screened in this. Let me announce please, tell the fact
that the biased approach of the Channel 4, the sequencing and timing
[of] various video footage which are unsubstantiated by proper
evidence, and carrying on without giving it the rightful position
for the government to see it and make comments. So these are being
orchestrated by certain groups of people who are at the moment
attempting to derail the reconciliation and development program.
Having said that, any allegation has to have clear and substantiated
evidence. Such unattributed and [un]corroborated efforts are not the
right thing, the editorial position that should be taken by media in
this context.
COCHRANE: Has the Sri Lankan government been given the chance to see
the documentary and respond to the images shown?
SAMARASINGHE: No it has not been given the opportunity to see the
footage or the video, and they decide who gives the video, they
decide to do all by themselves by various people we do not know, who
are these people, we do not know who is funding all this, and they
just put it on the air and come and expect the people to respond to
it. And it is an attempt to sort of corrupt and disturb the minds of
the right-thinking people, baseless allegations, very unfairly
criticising Sri Lankan government and the Sri Lankan military, who
has sacrificed enormously to rescue civilians who were being held by
the terrorists. Now LTTE is a terrorist organisation, and I heard
people saying Tamil commander, there are no Tamil commanders in Sri
Lanka. There are terrorist leaders who brutally murdered thousands
and thousands and thousands of civilians. So in the final phase of
the conflict terrorists were fighting back, and the military had to
move forward in rescuing the people. So it was a battle between
terrorists and the government forces.
,br/> COCHRANE: Admiral I understand that you haven't seen the
images specifically, but you did refer to having some information
about them and speaking quite concretely on the sequencing of images
in the documentary. From what you know do you believe the images are
genuine?
SAMARASINGHE: Absolutely no, the images can be just a terrorist
organisation who deliberately do things to bring discredit to the
government, discredit to the military, and the government never,
ever deliberately targeted civilians. We rescued the civilians, not
only civilians, we rescued terrorists themselves, they were taken
when they were willing to come to us and when our military fought
and rescued the people there were thousands, 11,000 terrorists. They
are put to rehabilitation. This is where our country's credibility
lies.
COCHRANE: And that credibility is being questioned to some extent at
the moment, the timing is very bad for Sri Lanka given that the UN
Human Rights Council hearings are going on in Geneva right now. How
do you think the prospect of the release of this documentary will
affect those hearings?
SAMARASINGHE: Liam that is exactly what I mentioned, the biased
approach and the sequencing of events. If these things were
available, now two and a half years have passed. Why didn't these
things come up at the beginning? Are these orchestrated efforts of
vested interested parties of the defeated terrorist organisation
through the soils of the rest of the world, certain places, through
their people who are the terrorist sympathisers are still active.
They're trying to see that the reconciliation and the economic
progress of Sri Lanka is derailed. And that is why this timing, so
Human Rights Commission is a body which will listen to all parties
concerned in this counter-arguments and arguments and
counter-resolutions and the resolutions. So let that decision be
taken by that body, and the Sri Lankan government is doing its best
to see that justice prevails in that. But as you know the effort of
the certain leading members who are trying to pinpoint these things
as deliberate, I'm confident such efforts will not prevail in a
genuine and a fair hearing.
COCHRANE: The Sri Lankan military and government continues to insist
that war crimes were not committed by its troops during the war
against the Tamil Tigers. It was a very long and difficult conflict
and given the example just recently in Afghanistan of how things can
go very wrong for even the best trained of militaries, and of course
it has happened throughout many conflicts in the past, atrocities do
happen in wars. Do you acknowledge that some atrocities, some war
crimes may have taken place during the conflict?
SAMARASINGHE: I do not acknowledge until it's proven. You will be
aware that the reconciliation commission very strongly has
recommended a commission or investigation to be adapted to ensure
that some things be investigated, whether some things have happened.
And the government has immediately authorised, order the Chief of
the Army to appoint another board to see whether these alleged
atrocities have been committed. Sri Lanka has a system in the
military how you follow any atrocity or any wrongdoings or any
criminal act. No military can survive if you don't punish if
anybody's found guilty with authenticated, substantiated evidence.
If such things are found for not only this, any other undisciplined
act, criminal act, at times criminality is a personality. So such
things will be investigated and we have a judicial system which is
very transparent and we are capable of finding solutions to any
mistakes, any undisciplined acts committed by our soldiers or
anybody for that matter. So Sri Lanka's military discipline,
military acts have to take its own course of action before we go.
But I emphasise it has to be credible, substantiated evidence, not
hearsay which cannot be proved beyond reasonable doubt in a court of
law.
COCHRANE: As you say there has been a significant amount of time
passed between the end of the civil war and now. Enough time to look
into these matters, especially when they involved high profile
incidents. In the images shown in this documentary as we understand
them, of course it hasn't been released yet, but as we understand
them it appears to show the 12 year old son of Prabhakaran, the
leader of the Tamil Tiger group with five bullet holes in his chest.
How did that situation come about?
SAMARASINGHE: That is up to the terrorists to realise how, I mean
I'm not here to confirm whether who the son was, who the father was,
but the conflict was so immense, even there have been child soldiers
in this conflict. So it was a terrorist trying to defeat the
government forces and to survive, and to live another day to
continue to fight terrorists.
COCHRANE: Can I just clarify, are you saying that the 12-year old
boy in the documentary was perhaps not Prabhakaran's son?
SAMARASINGHE: I am unable to make any comment on that because I have
not seen it, I don't know who Prabhakaran's son is nor can I
identify him. So it is unfair to ask that question from me. But I
have not seen this footage, I have heard he had children and my
knowledge was that children were sometimes abroad, they were foreign
educated, so with that basic knowledge I'm not in a position to
comment on that. But what I'm trying to emphasise is that was a very
serious battle between one of the most ruthless terrorist
organisations with air, sea and land capabilities trying to survive
in the final stages.
The link to the interview
is given below:
http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/radio/onairhighlights/sri-lanka-condemns-new-documentary-on-tamil-war-deaths |
The 64th
Anniversary of Independence Day
Celebrations In Sydney Australia
The 64th Independence Day of Sri Lanka was commemorated by the
Consulate General of Sri Lanka in coordination with the Sri Lanka
Associations based in city of Sydney at Roselea
Community Centre, 645 Pennant Hills Rd, Carlingford, NSW 2118 on
Saturday 4th February 2012. A large crowd over 1000 was gathered
at the event.
Following dignitaries were attended
H.E. the High Commissioner for Sri Lanka, Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe
Hon. Kevin Conolly, Member for Riverstone representing the Premier of
New South Wales and NSW Government
Hon. Dominic Perrottet, Member for Castle Hill (NSW government)
Hon. Nick Berman,
Lord
Mayor , Hornsby Shire Council
H.E. the High Commissioner Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe hoisted the Sri
Lankan flag while Hon. Kevin Conolly representing the New South Wales
Government hoisted the Australian flag. At the welcome speech, the High
Commissioner briefed the background story of the Independence day peaceful
environment after end of the terror activities of LTTE prevailed in the
Island with the firm political stability was highlighted. He conveyed the
concern of H.E. the President that the accountability of each and every Sri
Lankan – living in Australia and the accountability of parents to teach
their children of the language either Sinhala or Tamil and the cultural
values with which the parent were grown.
H.E. the High Commissioner further emphasised of the strong historical
relationship which has been existing between Sri Lanka and Australia.
Among other items in the agenda,
recognition of highest achievers at the HSC examination in 2011 the excelled
Sri Lankan scholars were
awarded certificates which was organised by Sri Lanka Association.
At the speech of Hon. Kevin Conolly, he said that he was impressed of the
Independence Day programme. While mentioning about the values of the
cultural performance, he appreciated that how Sri Lanka community
contributed to Australia and Sri Lankan culture is significantly shining as
a rich culture among other multi-cultural society in Australia.
At the second programme of the event was to perform Sri Lankan dancing,
singing etc. depicting the multi ethnic culture of Sri Lanka Sinhalese
Cultural Forum with assistance of other Associations organised the cultural
events.
First time in the history of the Consulate General, a full page Newspaper
supplement on the Independence Day was issued to commemorate the 64th
Independence Day. The cost of the full page appeared in the Cumberland
Newspaper on 7th February 2012 for Aus $ 2100 was contributed by
the well wishers and the business community in Sydney. Copy of the
newspaper/page will be sent for your reference.
The event was ended at 10.00 p.m.
Sri Lanka Consulate General
Sydney
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