(UTV|COLOMBO) – President on Monday (17) justified his decision to sack six Diplomats – including an Ambassador – for not answering his phone calls, saying more would follow if the foreign service did not shape up, the Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
President Maithripala Sirisena was criticised for the shock dismissal last week of his top Envoy to Austria and five other Vienna-based staff after his office tried unsuccessfully for hours to reach them by phone.
“I am being attacked ferociously over social media for recalling the entire Embassy staff. Yes, I did that to send a powerful message to other Embassies,” President Sirisena told a public meeting in Colombo.
He said he ordered the sacking of Ambassador Priyanee Wijesekera and five other staff to set an example.
President Sirisena did not say why he needed to contact the Embassy urgently, or why other avenues were not explored to reach the staffers.
The Sri Lankan Embassy in Austria is accredited to the United Nations (UN) bodies in Vienna, as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Czech Republic, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia.
[alert color=”faebcc” icon=”fa-commenting”]Keeping up to date with breaking news while you are on the move is now simple with UTV Alerts [textmarker color=”8a6d3b”]Type REG UTV and send to 77000[/textmarker] on your Dialog, Airtel, or Hutch mobile connection[/alert]