Elusive Udayanga surfaces in Iran

Wants SL Embassy to help clear his ‘heavy luggage’ from Colombo Port

by Zacki Jabbar-June 3, 2015, 12:00 pm 

Sri Lanka’s former ambassador to the Russian Federation Udayanga Weeratunga, who has been accused of supplying weapons to Ukranian rebels, had surfaced in Iran on May 5, the Foreign Ministry revealed yesterday.

Spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry Mahishini Colonne, addressing a news conference in Colombo, said that Weeratunga had visited the Sri Lankan embassy in Teheran and requested its assistance to certify a Power-of-Attorney for his ‘heavy baggage’ to be cleared from the Port of Colombo.

The former Ambassador had, she revealed, left the embassy premises after having provided it with an email address. "The embassy subsequently informed Weeratunga via e-mail, that the power-of-attorney could be certified only after he handed over his Diplomatic Passport.  On May 9, Weeratunga had telephoned the embassy and said that he could not surrender his DPL passport. As a result his heavy baggage, remains uncleared, at the Colombo Port . Meanwhile, all Sri Lankan missions have been informed that the Immigration Department has cancelled Weeratunga’s DPL passport. During the time he was Ambassador, Weeratunga had on his own obtained a regular Sri Lankan passport."

Tracing the background to the case, Colonne noted that in November last year, the Embassy of Ukraine, located in New Delhi, had informed the Foreign Ministry that Weeratunga who at that time was Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to the Russian Federation, had allegedly handed over weapons to 19 Ukrainian rebels. 

"With a view to obtaining further information , two of our officials travelled to New Delhi in December 2014 and met the Ukrainian Ambassador, who informed them that investigations into the alleged transfer of weapons was continuing and that further details would be shared with us in due course. He had also remarked that any action on the matter had to await the outcome of their probe. Accordingly, we are awaiting their findings."

Colonne said that on April 21 ,the Ambassador of Ukraine had visited Colombo and met Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera, who assured him of Sri Lanka’s fullest support including its willingness to send a delegation to Ukraine to assist in the investigations, considering the seriousness of the issue.