Each member of MR’s jumbo delegation to the UN spends US$ 500+ per day

 Monday, 30 September 2013

President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his jumbo delegation that visited New York last week to attend the UN General Assembly had reportedly spent US$ 500+ per day.

The delegation had included over 75 persons and the costs included were for the air fare, hotel, vehicles/phones hire and a daily per diem.

The Presidential delegation included Ministers G.L. Peiris, Nimal Siripala de Silva, Susil Premajayantha, Athauda Seneviratne, Dulles Allahapperuma, monitoring MP Sajin Vass Gunawardene, MP Lohan Ratwatte, former Minister Rohitha Bogollagama, several Presidential aides, Deepa Wijesinghe, Sepala and Anoma Lafir, Ambassador (in the US) Jaliya Wickramasuriya, High Commissioner (in Britain) Chris Nonis, Minister Athauda Seneviratne’s son and Ambassador (in the Netherlands), Buddhi Athauda, High Commissioner in Uganda Kana Kananathan, businessman Noel Selvanayagam, Ministry of External Affairs officials, Sri Lanka’s permanent mission in New York staff and Presidential security personnel.
However, it was a week ago that the External Affairs Ministyr issued a circular to the country’s foreign missions instructing them and their staff to avoid unnecessary travel, he said.

External Affairs Ministry Secretary Karunathileka Amunugama has told the media that every staff member on the diplomatic payroll must obey this order.

The annual budgetary travel expenses for Sri Lankan diplomats for the current year are reportedly Rs. 250 million, which is a Rs. 25 million from last year.