What is the Swiss Embassy Colombo trying to hide?
There are 2 scenarios connected to Swiss Embassy Colombo. First is the asylum given by the embassy to a senior police officer along with his family & secondly is the alleged ‘temporary kidnapping’ of a local staff. How interconnected are the two? While we know the first to be true the second raises 2 questions – who did it or was it ‘staged’ to cover up the asylum? If the Swiss embassy wishes to get to the bottom of the alleged abduction, why are they denying Sri Lankan authorities access to its employee – is it likely she too will be sent to Swiss for ‘safety’ and thus case gets closed leaving media another ‘white van’ type of psycho operation using ‘temporary kidnapping’?
On Monday 25th November 2019 a Swiss embassy staffer is supposed to have been questioned on the street in broad day light for 2 hours.
This was the day after policeman Nishantha Silva & his entire family (wife & 3 children) left for Switzerland on asylum (how did they get air tickets/visa etc on a Sunday when we all know how strict visa procedure of Swiss embassy is requiring 14 days to process visa)
It is for the CID to explain to the Govt how its member left the country without informing or getting permission from them!
- Was she questioned on the street (Gregory’s Rd where Swiss embassy is located)
- Was she actually taken in a vehicle (white van or car)
- Was she actually ‘missing’ for ‘2 hours’
Or did none of the above actually happen
- Is this why Swiss authorities do not want to give access to her as questioning will expose all.
- Why are Swiss authorities denying Sri Lankan authorities to get a statement from the alleged victim?
- How can Swiss authorities expect a speedy conclusion to this incident if they are hiding the main evidence – the victim?
This is very strange coming from countries preaching to the world about transparency, accountability, following rules & procedures….!!!
While the Swiss embassy is not allowing the supposed ‘victim’ to be questioned – its authorities are going to town demanding perpetrators be brought to book and even issuing diplomatic demarche to Sri Lanka’s ambassador accredited to Switzerland.
This is strange behavior for a foreign embassy! Why did it take 2 days for the Swiss mission to report the incident to Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry? The supposed abduction was on 25th Nov (Mon) Swiss authorities informed Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry only on 27th Nov (Wed)
The Swiss Foreign Ministry spokesman does not say she had been taken in any ‘white van’ – that was spice added by a handful of notorious international media outlets.
The Swiss Foreign Ministry spokesman also did not say she was questioned about the police officer Nishantha Silva & his asylum though he did say she was questioned on ‘embassy-related information’ – it was the same notorious international media who claimed her phone was unlocked and abductors took information on asylum seekers and those helping asylum seekers – what fertile imagination of these writers!
Let’s call a spade a spade.
This whole drama was connected to Sri Lanka’s Presidential elections.
The ‘temporary kidnapping’ came days before the new President left on his first official visit to India. The ‘temporary kidnapping’ enabled international media to go to town weaving negative stories discrediting & tarnishing the image of the President – bringing back white van stories as part of a scare tactic used.
Can those parroting white van abductions produce cases filed in the courts related to such?
The temporary kidnapping has tactfully diverted attention away from the Swiss embassy giving asylum to CI Nishantha
The Sri Lankan authorities must soon disclose whether such a ‘temporary kidnapping’ actually took place, if it did who was responsible – if it didn’t who was responsible for weaving a lie.
The Sri Lankan authorities must also take action to extradite CI Nishantha and question the Swiss embassy on what grounds they gave asylum to him & family.
The said police officer was involved in a number of high-profile cases during previous government that the international community supported to bring to power.
The foreign missions had been regularly interfering in Sri Lanka’s internal affairs and administration since 2015. We saw how embassy staff were even sitting inside Supreme court complex listening to cases filed against the dissolution of Parliament in 2018. They were seen in and out of Temple Trees giving instructions to the former PM Ranil who refused to leave inspite of being removed as PM.
Did this police officer throughout investigations pass on sensitive and confidential information to foreign embassy officials?
Will these be used in UN/UNHRC against Sri Lanka’s government in the future
If UNHRC and other international reports reveal sensitive details, we can conclude that this police officer & his family was given asylum not for political victimization threats but because while working for the state he was passing on confidential information to foreign embassies.
Ironically the very day of the ‘temporary abduction’ MP Wijeyadasa Rajapakse revealed he had personally informed then President Sirisena of CI Nishantha Silva’s “underhand activities” which included attempting to arrest wartime Navy Commander Karannagoda and Admira Wijegunaratne on unsubstantiated charges in 2018.
The President had summoned CID Deputy Ravi Seneviratne who arrived with J C Weliamuna (who was not invited) to ensure Seneviratne did not incriminate the Wickremasinghe govt. Weliamuna was sent as High Commissioner to Australia thereafter.
http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=214424
MP Wijedasa had also suggested that SL’s foreign ministry should extradite Nishantha from Switzerland.
According Shamindra Ferdinando writing to the Island a Navy officer who provided a statement implicating Chief of Defense Staff Admiral Ravi Wijegunaratne went to Switzerland ahead of Nishantha Silva.
Then we have disclosure by another police officer who says he was told to implicate the Rajapakse’s in the death of Thajudeen and he & his family would be given asylum in Canada. https://www.facebook.com/VoteMahinda/videos/559884671469187/ (a must listen)
CI Nishantha Silva, his wife & 3 children could not have all gone to Switzerland WITHOUT the assistance of the highest authorities in the Swiss embassy – why did they help an entire family to get asylum in Switzerland? Why did the Swiss also facilitate the asylum of a Naval officer who incriminated Admiral Wijegunaratne? When high ranking military officers are denied visas how can entire families of junior policemen be given visas and asylum in record time & to travel on a Sunday too!
Foreign embassies giving asylum for falsely implicating the Rajapakse’s and senior military officials is really not done and is an insult to the diplomatic service & its protocols.
So what are these foreign missions operating in Sri Lanka really up to?
All this cannot be covered up by attempting to sling mud at Sri Lanka by the Swiss authorities demanding action but not cooperating!
Shenali D Waduge
