Govt., Opposition MPs in P’ment condemn attack on SL envoy in Malaysia

The assault on the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Malaysia by LTTE supporters at the Kuala Lampur International Airport came was condemned in Parliament yesterday. 

Both Opposition and Government MPs voiced their concern and criticised Malaysian authorities for failing to provide adequate security for diplomats as is agreed to in international conventions. 

According to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, the Malaysians responsible for the attack were followers of a minority extremist political movement based in South India. 

Assuring that no Sri Lankan or persons of Sri Lankan descent were involved in the attack, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe said: “We reject this attack. We have summoned the Malaysian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka to the ministry to express our concern. We have specified the required protection for VIPs visiting other countries. Although Sri Lankan security personnel accompany VIPs on overseas visits, they do not carry firearms. The respective host country should provide armed security as requested. A few incidents took place in Kuala Lumpur and at the Senthul Temple. The Malaysian Government has the responsibility of protecting diplomats.

 “According to sources, the We Tamils Party was involved in this attack. It is a party operating in South India but it has a Malaysian branch. The members of this party have no connection to Sri Lanka. They have a connection with the Malaysian Democratic Party, the main Opposition. We will be sending a team to meet the members of this political party,” he added, pledging to solve pending issues by joining together with all political parties to mark the 70th anniversary of the United National Party.

Joint Opposition MP Dinesh Gunawardena demanded that the Government take measures against possible attacks and to protect Sri Lankan VIPs visiting other parts of the world. “High Commissioner Ibrahim Ansar, a career diplomat, accompanied the Sri Lankan delegation to the airport. We were returning from the 9th session of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP). Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and several other local political parties took part in this. LTTE supporters displaying the LTTE flag prevented former president Rajapaksa from attending a few events during his stay in Kuala Lumpur. The attack on a Sri Lankan Buddhist monk at Senthul Vihara is one incident. The Malaysian Government should take action and follow international conventions on diplomatic rights,” said MP Gunawardena. 

Chief Opposition Whip JVP MP Anura Dissanayake said that Sri Lankan Tamils living in the North should not be afraid and would not be considered supporters of this shameful action. “The Malaysian Government is bound to protect our diplomatic officers. This a failure on their part. The Tamils living in the North don’t follow other Tamils in other parts of the world. This is extremism and we should not mix up things to involve local Tamils. It is unfair to hold the Tamils in the North responsible for this attack,” he said. 

Leader of the Opposition R. Sampanthan urged Tamils to reject attempts to upset the stability of Sri Lanka, which is now heading towards development and peace. “I condemn the incident and action should be taken against the offenders. Sri Lanka is moving towards harmony and stability and such incidents are unwarranted. This is foolish action from a certain group of people. Such action should be discouraged and terminated. They need to understand that they are playing into the hands of people who don’t want stability in Sri Lanka,” said MP Sampanthan. (AH)

Malaysian Government expresses regret over assault on Sri Lankan envoy

Kuala Lumpur: The Government of Malaysia has expressed regret over the assault on Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to Malaysia Ibrahim Sahib Ansar at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on Sunday.

The Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement issued today expressed regret over the incident that caused minor injuries to the High Commissioner.

“The Government of Malaysia expresses its sympathies to His Excellency Ibrahim Ansar and gives the assurance that the Malaysian authorities will investigate the incident and bring those responsible to justice,” the statement said.

The Foreign Ministry said it would continue to work closely with the Sri Lanka High Commission in Kuala Lumpur to ensure that similar incidents will not occur in the future.

Meanwhile, Malaysia’s Deputy Home Minister Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed said the assault was an isolated incident triggered by political conflicts and had nothing to do with terrorism.

“This is an isolated case of the conflict in Sri Lanka being brought into Malaysia. This is about the political differences in Sri Lanka,” he said at a press conference in Putrajaya today.

He said the necessary action has been taken against five people, currently in police custody.

The Sri Lankan envoy was assaulted by a group of people at the KLIA on Sunday. The High Commissioner was at the airport to send off the Sri Lankan Minister Daya Gamage and Deputy Minister Anoma Gamage. The incident was captured on the airport’s CCTV system.

Sri Lanka on Monday summoned the High Commissioner of Malaysia Wan Zaidi Wan Abdullah to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to express the condemnation of the Government of Sri Lanka on the attack on the envoy.