Ambassador in Austria, staff recalled over President’s phone call

Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Austria and all embassy staff were recalled to Colombo on Friday. The move, the Sunday Times learns, comes after presidential aides failed to reach the embassy office in Vienna for well over four hours. President Maithripala Sirisena had wanted to speak to Ambassador Priyani Wijesekera, a former Secretary General of Parliament.

Official sources said on the last effort, a watcher at the embassy had answered a phone call and replied that no one was available. He had thereafter informed Ambassador Wijesekera but she had failed to reach President Sirisena on the telephone. Other than Ms Wijesekera, others recalled are Counsellor Dayani Mendis, Attache Gehan Dissanayake, and the Personal Assistant to the ambassador. In Colombo, a Foreign Ministry official said a replacement ambassador and staff would be sent but it was not clear how soon it would happen.