11th August 2015 Colombo, Sri Lanka
I spent this weekend on the coast near Galle, an immediate reminder of what a wonderful place Sri Lanka is to live and work. But though pleasure and leisure kept me there, it was work that took me. I’ve written recently about how our Consular team support British tourists in distress. On Friday, the team […]
26th July 2015 Colombo, Sri Lanka
This year, we are celebrating fifty years of bilateral relations between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Maldives. That relationship started on 26 July 1965, with the signing of the Declaration of Independence. That moment is captured in a famous photo, with Ibrahim Nasir Rannabandeyri Kilegefan, Prime Minister and Sir Micheal Walker, British Ambassador designate to the […]
Read more on Maldives at Fifty: penning a chapter in history | Reply (1)
10th July 2015 Colombo, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka and the Maldives have never been more popular for beach-lovers, backpackers or Brits: over 144,000 British tourists visited Sri Lanka last year, and almost 16,000 holidayed in the Maldives in February alone this year. Around five thousand British Nationals have set down permanent or semi-permanent roots here too. For the most part, travellers […]
Read more on Who you gonna call? Consular services in Colombo | Reply (5)
16th June 2015 Colombo, Sri Lanka
For centuries, the Magna Carta, signed by King John at Runnymede in England in 1215, has been quoted to help promote human rights and alleviate suffering all around the world. This week, we are celebrating its 800th anniversary, and its continuing relevance today. To mark the anniversary, my colleagues at the UK Mission in Geneva hosted a […]
Read more on 800 years of the Magna Carta and Human Rights today | Reply (2)
27th May 2015 Colombo, Sri Lanka
On 14 May, Shakespeare’s Globe came to Colombo. Sri Lanka was their 96th stopover in their Globe to Globe challenge to perform Hamlet in every single country in the world. Here in Sri Lanka, they performed twice, a free matinee for 20 schools from across Colombo, and an evening production. Junior prefects from the British […]
Read more on To be or not to be… Shakespeare’s Globe comes to Colombo | Reply (2)
13th May 2015 Colombo, Sri Lanka
This year, Mental Health Awareness Week focuses on mindfulness. Mindfulness helps people observe the way they think and feel about their experiences, good or bad – a valuable tool for staying mentally healthy. It can help people with mental and physical health problems, from stress, depression and anxiety to chronic pain, eating disorders and concentration. Georgina […]
28th April 2015 Colombo, Sri Lanka
On Saturday 25 April, I laid a wreath at the Borella Kanatta Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery in Colombo, at one of the two events organised that day by the Australian High Commission to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Allied landings at Gallipoli during the First World War. It was an opportunity to reflect again […]
Read more on 100 years since Gallipoli: Ceylon’s role remembered | Reply (9)
4th April 2015 Colombo, Sri Lanka
To mark Mine Awareness and Action Day, I asked our partners HALO Trust to write about their work in Sri Lanka. “The HALO Trust is the world’s largest and oldest humanitarian demining organisation, with staff in 17 counties and territories around the world. Our core activity is clearing mine-contaminated land needed for housing, agriculture and […]
19th February 2015 Colombo, Sri Lanka
Earlier this week, the UN Human Rights Council agreed to Prince Zeid’s request to defer consideration of his office’s investigation into the end of the conflict in Sri Lanka to the summer. The UK was a main sponsor of the resolution setting up the investigation and we remain committed to it. Those who provided information to […]
6th February 2015 Colombo, Sri Lanka
Hugo Swire, our Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, visited Sri Lanka last week. It’s always good to get in early, and his was the first bilateral visit to the new Government of Sri Lanka. It was an exciting opportunity for my Government to congratulate President Sirisena and Prime Minister Wickremasinghe face to face, and […]