13th January 2017
Colombo, Sri Lanka
A cross section of staff from the High Commission lighting the traditional oil lamp during New Year celebrations. The inaugural International ‘Parity at Work Day’ was celebrated on Wednesday in London. This new International Day champions workplace diversity, and recognises the importance that everyone – regardless of age, gender or sexual orientation – is given […]
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5th January 2017
Colombo, Sri Lanka
At the start of the new year, many of us make resolutions to live more healthily. So this blog looks at one aspect of the ever expanding relationship between the UK and Sri Lankan medical establishments. This relationship has always been close. The convention that Sri Lankan doctors can only progress to Consultant on completion […]
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9th December 2016
Colombo, Sri Lanka
On Monday, I went to the opening of the London Stock Exchange Group’s new technology hub in Sri Lanka. The hub is in the TRACE Expert City precinct of Colombo. It’s a lovely location: working closely with the Urban Development Authority, the Group’s architects have converted beautiful old brick railway buildings into light and spacious […]
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13th November 2016
Colombo, Sri Lanka
On Friday 11 November, we held our usual ceremony for Remembrance Day. The Commonwealth War Graves enclosure of the Liveramentu cemetery on Torrington Road was as serene as ever. The headstones are a startling white against the immaculate green grass. The tropical sun beats down. Birdsong fills the two minute silence. The reading from Kenny […]
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15th September 2016
Colombo, Sri Lanka
Democracy is the best path to long term peace, stability and sustainable development. It doesn’t just mean elections, though they are important too. It’s about having a say in the decisions that affect us, independent institutions that function as they were intended to and rule of law that upholds our human rights and protects us […]
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18th August 2016
Colombo, Sri Lanka
Since arriving in Sri Lanka, I have become a bit of an expert on visas. In fact, when my phone rings, there’s almost a one in two chance that someone is calling about their visa. Getting a visa can be complex, frustrating and time-consuming. My colleagues in UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) work really hard […]
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19th July 2016
Colombo, Sri Lanka
My blogs are usually about links between the UK and Sri Lanka. Today it’s the turn of some of the less sung heroes, those who work or volunteer in Sri Lanka’s charitable sector. I’m focusing on two long-standing partners of the High Commission, CAL and MENCAFEP, who just two of the many good people are […]
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12th July 2016
Colombo, Sri Lanka
It was a career first for me on Sunday, when I found myself selecting knickers for Her Majesty The Queen. No lèse-majesté this, rather part of the celebrations of the 210th anniversary of the building of the Governor’s Palace at Mount Lavinia. This included a literary festival, featuring British authors who have written about or been […]
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23rd June 2016
Colombo, Sri Lanka
Colombo is reaching the end of a three week celebration of PRIDE activities. The events, largely coordinated by Equal Ground, included a Rainbow Bus Parade, a pop quiz, a Film Festival at the British Council and a kite festival – an appropriately diverse range of ways to draw attention to an important human right, the […]
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17th June 2016
Colombo, Sri Lanka
Last night, we hosted a very special event at the High Commissioner’s residence: a party to mark Her Majesty The Queen’s 90th birthday. Over 400 friends of the High Commission, from Sri Lanka, the Maldives and the UK, from Government to civil society to the private sector, gathered to toast the longest reigning monarch in […]
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