17th May 2016 Colombo, Sri Lanka
“It’s Mental Health Awareness week this week, and we’ve taken the opportunity to reflect on a recent mental health consular case the team has been supporting. A few weeks ago, a British National came for a holiday of a lifetime to the Maldives. This person had a pre-existing mental health condition, but did not inform […]
3rd May 2016 Colombo, Sri Lanka
Today is World Press Freedom Day. So it was appropriate that I spent Saturday evening at the Sri Lanka Inquirer awards ceremony, an event celebrating the culmination of British High Commission funded training and some of the best recent investigative journalism in Sri Lanka and Maldives. There is no freedom so worth defending as Freedom of […]
14th April 2016 Colombo, Sri Lanka
Congratulations to our two Sri Lankan Chevening CRISP fellows for 2016, Gayani Abeyasinghe and Balathasan Sayanthan, who are about to start their three month programme at the Saïd Business School in Oxford. This is the second year that Sri Lanka has been part of CRISP, a fellowship aimed at mid-career professionals from India and Sri […]
Read more on CRISP : gathering the innovators of tomorrow | Reply
4th April 2016 Colombo, Sri Lanka
Since 2010, the British Government has spent over £5 million on de-mining in Sri Lanka. Anyone wondering why humanitarian demining agencies are still working here years after the end of the war need look no further than the achievements of UK funded deminers in just two months this year. During February and March, the men […]
Read more on Clearing the way home: a blog for International Mine Action Day | Reply (1)
24th March 2016 Colombo, Sri Lanka
Last week, I awarded the prizes at Sri Lanka’s Young Speaker 2016 competition. This is a testing event, in which young people have to make two short speeches, one prepared, and one on a topic given to them just two minutes before they take to the stage. It’s organised by the British School in Colombo […]
Read more on Fashion, furlongs and fundamental rights | Reply
4th February 2016 Colombo, Sri Lanka
Earlier this week in Colombo, we gathered together a group of civil society and human rights organisations. For different reasons, Sri Lanka and Maldives are priorities for human rights for the UK. That gives the High Commission access to the Magna Carta Fund, a strategic programme fund dedicated to tackling the root causes of human […]
21st January 2016 Colombo, Sri Lanka
There are 700 named varieties of British cheese. On Monday night, at the High Commissioner’s Residence, we tasted four of these: a blue Stilton and a mature cheddar, two of the most famous British cheeses, as well as a Red Leicester and a white Stilton with mango and ginger. Cheddar is probably the most consumed […]
17th December 2015 Colombo, Sri Lanka
Last week, I marched from Vihara Maha Devi Park to Independence Square behind a 0% Tolerance for Corruption banner. The march was organised by the Sri Lankan Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery and Corruption, enlivened by military marching bands and hairy black corruption devils, and sponsored by a range of local and international organisations, […]
13th November 2015 Colombo, Sri Lanka
On 8 November, we gathered at the Liveramentu War Graves in the Torrington Road cemetery for the annual reflection on sacrifice and the horrors of war that is Remembrance Sunday. The Act of Remembrance was as moving as ever. Bright Sri Lankan sunshine reflected off the rows of white headstones. Veterans, children, diplomats and serving […]
10th November 2015 Colombo, Sri Lanka
James Bond’s latest adventure, SPECTRE, launched in Sri Lanka last week. To celebrate, we held a glittering party at the High Commissioner’s residence, in Colombo 007. Guests came from Sri Lanka’s creative arts scene, business and Government to admire the best of British talent. Beautiful cars driven at high speed around extraordinary locations are an […]