Breaching his own pledges to end nepotism in government President Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s Government recently delivered a bonanza of diplomatic posts to the sons, daughters and nephews of ministers and regime loyalists and in a shocking twist, the list includes the Dulmini Attanayake, the daughter of newly minted National Organizer of the main opposition SJB.
Dulmini Attanayake
Colombo Telegraph learns that Dulmini Indrachapa Attanayake has been appointed as the Third Secretary to the High Commission of Sri Lanka in Canberra, Australia. Dulmini Attanayake already resides in Melbourne Australia.
Dulmini Attanayake is one name among a list of political appointees to Sri Lanka’s embassies overseas recently approved by President Nandasena Rajapaksa. Every appointee is the son or daughter of SLPP politicians and regime loyalists.
Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunge’s daughter Pavitra Ranatunga who also resides in Adelaide Australia has been appointed Third Secretary to the Sri Lankan Consulate in Sydney.
Minister Bandula Gunawardane’s daughter Randula Gunewardane will soon leave for New York, as Third Secretary to the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the United Nations.
Former Rajapaksa critic Duminda Dissanayake’s brother Amila E Dissanayake has been appointed Third Secretary to the Sri Lankan Embassy in Paris.
Daughter of SLPP Loyalist Mohan Samaranayake and currently Director General, Presidential Media Subashini Samaranayake has been appointed Third Secretary to the Sri Lankan Embassy in Vienna.
Thulasi Samarasinghe, the nephew of former Navy Chief and Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Australia, Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe has been posted as Third Secretary to the Sri Lankan High Commission in Singapore.
But while family bandyism has been a hallmark of Rajapaksa Governments political analysts said the true shocker was the appointment of Tissa Attanayake’s offspring to a Embassy overseas under a SLPP presidency. Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa recently appointed a host of new office bearers to lead the SJB, giving Attanayake a plumb post as National Organizer.
Tissa Attanayake who crossed over to the Rajapaksa Government shortly before the 2015 January presidential election, was the UNP’s worst performing General Secretary. After former UNP Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa broke from the Grand Old Party to form his own Samagi Jana Balawegaya, Attanayake joined the party. After the parliamentary elections in August 2020, Attanayake was named as MP in the SJB National List.
Attanayake’s daughter Dulmini was previously posted – also to Canberra – after the 2018 coup attempt by former President Maithripala Sirisena. However strong opposition from the Finance Ministry to her appointment resulted in the posting being cancelled.
Tissa Attanayake has maintained long-standing ties to the Rajapaksa regime since 2013-2014. In 2014, Rukshan Jayasinghe former UNP MP Chandrani Bandara’s son was posted as a diplomat in the UAE. This diplomatic appointment was considered to have been a favour from the Rajapaksa Government to Tissa Attanayake for services rendered as a failing UNP General Secretary.
Attanayake also played a pivotal role in securing Maithripala Sirisena’s consent to be the common candidate from the opposition, shortly before decamping to the Rajapaksa Government before the election took place. He then claimed that there was a pact between Sirisena, UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and TNA Chief R. Sampanthan during the election campaign in a bid to help Mahinda Rajapaksa score points with the nationalist base. The signatures on the document were later found to be forgeries and resulted in Attanayake being arrested and remanded. The charges were eventually dropped.
Back now as SJB National Organizer, the favour granted to Attanayake’s daughter provides the strongest evidence yet of an existing Fifth Column within the Sajith Premadasa led opposition party. The tactic has been regularly used by the Rajapaksa Government when it is in power, in a bid to divide and conquer opposition parties. Several UNP MPs in opposition during Mahinda Rajapaksa’s presidency were long suspected to be moles reporting the inside workings of the opposition party to the ruling regime. Several such MPs were well compensated by the Rajapaksa regime at the time, with similar diplomatic postings.
The appointment has sparked alarm in opposition circles, with officials and politicians wondering how other opposition party MPs might be wooed by the Rajapaksas and how internal matters and discussions could be compromised by this type of infiltration into Premadasa’s inner circle. (By Nimal Ratnaweera)
Rajash / January 28, 2021
The manager of the cricket team to tour Wet Indies is also a form thee Rajapaksa family. Rohitha’s father in law!
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leelagemalli / January 28, 2021
We rememeber how they appointed any low lives to diplomatic positions during JUNTA Regime 1 (from 2005 to 2015)- ANYWAYS, these young ladies bring the qualifications as required, I am not against them being posted to such positions.
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1)Pinguthatrya Jaliya Wickramasooriya s best qualification was to be a tea taster apart from that b+++ son share some similiaries with Mahinda Rajaakshe s genome. JW became a laughing stock to the world not being properly able to represent srilanken in the US. Remember ? In the end he was caught by being a fraud made on few lacks of dollars from a grant given to srilanka. Having all these being known facts, Meeharaka led srilanken paved the way Rajakashes to return and ruin this country.
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2)Udayanga Pattapal hora known to entire world became Ukraine s ambassador even if we have enough good diplomats to represent the country, just becasue Mahinda Rajaakshe prefered his relatives being apointed to such positions
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3) I have no doubt, DHAMMIKA paniya maker an uneducated man from Kegalle will be the next post to any other country – selection committee be handled by STUPID Rajapskehs.
This happens, uneducated men become the leaders of the country.
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This we warned out PUNNAKKU eating majority srilankens. Today what we can say is good riddance.
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Buddhist1 / January 28, 2021
What about Keheliya Rambukwella’s daughter?
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Mallaiyuran / January 28, 2021
Didn’t Hakeem and Rishard voted for 20A while all bodies of Muslims were being cremated? Atha consented his girl to work in the embassy only because, if he he doesn’t he would be investigated again for his signature forging of Sampanthar Ayya and Ranil.
(SJB itself is a fifth column. -Ask Thero de Silva, Hakeem, Rishard and other Tamil & Singalese who voted for 20A, the explanation on why SJB is a camp of 5th columns. Atha is a 5th column within that. Does that means 5 x 5 =, he is a certified 25th column.)
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chiv / January 28, 2021
According to Sircular she is highly qualified , hand picked and good enough to represent Lankans like Evil Eye , as diplomat. Congratulations.
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Sinhala_Man / January 30, 2021
Oh, according to “Sircular”!
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Circular is normally spelt differently.
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Oh, dumb me. You spell it like that because Gota has to be called “Sir”, and when he came into the village below Haputale (in the Haldummulla P.S.) he said that his word is the equivalent of a “Circular” meant to guide government servants.
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leelagemalli / January 30, 2021
SM,
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yes, it has gone viral as ” “Sircular”! today.
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Rajash / January 28, 2021
“in a shocking twist, the list includes the Dulmini Attanayake, the daughter of newly minted National Organizer of the main opposition SJB.”
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Attanayake defended her daughter’s appointment saying that “nothing new about it” and current government has continued what she was offered by the Yahapalanaya government.
http://newscenter.lk/2021/01/28/tissa-attanayake-says-his-daughter-was-appointed-to-a-diplomatic-post-by-previous-government.html
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Mallaiyuran / January 29, 2021
He is a filthy liar. He will say anything for a penny. There are news that indicate he may knock off the cart. It may mean with a State Minister, Home Minister or even with a Toilet Minister at the Royal Palace.
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SJ / January 29, 2021
Yet another example of Sajith’s political judgment.
Not half as bad as earlier ones though.
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chiv / January 29, 2021
Tissa, Dayasiri, wijedasa . R have mastered the art of exploiting even adversities.
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Rumble 2021 / January 29, 2021
So join the mainstream National parties away from the ghetto makeup all set to go…all be rewarded too??
Since you all reside around the world and the 20A allows duals Nationals to serve the GOSL means ditch the gehtto parties and join the national parties and be in a position to contribute to Nation building and you all get the opportunity to contribute to your communities in a way it was never possible before??
what you folks think??
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Ashan / January 29, 2021
The stink of nepotism prevails once again over our island. So much like a tinpot dictatorship. Looks like the sons’ many in laws are also now in the game. Everyone scratching each other’s backsides, and enjoying the Rajapaksa dictatorship.
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deepthi silva / January 29, 2021
Nothing surprising , remember how Ranil protected the Rajapakses , including Gota’s son. Now Rajapakses are protecting the fraud Ranil.
The middle classes thought Ranil was standing for better values , was a good leader..
The question is does our middle cless have meaning, do they qualify ? When we examine their broad opinions, emotions and even abilities it looks like just a reflection of the common masses but only difference is they travel in cars and wear ties.
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Ashan / January 29, 2021
It is because of Ranil’s weakness and selfishness, this country has once again been cursed with the Rajapaksa’s.
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Jack / January 29, 2021
Tissa Attnayake now has obligation to Gota and make an underhand deal to defeat opposition in next election. You wonder weather other in SJB including Sajith are part of this deal. SJB should give public statement with regard to these political appointment causing waste of public money.
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Thiha / January 29, 2021
The entire SJB is a fifth column with a few confused imbeciles who decided to dump the UNP to spite Ranil and ended up neither here nor there. Tissa is and was a snake and a traitor.
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Pandi Kutti / January 29, 2021
Why no Thamizh only Chingkallams appointed exclusively everywhere
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Burt / January 29, 2021
Nice pic looks really professional and like a diplomat. LOL
On a serious note is she qualified for the job?
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Rumble 2021 / January 31, 2021
Is this photo of the young lady turning unto work??
One has to be fair?? we all have daughters/sisters/nieces with photos like this and imagine someone write about them like this?? what relevance the photo has to do with the content??
is this what we have become?? as people or all this being generated by artificial intelligence the new way to fabricate stories?? then comment to compound the same message in the writeup?? beginning to sound like Bollywood stuff to me?
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Ajay / January 29, 2021
This is Viyath Maga, Nandasena style. Anyway we shouldn’t be harsh on the girls. They deserve a break from their terrible fathers. It was interesting to learn Mohan Samaranayake is the Director General of Presidential Media and has managed to wangle the Vienna posting for his daughter. I’m sure he wouldn’t want her to take his anti-western conspiracy theories seriously while carrying out her duties. Meanwhile the more powerful anti-western poser Bandula Gunawardena gets the plum New York position for his daughter. Sir is definitely not a failure when it comes to treating his loyal servants.
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kali / January 29, 2021
Gotha is a born racist and actions speak louder than words and this is nothing compared to some of his other acts. . He demonstrated that Tamil Lives dont matter when he pardoned Mirisuvil Killers and no one of any prominence in Sri Lanka raised a voice. Gotha is now paying the price. He has washed Sri Lankas sovereignty down the Kelani River to India. Kamala Harris is at the helm in America and he has turned out to be a liablity and even his hard core racist supporters will ditch him at the next election.
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Plato / January 29, 2021
The overseas career diplomatic service might as well be disbanded. Poor chaps,their slots have been filled with friends and relatives of those who run govt: !
Could we blame young Sajith? Tissa will go through his nose and come out through his ear without Sajith knowing a damned thing!
As long as Tissa Attanayake remains as the National Organiser of the SJB, its plain sailing for Rajapakse kith and kin.
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chiv / January 30, 2021
Who is left from diplomatic positions??? Let me think oh? The plumber and the house maid. Vistas of splendor.
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siri / January 30, 2021
This must be to provide equal opportunity? What about unemployed graduates? Three Wheel drivers who cant find better employment? Any competetive exms to be selected to foreign service? This seems a minor example of how privilege worls and constructed by so called democracy!
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Shrikharan / January 30, 2021
Gota had correctly identified Tissa Attanayake as a person who can be easily bought over. He is now obliged to Gota and he will be used to destroy Sajith’s party. Sajith must know he is another Sirisena who in 2015 jumped sides from UNP to support Mahinda Rajapakse. He will now be a spy within the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB). That is the beginning of the end of SJB.
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Fahim Knight / January 30, 2021
Hello out there !
What is the fuss ?
What did Yahapalana do ?
samething, even worst stuff.
The past staff of gosls of Yahapalana
abused power to the max.
What is good for the goose is good for the gander.
What is laughable is what we call sumun bukmun in arabic deaf and blind .
Are they ? The New opp party ?
You need to understand you can not uproot certain political culture overnight .
I as a loyal citizen of Sri Lanka and not as a loyalist of any politician or political party or Political Islam , praise be to God , as I am not obligated to any of them, what matters to me is justice if am being wronged, security not just from racists ,bigots and extremists from other races and religions alone ,but very much also.those who confess the same faith of Islam as I do, but because I refuse to accept Orthodocxy politicalized Islam , I stand against the destruction of the enviorment by illegal means, smuggling ,etc
I should be able to take legal action against those who intimidate me for f against my freedom.of convictions,
Also to have access to equal economic opportunities.
The rest is all politics , including socalled racism and religion.
Not my business and honestly believe none of common man”s business.
politics is politricks.
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Saman DS / February 1, 2021
I read somewhere that Tissa Attanayake has said that this is an appointment done during the previous govt. What he says is a blatant lie. When Marapana presented the cabinet paper for her appointment then Cabinet vehemently objected to it thus it was rejected at that cabinet meeting. This is a completely new appointment done by GR. When GR came to office he got the sole power of making all appointments to SL Embassies under himself by a cabinet paper dated 18/02/2020. Previously this power was with the Cabinet. So, this is a gift given by this govt to Attanayake for whatever job he is doing for them.
Await the next batch of appointments which will include not just SLPP but Viyathmaga offspring as well for even bigger positions in Embassies.
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