It is with deep sadness and shock that I received the news of Aruna Kulatunga’s dismissal from the Sri Lankan High Commission in the United Kingdom.

I feel it is my duty and obligation to convey my utter shock and disbelief, that a decision to terminate his services has occurred, more so speaking on behalf of a broad spectrum of people who are genuinely interested in safeguarding the image and future of Sri Lanka. I feel that the best course of action would be to reverse the decision taken by your Excellency’s government and reinstate Mr Kulatunga with immediate effect.

To put it plain and simply Mr Kulatunga is the best thing that happened to the Sri Lankan High Commission with regards to the public relations work he has done especially in countering the anti Sri Lankan propaganda that the LTTE has fed to the United Kingdom. Mr Kulatunga’s expertise lay not only in maintaining good relations with the foreign media but also with the Sri Lankan expatriate community.

Mr Kulatunga worked tirelessly to bring together various fragmented segments of the Sri Lankan expatriate community in the United Kingdom using his excellent skills of mediation and diplomacy. Mr Kulatunga has been an inspiration to the Sri Lankan youth in the UK. His selfless and tireless approach in negating anti LTTE propaganda has given us the cue to carry out similar work. He has given us the correct guidance we needed. Mr Kulatunga belonged to a rare new breed of Sri Lankan officials who was competent in using new and innovative technology and did not balk at the mere sight of a computer like his predecessors and he was able to use his knowledge to counteract LTTE propaganda. For a long time the Sri Lankan mission in the UK has never had a strong information officer to counteract the harmful propaganda levelled by the LTTE against Sri Lanka. This resulted in the Western World thinking that the Sinhalese were barbarians who resorted to violence. Mr Kulatunga has worked hard to negate this image and as a reader of many respected broad sheets I can say that during the last year or so I have not seen any articles derogatory to Sri Lanka appearing in the press here. I think that speaks volumes of Mr Kulatunga’s efficiency.

It is very pertinent to bear in mind that WE are the next generation of Sri Lankans in the United Kingdom who can be called upon at any time to do any thing against the LTTE especially in the sphere of counteracting LTTE propaganda at their meetings or on the Information Super Highway. It is people like Aruna Kulatunga that are desperately needed to help us in our efforts to destroy the LTTE, especially in the United Kingdom. The dismissal of Aruna Kulatunga may be a short term victory for those who propelled this unwise decision, more so it is a victory for the LTTE who now have no obstacle in their path.

For us honest, sincere and genuine people who have a real desire to see peace restored in Sri Lanka this is one giant leap backwards in this phase of anti LTTE work.

Your Excellency, there is a urgent need for us all, especially within the Sri Lankan expatriate community, to band together to fight the common enemy. Mr Kulatunga had this ability to integrate various groups to fight the LTTE.

I can only beg of you to please reconsider this decision and for the greater good of Sri Lanka please reinstate Aruna Kulatunga as councillor of Information so that he can continue to carry out the excellent work he has done and more so continue to be an inspiration and guiding figure in our quest to ban the LTTE in the United Kingdom. I would like to think, Madam President, that you are youthful and impartial in your thinking and therefore urge you to recognise the importance of having a person like Mr Kulatunga who has done a stirling job, please enable him to carry out his work which is for the benefit of Sri Lanka - our country!

Thanking you in anticipation of a favourable reply

Tina Edward - Gunawardhana