Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena, who had attended three conferences in Geneva recently, is to address a letter through the Ministry of External Affairs, to inquire why the Swiss Government had provided him a special bullet-proof vehicle and exclusive security, during his stay in Switzerland.
Responding to queries in this regard, he said he is attending to official matters in Polonnaruwa, and would on his return to Colombo, write through the Ministry of External Affairs to the Swiss Government, to know why he had been provided with certain privileges in Geneva.
The minister explained that when he had inquired from State officials in Switzerland as to why he had been provided with special security, they had replied those were ‘orders from the top.’
He added when the war with the LTTE was raging and a bomb targeting him was set to explode in Sri Lanka, he had attended a conference in Geneva. He had no special security at the time. Now that it is four years since the war was successfully concluded, being provided with special security is cause for concern and needs to be verified, he declared. (RS)
by Rashini Mendis
CT