President Anura Kumara Dissanayake met visiting United Kingdom Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy at the Presidential Secretariat this morning, the President’s Media Division said.

During the meeting, President Dissanayake welcomed the Deputy Prime Minister’s visit and expressed appreciation for the United Kingdom’s support, particularly during Sri Lanka’s engagement with the International Monetary Fund, the debt restructuring process and the removal of tariffs previously imposed on Sri Lankan apparel exports.

Deputy Prime Minister Lammy welcomed Sri Lanka’s recent economic progress and commended the government’s new economic measures, including improvements in revenue collection. He said the United Kingdom looks forward to supporting Sri Lanka’s efforts to advance its transition to green energy.

He also expressed regret over the hardship caused by Cyclone Ditwah and conveyed confidence that Sri Lanka would recover swiftly from the impact. (Newswire)

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Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom David Lammy is scheduled to arrive in Sri Lanka tomorrow ( February 17) for a brief official visit.

During the visit, he is expected to meet with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya and Foreign Affairs Minister Vijitha Herath.

Lammy is also due to sign an agreement supporting the Global Charter on Children’s Care Reform and attend a related event at the United Nations office in Colombo.

The charter calls on governments to strengthen child protection systems, support families and inclusive services, and end violence and harmful practices affecting children.

He is expected to depart Sri Lanka tomorrow evening after completing his engagements. (Newswire)

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UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy has voiced concerns over the recently discovered mass grave in Chemmani, stating that he had “raised this with the Sri Lankan government directly.”

He made these comments in an exchange with British MP Uma Kumaran before the Foreign Affairs Committee. Kumaran welcomed the UK’s recent sanctions against Sri Lankan military officials implicated in serious human rights violations, but underscored the “horrific discovery” at Chemmani as a stark reminder of the country’s enduring legacy of violence.

“I’ve got very grave concerns in relation to the mass grave that has recently been discovered at Chemmani. Yes, we have raised it with the Sri Lankan government directly; we did that last month. Yes, we are in close touch with families of those who disappeared across the country, and we’re working with NGOs and others to make sure their voices are heard,” Lammy said. 

“I am happy to look at whether there is technical expertise that we can bring to support those looking at the mass grave issue, understanding that there are capacity issues within the country,” he added.

MP Kumaran also asked whether the UK government would support the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights’ recommendation to refer alleged perpetrators of atrocities in Sri Lanka to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Foreign Secretary Lammy responded that Sri Lanka is not a party to the ICC, noting, “The Court wouldn’t have jurisdiction to investigate any crimes that might be committed. That is the difficulty in what you recommend.” (Newswire)

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