Raghavan’s conduct rocks Foreign Ministry
The Foreign Ministry’s high officials stood aghast at the remarks made by Northern Province Governor Suren Raghavan, who was a member of the Sri Lanka delegation to the UN Human Rights Council’s sessions in Geneva.
Upon his r e t u r n, Mr Raghavan who was only a member, held his news conference to declare that the UN Human Rights High Commissioner had admitted to errors in the report she presented to the Council. He said that during a meeting with the delegation, she had, in fact, pulled up two officials for the errors.
The first disenchantment for the Foreign Ministry came when they learnt of the Northern Governor’s remarks. A senior Foreign Ministry official said if indeed there were any comments on the meeting, it should have been made by the delegation or the Foreign Ministry. They pointed out that Mr Raghavan was only a member.
More was to come. UN Human Rights High Commissioner Michelle Bachelot, in an official statement, denied the remarks made by Mr Raghavan and described them as a “spin.”
What did Mr Raghavan do? This time, he claimed he was misquoted by the media and heaped praise on High Commissioner Bachelot and the work she is doing. Does that mean he is now endorsing her report? So, it seems, at least for the veterans in the Foreign Ministry. A little knowledge, they say, is a dangerous thing. More so when fake stories are spread to gain exposure and later blame it on the media when they misfire.