Opposition accuses govt. over US diplomat incident

COLOMBO (News1st): Opposition parties continued to criticize the government for failing to take action over the US diplomat who had refused a PCR test for COVID 19, that is mandatory upon arriving in the country. "Our leaders don't have the backbone to summon the Ambassador and deport the US diplomat for breaching both local and international laws," K. D. Lalkantha, a National People's Power candidate told reporters. He pointed out that the late Ranasinghe Premadasa during his presidency had expelled UK diplomat David Gladstone in 1991, for interfering into the country's election at that time. "That protects the dignity of the country," he remarked. The candidate said that the government has submitted itself to the US Ambassador by not taking action against the US diplomat, and by attacking Sri Lankan protestors who opposed US imperialism. Dayasiri Jayasekara, the general secretary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, also stressed that action must be taken against the US diplomat. "Do not forget that it was a person who came from the country which has recorded the highest number of coronavirus infections, who had refused the test," Jayasekara noted. Meanwhile, Udaya Gammanpila, a parliamentary election candidate of the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna has said that the incident had taught that Sri Lanka must think plenty of times before welcoming US citizens. "If the opposition had signed the MCC, and the SOFA agreement, thousands of US citizens would have arrived in this manner," Gammanpila pointed out.