Sri Lankan High Commissioner in Kenya Veluppillai Kananathan has sent a letter of demand to Hirunika Premachandra contesting her recent slanderous and baseless statement against him in a press conference on the 15th of April, 2022.
Mr. Kananathan has claimed LKR 500 million as damages.
According to the letter of demand, Hirunika Premachandra had said that Kananathan was the owner of the jet bearing number T7JSH on which Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa visited Tirupathi last year. Further, she said, that Kananthan was a member of the LTTE and he was the owner of ‘Ceylon Cafe’ in Uganda. Hirunika also said that the gold confiscated from the LTTE was in Kananathan’s possession. Kananathan claimed that these allegations were baseless, fabricated and nothing but an act of character assassination for her cheap political gain and ulterior motives.
The letter of demand stated that Ambassador Kananathan is an entrepreneur in Uganda and many African countries who has been a longtime resident in Uganda since 1987 with sound corporate, political and social repute to his credit. Sri Lanka chose to appoint Kananathan as Honorary Consul for Sri Lanka in Uganda for his enterprising status, corporate credentials and the political influence he had enjoyed with the Ugandan and many African countries. Impressed by Kananathan’s performance as Honorary Consul to promote Sri Lanka in Uganda, he was appointed, as the first High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to Uganda. As High Commissioner, Kananathan was able to increase the presence of Sri Lankan companies making them a dominant force in the multi-million mini-hydropower generation sub-sector, especially in Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda. Proceeds of these investments were contributed to the foreign exchange income of Sri Lanka.
Ambassador Kananathan has been unnecessarily slandered based on false and unsubstantiated information for petty political motives. The letter of demand stated
