§ Mr. Michael MorrisTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the expulsion by the Sri Lankan Government of Mr. David Gladstone, British high commissioner in Colombo.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydWe believe that Sri Lankan action to be wholly unjustified. During four years in Colombo Mr. Galdstone has assiduously carried out Her Majesty's Government's policies, including effectively representing our concerns over Sri Lanka's unsatisfactory human rights record. It appears that his expulsion was motivated by a desire to stifle these criticisms.
Our immediate response has been to cancel high-level visits, including one I had planned for this month. We are also reviewing other aspects of our relationship.
We intend to move quickly to nominate a successor to Mr. Gladstone as high commissioner in Colombo.