“The Ministry regrets the manner in which the said article seeks to present an absolutely erroneous position to the readership, regarding the institution’s functioning and certain of its officials. “The references and accusations against the Ministry and its officials are totally baseless, and it is evident that the article is an exercise of vilification and defamation. False accusations levelled against public officials in the mass media are unjustified, since they are not at liberty to personally respond in their defence.
“It may be noted that no decision has been made to change the posts of officials of the Ministry as referred to in the article and there is no attempt or concerted policy being followed by the Ministry to discriminate against any official serving in Colombo or Missions abroad. No official serving in the Ministry or in a Mission abroad will be transferred without a valid reason.
“The Ministry of External Affairs therefore categorically rejects all allegations against the institution and the officials contained in the said article. The author’s opinion as expressed in the article under reference is flawed as it is based on misinformation.”
Source: Daily Mirror 23.04.2012