Britain’s High Commissioner to Sri Lanka met with Shavendra Silva, the war crimes accused head of the Sri Lankan military, as the two discussed the island’s coronavirus outbreak measures.
Sarah Hulton met with Silva at the Sri Lankan army’s headquarters last week, as the military continues to lead Colombo’s response to the outbreak.
Silva is currently barred from entering the United States over his involvement in mass atrocities. Before being appointed to the head of Sri Lanka’s army, Silva oversaw a military division that was involved in shelling hospitals and executing surrendering Tamils, in an offensive that killed tens of thousands of Tamils in 2009.
An official Sri Lankan military website said Hulton “inquired into the needs of health authorities, pharmaceuticals, medical accessories, etc in Sri Lanka and highlighted the importance of facing this global threat while exchanging each other’s medical expertise, experience and therapeutic measures”.