by Robbie Bulloch |
May 3, 2013 | Reply
Today marks the 20th anniversary of World Press Freedom Day. The day was established to celebrate freedom of the press and to remind governments of their duty to uphold freedom of expression enshrined under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Freedom of the press is fundamental to any healthy democracy but throughout the world many journalists live in fear of reprisals because of their work and serious attacks against them … Read more »Free Expression – the fundamentals of civilisation
by Robbie Bulloch |
April 2, 2013 | 12 comments
A few weeks ago a British man was refused entry to Sri Lanka because he had a large visible tattoo of Buddha on his arm. Sri Lankan immigration officials took the view that it would cause offence and concluded that he should not enter the country. Initial reports suggested that the visitor had also voiced disrespect towards Buddhism although the man later declared that he was himself a Buddhist and … Read more »The Man with the Buddha Tattoo
by Robbie Bulloch |
March 13, 2013 | 20 comments
On Monday I took part in a ceremony to round off a two-day workshop for youth leaders across Sri Lanka. The event, held at the National Youth Services Council in Maharagama, was run to coincide with Commonwealth Day, which is celebrated across the globe in March each year. During the event participants learned about the Commonwealth and its values as well as its extensive Youth Programme. They also discussed this year’s … Read more »The future of the Commonwealth
by Robbie Bulloch |
January 15, 2013 | 5 comments
Like many I was saddened by the execution of the Sri Lankan housemaid Rizana Nafeek in Saudia Arabia last week. The UK had been actively supporting calls for clemency, not least because there is evidence to suggest that Rizana was a minor at the time of the alleged murder she committed (UK statement on execution). The UK and fellow EU Member States are strong advocates for abolition of the death penalty (which is … Read more »Of Justice and Forgiveness
by Robbie Bulloch |
December 17, 2012 | 7 comments
As I settle in to enjoy the holidays with my family back in London I can’t help but reflect on the tragic death of Khuram Shaikh who was killed in Sri Lanka on 25 December last year. I was in Colombo at the time and received a phone call early on Christmas morning to inform me of the devastating news: Mr Shaikh, a British national, had been attacked and killed by … Read more »One year on: remembering Khuram Shaikh
by Robbie Bulloch |
November 23, 2012 | 16 comments
The morning sun cast gentle shadows across neat rows of headstones as we visited the beautifully tended Commonwealth War cemetery in Trincomalee. It was a devastatingly peaceful tribute to those soldiers who gave their lives in support of freedom during the Second World War. This formed part of a three day visit colleagues and I made to the North and East of Sri Lanka earlier this week. Trincomalee (or Trinco for short) … Read more »Lest we forget the horrors of war
by Robbie Bulloch |
November 1, 2012 | Reply
Yesterday was a sad day. Although we’ve known about it for some time, we had to bid farewell to some close colleagues who between them have served at the High Commission for more than 30 years. This is because from today all processing of visa applications made in Colombo will be done in Chennai. In business terms this makes sense since 90% of our visa processing has been done in … Read more »A farewell to friends
by Robbie Bulloch |
October 11, 2012 | 2 comments
Earlier this week I took part in a ceremony to award an honour to Michael Meyler (MBE) for his work in promoting English language learning in Sri Lanka. Michael is one of just a handful of individuals resident in Sri Lanka to have received such an honour, which was awarded to him as part the Queen’s Birthday honours this year. Michael’s achievements are significant and include the publication of “A … Read more »Language Matters
by Robbie Bulloch |
October 5, 2012 | Reply
Ow! My ears are still ringing with the noise of trumpets and cheering. Owzat! I was lucky not to lose an eye from all that vigorous flag waving. Yesterday I survived seven hours in the Premadasa stadium in Colombo watching the Twenty:20 cricket semi finals. I arrived in time to catch the unbeaten England ladies cruise to a seemingly effortless victory against New Zealand who had only managed 93 off … Read more »Cricket and Diplomacy
by Robbie Bulloch |
October 2, 2012 | Reply
Having missed a fantastic Olympics in my home town this summer, I feel partly compensated to be in Sri Lanka for the 20:20 Cricket World Cup which is now in full swing. This extraordinary game – unintelligible to most of the inhabited world – unites a disparate group of cricket-mad nations as one of the more curious and positive legacies of Britain’s colonial past. T20 is a faster and high … Read more »Cricket and the Commonwealth