| High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to the United Kingdom | |
|---|---|
 Emblem of Sri Lanka | |
| Incumbent Saroja Sirisena since 2 March 2020 | |
| Ministry of Foreign Affairs | |
| Reports to | Minister of Foreign Affairs |
| Seat | Sri Lankan High Commission, 13 Hyde Park Gardens, London, United Kingdom |
| Nominator | The President of Sri Lanka |
| Term length | No fixed term |
| Inaugural holder | Sir Claude Corea (As Representative of the Government of Ceylon) |
| Formation | 1946; 78 years ago (1946) |
| Website | srilankahc |
The Sri Lankan High Commissioner to the United Kingdom is the Sri Lankan envoy to United Kingdom. Countries belonging to the Commonwealth of Nations typically exchange High Commissioners, rather than Ambassadors. Though there are a few technical differences (for instance, whereas Ambassadors present their diplomatic credentials to the host country's head of state, High Commissioners are accredited to the head of government), they are in practice one and the same office. The Sri Lankan High Commissioner to the United Kingdom is concurrently accredited as the Ambassador to the Republic of Ireland. The current post of High Commissioner is occupied by Saroja Sirisena.
List of High Commissioners
Representatives of the Government of Ceylon
| Representative | Start of Term | End of Term |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Corea | 1946 | 1948 |
High Commissioners
| High Commissioner | Start of Term | End of Term |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Corea | 1948 | 1949 |
| Sir Oliver Goonetilleke | 1949 | 1952 |
| Sir Edwin Wijeyeratne | 1952 | 1954 |
| Sir Claude Corea | February 1954 | December 1957 |
| Gunasena de Soyza, CMG, OBE | December 1957 | October 1958 |
| P. R. Gunasekera | October 1958 | February 1960 |
| Gunasena de Soyza, CMG, OBE | February 1960 | October 1961 |
| Sir Senerat Gunewardene, KBE | October 1961 | June 1963 |
| Professor Gunapala Malalasekera, OBE | June 1963 | February 1967 |
| Sir Lalitha Rajapakse, QC | February 1967 | October 1969 |
| M. V. P. Peiris, OBE | October 1969 | December 1970 |
| Tilak Goonaratne | December 1970 | 1975 - Last High Commissioner from the Dominion of Ceylon (1970-72), and the first High Commissioner from Sri Lanka (1972-75). |
| Vernon Mendis | 1975 | 1977 |
| Noel Wimalasena | 1977 | January 1981 |
| A. T. Moorthy | January 1981 | May 1984 |
| Chandra Monerawela | May 1984 | March 1990 |
| General Sepala Attygalle, LVO | 1990 | August 1993 |
| General Cyril Ranatunge | August 1993 | February 1995 |
| S. K. Wickremasinghe | February 1995 | January 1999 |
| Dr. Lal Jayawardena | January 1999 | July 2000 |
| Mangala Moonesinghe | July 2000 | April 2002 |
| Faiz Mustapha, PC | April 2002 | February 2005 |
| Kshenuka Senewiratne | February 2005 | May 2008 |
| Justice Nihal Jayasinghe | May 2008 | 31 December 2010 |
| Dr Chris Nonis | 1 September 2011 | 20 October 2014 |
| Sugeeshwara Gunaratna (Acting) |
21 October 2014 | 14 November 2016 |
| Amari Mandika Wijewardane | 15 November 2016 | 1 April 2018 |
| Sugeeshwara Gunaratna (Acting) | 1 April 2018 | 20 February 2019 |
| Manisha Gunasekara | 20 February 2019 | 31 January 2020 |
| Saroja Sirisena | 02 March 2020 | |
| Rohitha Bogollagama | 19 November 2023 |
Deputy High Commissioners
- Sir Velupillai Coomaraswamy, CMG (1948-1953)
- Theodore Duncan Perera, CMG (1953-1956)
- B. F. Perera, CMG, OBE (1956-1958)
See also
References
- "Dr. Chris Nonis assumes office as new Sri Lankan envoy to UK". ft.lk. Daily Financial Times. 5 September 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
- "Dr. Chris Nonis Resigns As SL High Commissioner In UK". asianmirror.lk. Asian Mirror. 30 September 2014. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
- "Swire holds talks with Lanka's acting envoy to UK". colombogazette.com. Colombo Gazette. 8 January 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
- "Sri Lankan HC to UK presents credentials to Queen Elizabeth II". Government of Sri Lanka. news.lk. 17 November 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
- "SL's excellence in preserving mangroves to be felicitated at CHOGM". Retrieved 2018-05-01.
- "Queen Elizabeth receives new SL envoy to UK". Retrieved 2019-02-22.
