Canada Rejects the ‘Génocidaire’ as Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner for the country As Canada rejected the appointment of former Air Force Commander Sumanagala Dias as Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner for Canada due to protest logged by the Tamil Canadians and parliamentarians alike calling to reject the ‘Génocidaire’, he is now appointed as Ambassador in Italy.
Dias will now take up the role of Ambassador in Italy and will head to Rome. The former Air Force Commander was appointed as Senior Air Coordinator during the final stages of the armed conflict, coordinating SLAF operations with the ground operations of the 57,58 and 59 Divisions of the Sri Lankan Army, which have been credibly accused of war crimes. Dias was appointed as Base Commander at SLAF Hingurakoda Base, Sri Lanka in 2005, from which many indiscriminate bombing missions against civilian targets originated.
The announcement last year in November to appoint him as Sri Lanka’s high commissioner to Canada was met with strong protest from Canadians and parliamentarians.
