The Sri Lanka Overseas Service (SLOS) ( Sinhala: ශ්‍රී ලංකා විදේශ සේවය; śrī laṁkā vidēśa sēvaya) which is most commonly referred to as the ''Sri Lanka Foreign Service'' is the foreign service of

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. It is the body of career diplomats of Sri Lanka. The

Permanent Secretary A permanent secretary (also known as a principal secretary) is the most senior civil servant of a department or ministry charged with running the department or ministry's day-to-day activities. Permanent secretaries are the non-political civil ...

of the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The enti ...

is also the head of the foreign service.

History

Established on 1 October 1949 after the independence of Ceylon in 1948 as the Ceylon Overseas Service with the recruitment of its first batch of cadets. The service was dealt with foreign affairs, as opposed to the older

Ceylon Civil Service The Ceylon Civil Service, popularly known by its acronym CCS, was the premier civil service of the Government of Ceylon under British colonial rule and in the immediate post-independence period. Established in 1833, it functioned as part of the ...

, which dealt with domestic affairs. Following Sri Lanka becoming a republic in 1972 the service changed its name to Sri Lanka Overseas Service.

Selection and training

Members to the foreign service are selected every few years after an exam carried out by the Department of Examinations. The select recruits undergo training at the Bandaranaike International Diplomatic Training Institute and the Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration

Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

* Ms Aruni Wijewardane (May 2022 - to date

* Mr Ravinatha Aryasinha (31 Oct 2018 - 14 August 2020

* Mr Prasad_Kariyawasam (16 Aug 2017 - ) * Mr Esala Weerakoon (1 Aug 2016 -

* Ms Chitranganee Wagiswara (19 Jan 2015 -

* Ms Kshenuka Senewiratne (Jan 2014 -

Positions

At the

* Permanent Secretary, Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Appointed by the

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

) * Additional Secretary (Appointed by the Public Service Commission) * Director General (Grade I) * Director (Grade II/Grade III) * Deputy Director (Grade III) * Assistant Secretary (Grade III - entry level) *At a

Diplomatic mission A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually den ...

: *

Ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or s ...

// High Commissioner / Permanent Representative in UN (PRUN) (Grade I) *Deputy Chief of Mission/Deputy High Commissioner (Grade II) * Minister (Grade II) * Minister-counselor (Grade II) *Counselor (Grade II) *First Secretary (Grade III) *Second Secretary (Grade III -conformation of service) *Third Secretary (Grade III - entry level, probation) *At a

consulate A consulate is the office of a consul. A type of diplomatic mission, it is usually subordinate to the state's main representation in the capital of that foreign country (host state), usually an embassy (or, only between two Commonwealth co ...

: * Consul General (Grade II) *

Consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throu ...

(Grade III) * Vice Consul (Grade III)

Criticism

The Sri Lanka Foreign Service has been underutilized by the politicization of the Service, with appointments from outside the Service to Sri Lanka Missions abroad becoming the norm. This has resulted in the degradation of the implementation of the foreign policy of Sri Lanka. Allegations of fraud and misuse of public money has also been levelled at some of those who have been appointed. Due to the sporadic recruitment to the Sri Lanka Foreign Service, other Public Sector officers are also appointed to diplomatic posts, with several attempts made in the past to amalgamate the Sri Lanka Foreign Service with the Sri Lanka Administrative Service.

Former notable members of the SLOS

Asoka Girihagama Asoka Girihagama is the current Sri Lankan Ambassador to Canada. Prior to the appointment he was the Ambassador to Oman and a Director General for the Sri Lanka Overseas Service The Sri Lanka Overseas Service (SLOS) ( Sinhala: ශ්‍රී � ...

Vernon Mendis Deshamanya Dr Vernon Loraine Benjamin Mendis (5 December 1925 – 23 June 2010) was a prominent Sri Lankan diplomat, who served as the United Nations' Special Envoy to the Middle East. He is referred to as the ''Sri Lanka's Father of Diplomacy ...

Bernard Tilakaratna Bernard Tilakaratna, SLOS (1927–2004) was a senior diplomat and bureaucrat of the Sri Lankan government. He was an ambassador to many countries and prior to retirement was the permanent secretary to Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Early life He w ...

Wilhelm Woutersz Thelmuth Harris Wilhelm Woutersz (19 July 1939 - 16 November 2003) was a prominent Sri Lankan diplomat and civil servant, who served as the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka. He had served as Sri Lankan Ambass ...

* H. M. G. S. Palihakkara *

Jayantha Dhanapala Jayantha Dhanapala ( si, ජයන්ත ධනපාල; born 30 December 1938) is a Sri Lankan diplomat who serves as member of the Board of Sponsors of ''The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists'' and was a governing board member of the Stockho ...

* Susantha De Alwis * Yogendra Duraiswamy

References

External links

Ministry of External Affairs
{{Foreign relations of Sri Lanka Government of Sri Lanka Foreign relations of Sri Lanka * Overseas Service Diplomatic services