US Embassy official refuses Airport PCR test but allowed to enter SL

COLOMBO (News 1st): Foreign officials must respect the laws and regulations of the receiving state follow, a former Sri Lankan diplomat has urged after a US embassy official refused a PCR test for the coronavirus upon arrival to the country stating Vienna diplomatic convention. An official attached to the US embassy in Colombo, on Thursday, had refused to undergo the test that is carried out on all passengers arriving in the country, citing diplomatic immunity, a senior airport official said. The US embassy in Colombo said that the arrival of the diplomat "complies with the norms and procedures outlined in the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations". "According to Article 41 of the convention, diplomats must respect the laws and regulations of the receiving state," Tamara Kunanayagam, a former Sri Lankan Permanent Representative to the UN said. Dr Anil Jasinghe, the country's health chief, said that all passengers including diplomats must undergo PCR testing. Meanwhile, the Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) has urged that tests must be carried out on all passengers irrespective of any differences. "The process has to be followed by any passenger be it a diplomat or an expatriate worker," Dr Naveen De Soyza, the Deputy Secretary of the GMOA told reporters. He pointed out that people will lose their faith in the system if the laws are not enforced equally. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQDKOEN2V6Y&feature=youtu.be