Is Sri Lanka’s envoy in Chennai on his way out?

Sri Lanka has reportedly decided to replace Dr Ganesanathan Geathiswaran as its deputy high commissioner in Chennai after losing confidence in his conduct, but the foreign ministry in Colombo says this is not the case.

The well-informed Jaffna Monitor quoted unnamed senior government and foreign ministry sources as saying that Dr Geathiswaran is expected to be removed once Colombo identifies a successor.

Dr Geathiswaran, a Tamil, is not a career diplomat. He was named the head of the Deputy High Commission in Chennai in August 2025. He is said to be close to President Anura Dissanayake.

Sri Lanka denies media report

In the Sri Lankan diplomatic service, a posting in Chennai, which involves overseeing the whole of southern India, is considered one of the most important and sensitive assignments.

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This is because Tamil Nadu is separated from Sri Lanka only by a strip of sea, and the state’s political leadership and people continue to play a significant role vis-à-vis the island nation.

“Officials said the government had concluded that Geathiswaran failed to grasp the political gravity of the Chennai assignment, cultivated relationships that raised questions about the boundary between diplomacy and private business interests, and repeatedly pursued personal visibility they considered inappropriate for the head of the mission,” the Jaffna Monitor report said.

It said that officials were peeved by his frequent appearances with film stars, celebrities and other prominent personalities in southern India. “They said his conduct at times resembled that of a ‘fan boy’ rather than a diplomat representing his country.”

There has been no response from Dr Geathiswaran to a message asking him to comment on the published report and to rate his own diplomatic assignment in southern India.

A spokesperson for the Sri Lankan foreign ministry told Jaffna Monitor that there was “no such development whatsoever” regarding Dr Geathiswaran’s removal or a search for his successor.

But the media outlet said it stood by its story.

Diplomat’s political links questioned

Geathiswaran first got into trouble in April this year when he attended a gathering with fishermen in Puducherry along with two prominent political figures, including one from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

This was strongly objected to by the Congress party, which accused the diplomat of taking part in a politically linked event, that too during an election season, and called it a gross violation of the Vienna Convention.

Geathiswaran had then rejected the charge and said he was not in India to do politics.

Jaffna Monitor quoted sources as saying that the deputy high commissioner seemed to be more interested in cultivating his own profile than in exercising the discretion expected of a senior Sri Lankan representative in India.

Sri Lanka has often posted non-diplomats, including former military personnel, as diplomats in various countries. This is said to have upset the professional diplomats in the country.

The JVP-led National People’s Power (NPP) alliance now ruling Sri Lanka had pledged during the 2024 election campaign to end corruption as well as political patronage.

The Federal spoke to two former Sri Lankan foreign ministers to know if Chennai deserved a career diplomat or a political appointee.

Experts debate Chennai posting

Ali Sabry, who held the portfolio from July 2022 to September 2024, said while everything depended on the person Colombo sends on an assignment, “I would argue that a professional career and experienced diplomat would be the best choice for Chennai.”

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He said Tamil Nadu was “very important” for Colombo for a variety of reasons, including facilitating the return of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees to the country and promoting Indian investments in Sri Lanka.

“Given the sensitive place it is and due to Tamil Nadu’s internal politics, posting a career diplomat is ideal at this point of time,” Sabry added. He, however, noted that some non-diplomats had made significant contributions to Sri Lanka in the past after being named as diplomats in a few important places.

GL Peiris, who has headed the foreign ministry twice, said: “It may be difficult to dispense with the political element altogether in an appointment as sensitive as this, although a high degree of professional competence and finesse is absolutely essential.”

A Sri Lankan source with access to the government who did not want to be named said he had heard about Geathiswaran’s proximity to Tamil film stars, “but I am not sure what, if any, action is being contemplated”.

This source said the line dividing cinema and politics in Tamil Nadu was thin. “This is precisely why a diplomat must be careful,” the source said. “Meeting (Chief Minister Joseph) Vijay or a non-political actor is one thing, but mixing with all and sundry is best avoided unless they call on us.”

Why Chennai mission matters

The Sri Lankan deputy high commission, located at Nungambakkam in Chennai, is responsible for the southern states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Kerala, as well as Puducherry.

The mission – one of Sri Lanka's oldest diplomatic missions abroad – was set up in 1957. Two years later, it became the passport and information office under the high commission in New Delhi. It was elevated as the deputy high commission in 1966.

The Chennai mission became one of the most important – and difficult – in the Sri Lankan diplomatic world after Tamil militancy erupted in 1983, sending political temperatures rising in Tamil Nadu and pushing tens of thousands of Tamils from the island to take shelter in the Indian state.

This is when Tamil militants opened training camps and offices in Tamil Nadu and cultivated ties with Tamil Nadu leaders, injecting a new complexity into India-Sri Lanka bilateral ties.

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In the mid-1980s, the mission became a Chennai landmark due to frequent anti-Sri Lanka protests. Even now, Tamil Nadu is home to more than 80,000 Tamil refugees, although ties between New Delhi and Colombo are cosy.

One area where tensions persist in diplomatic ties is the unending row involving fishing communities of Tamil Nadu as well as northern Sri Lanka. Both groups are Tamil-speaking communities.

The mission in Chennai now plays a major role in wooing and promoting Indian business interests in Sri Lanka and facilitating Sri Lankan businesses to set up shop in southern India.