Lanka says reports alleging involvement of Indian intelligence agency to assassinate President baseless

Sri Lanka's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday asserted that the country's relationship with India is intense and encompasses multiple spheres including intelligence sharing, hence, media reports claiming alleged involvement of Indian intelligence agency in a plot to assassinate Sri Lanka's President is baseless and false.

"The attention of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been drawn to media reports attributed to President Maithripala Sirisena alleging the involvement of an Indian Intelligence Service in a plot to assassinate him. The Ministry wishes to clarify that the media reports in this connection are baseless and false. The Ministry wishes to emphasise that relations between Sri Lanka and India including at the highest levels of government are strong, encompassing multiple spheres including intelligence sharing. It is disappointing, therefore, that matters of this nature have become the subject of distorted and erroneous media reports taking the President's remarks out of context, which has given rise to further media and social media speculation and the spread of unfounded fear among the public," Sri Lanka's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

"In continuation of the close and regular interaction between Sri Lanka and India at all levels including at the highest levels of government, President Sirisena had discussions this morning as well at a meeting with the High Commissioner of India in Colombo," the statement added.

The statement comes after some media reports in Sri Lanka carried a story saying President Sirisena had allegedly shocked his cabinet by accusing India of plotting to assassinate him during a weekly meeting. The media reports had surfaced days before the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe is scheduled to visit New Delhi.

President Sirisena's Advisor and Coordinating Secretary, Shiral Lakthilaka, and Joint Cabinet Spokesperson Minister (Dr) Rajitha Senaratne also refuted the media reports and asserted that the President did not make any such statement claiming agent attached to India's RAW service was involved in the alleged plot to assassinate him.

"The President had spoken in general terms about secret services of countries attempting to assassinate leaders. This happens even in America, the President said, and added that the Prime Minister of India might not be aware of it. There was no mention of RAW at all," Lakthilaka was quoted as saying in Lankan newspaper Sunday Times Sri Lanka on Wednesday.