Outgoing United States Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung has held farewell meetings with former Sri Lankan presidents, including Mahinda Rajapaksa and Chandrika Kumaratunga, two political figures widely accused of presiding over grave human rights violations against the Tamil people.
Chung, who is concluding her tenure this month after almost four years in Colombo, met both former leaders in recent days and publicly praised them on social media.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Chung wrote:
“Today, I wished a fond farewell to former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, who has been generous in her friendship and counsel during my four years in Sri Lanka. Wishing her all the best in her endeavors.”
She also announced a separate meeting with Mahinda Rajapaksa, stating that she was “pleased to meet” with him.
“We discussed the longstanding U.S.-Sri Lanka partnership over the decades and looked to future cooperation to benefit both of our countries for a safe and prosperous future,” Chung tweeted.
Both Rajapaksa and Kumaratunga are deeply controversial figures within the Tamil homeland and among the diaspora, with long records of state violence and structural repression associated with their respective administrations.
Mahinda Rajapaksa served as Sri Lanka’s president from 2005 to 2015. Under his leadership, Sri Lankan armed forces carried out a military offensive that resulted in the massacre of tens of thousands of Tamil civilians in Mullivaikkal. United Nations investigations have accused his government of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas, enforced disappearances, sexual violence, and the deliberate targeting of hospitals and humanitarian zones.
Tamil organisations across the world have accused Rajapaksa and his senior officials of genocide – a charge that is becoming increasingly recognised around the world. International calls for accountability have continued for more than a decade, yet no senior figure from his regime has faced prosecution.
Chandrika Kumaratunga, who was president from 1994 to 2005, is also accused of overseeing widespread atrocities during earlier phases of the conflict. Her administration launched major military offensives in the Tamil homeland, including Operation Riviresa, which resulted in mass displacement, extrajudicial killings, and large-scale destruction in Jaffna and the North-East.
Human rights groups have documented systematic abuses by Sri Lankan security forces during her presidency, including massacres, disappearances, and torture. Despite projecting herself internationally as a moderate, Kumaratunga’s tenure is remembered by many Tamils as a period of intense militarisation and state repression.
Chung also met with former president and prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was recently arrested by the Sri Lankan state for alleged financial crimes.
In a separate video statement reflecting on her time in Sri Lanka, Chung said she was “proud of the results we delivered” during her tenure.
“Together with Sri Lankans across the country, we strengthened security co-operation, expanded economic ties, and reinforced a partnership that makes both the United States and Sri Lanka safer and stronger. I depart knowing the U.S.-Sri Lankan relationship, rooted in our shared history and democratic principles, will remain vital in the Indo-Pacific.”
“Everything we've done together, from strengthening security and port infrastructure to supporting key programs, has helped protect American interests while building a strong partnership with Sri Lanka.”
Washington has continued to maintain close ties with successive Sri Lankan governments while failing to take meaningful action to hold perpetrators of war crimes to account.