August 07, 2008	Thursday	Sha’aban 4, 1429

COLOMBO, Aug 6: India said on Wednesday there had been serious security lapses during a visit to Sri Lanka by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh despite the island nation’s promise of “ultimate security.”

The Sri Lankan bodyguard assigned to protect Singh did not turn up during a regional summit last weekend, while the motorcade for India’s National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan failed to appear.

There was a “serious lapse in that some of the arrangements discussed and agreed to in advance, did not get implemented on the ground,” the Indian High Commission here said in a statement.

The security lapse “was immediately discussed with Sri Lankan security authorities and remedial measures taken jointly.... Sri Lankan security authorities have apologised to Mr Narayanan,” the Indian statement said.

Local press reports said Narayanan wound up returning to his hotel from the conference site in a taxi.

He was stopped at two road blocks and asked to walk since his taxi did not have security clearance to get to the hotel.

The lapses came despite the Sri Lankan government promising “ultimate security” to the visiting dignitaries.

Indian diplomats had voiced concerns over security ahead of the two-day summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, and they had brought in their own guards, helicopters and ships to minimise any risk.—AFP