Sri Lanka recalls 50 diplomats from foreign missions

The Sri Lankan foreign  ministry has recalled at least 50 diplomats from its missions overseas, an official said Tuesday.

Among those recalled are Sri Lanka's ambassadors to the UN in New York, Pakistan, Japan and the High Commissioner to Australia, the official told Xinhua.

Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera recalled the diplomats Monday, citing that some of them were political  appointments and some non-career diplomats.

The official said that among those recalled as part of the restructuring process, some are relatives of ministers in the former government who were serving in the diplomatic missions overseas.

In total, the ministry recalled 27 heads of missions.