The Mauritius Premier, Navin Ramgoolam, has pulled out of hosting the next Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting (CHOGM) following his boycott of the current summit in Sri Lanka.  

As India’s External Affairs Minister arrived for the CHOGM summit today, he sought to underplay the significance of the Indian Prime Minister’s absence. Manmohan Singh was forced to withdraw in response to concerted political pressure from Tamil Nadu where the State Assembly has unanimously passed two resolutions demanding an Indian boycott. Whilst Tamil Nadu insists that India must make justice for the Tamils central to its policy in Sri Lanka, Delhi thinks otherwise. Wedded to an out of date Cold War framework in which great power interests are calibrated by spheres of influence, and subsequently driven by paranoia about Chinese investments in the region, it desperately seeks influence in Sri Lanka and is willing to collude with Colombo’s crimes to that end. But this conciliatory approach is bound to fail. The central obstacle to Indian interests on the island is the Sinhala Buddhist majoritarian order that produced the Rajapaksa presidency. Until India works to undermine and contain this, it will not be able to realise any of its commercial, political or diplomatic objectives on the island.

Speaking in Colombo yesterday, British Foreign Secretary William Hague called for an international investigation into alleged war crimes if the Sri Lankan government fails to undertake an 'independent, thorough and credible' investigation of its own.

Hague said:

"The British government along with other members of the international community has consistently called for an independent, thorough and credible investigation into allegations of violations and abuses of International humanitarian and human rights law by both sides in the military conflict and in the absence of an independent investigation pressure will mount for an international investigation,"

Writing in the Times of India on Thursday, British Prime Minister David Cameron called on the leaders of Commonwealth to unite in pressing for a thorough investigation into Sri Lanka’s war crimes, and for “an end to the intimidation of journalists and human rights defenders, action to stamp out torture, demilitarisation of the north and reconciliation between communities.”

"Of course," Mr. Cameron said, "we need to see a thorough investigation into alleged war crimes, and if it does not happen rapidly, an international independent investigation will be needed."

“The Commonwealth and those attending the summit must use the coming days to highlight and condemn ongoing human rights violations in Sri Lanka. Under no circumstances should Sri Lanka be handed the chair of the organization for the next two years.”

 

"The University Grants Commission announced that classes in all universities would be suspended for the Commonwealth summit, between 11th and 17th November. University students were also ordered to vacate their accommodation for this period.