Writing in the Tamil Guardian on Thursday , British Premier David Cameron set out his government’s rationale for rejecting the growing calls, both at home and abroad, for him to boycott the Commonwealth leaders’ summit in Sri Lanka next week. Whilst noting the Sri Lankan government’s “ poor record on human rights and cruel treatment of the Tamils ” – an understatement given the steadily mounting evidence – and the grave “ allegations ” of war crimes and sexual violence, Mr Cameron’s argument, in sum, is that to secure the “ change ” he wants to see, “ the right thing to do is to engage ” with Colombo. We disagree. In fact, it is precisely Britain’s policy of essentially unconditional engagement that has enabled, and emboldened, President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s regime to thumb its nose at international demands for accountability and justice, and to intensify its repression of the Tamil people.
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) welcomed growing calls for a boycott of the Commonwealth leaders’ summit in Sri Lanka next week. "We have taken a position that Sri Lanka is in breach of fundamental values of the Commonwealth," TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran told Reuters . "We appreciate the call by various people that it must be boycotted."
Britain’s Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills Michael Fallon has told the House of Commons that there will be no British business representative at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Sri Lanka. “Chairman of the Prime Minister's Trade Envoys, Lord Marland will be in Sri Lanka in November 2013 on the invitation of the Commonwealth Business Council….but there will be no UK business representation at the meeting,” he told parliament.
Three researchers from the Tea Board of Sri Lanka were forced to leave Tamil Nadu, after plans for protests by Tamil groups, according to the police. The researchers were attending an international training programme in Coonoor, Tamil Nadu, on tea manufacturing and have been in the town for two months. The Sri Lankans were sent to Bangalore in the neighbouring state of Karnataka after Tamil groups announced that they would hold protests outside the offices of the Tea Board of India.
The Bishop of Mannar, Dr Rayappu Joseph, has called on the international community to boycott the forthcoming Commonwealth summit in Sri Lanka, saying that this would be the best way to send a message to the government. "[The summit] is being used to help boost the legitimacy of the Sri Lankan Government as a responsible actor in the International Community. Given the continuing nature of the genocidal acts being perpetrated against the Tamil people it is my considered position that Colombo is not an appropriate venue for CHOGM. I also think to host the meeting in Colombo is in conflict with...
Writing in the LabourList, Britain's largest weblog that supports the opposition party, Amy Lamé stated that British Prime Minister David Cameron and Foreign Secretary William Hague should cancel their trip to Colombo, for the upcoming CHOGM. Extracts from the piece are reproduced below. See the full piece here . "It’s not all cocktails in coconut shells in Sri Lanka. President Mahindra Rajapaksa is personally accused of war crimes. In his effort to finally crush the Tamil Tigers, the 26 year civil war ended with 40,000 dead civilians. 12,000 disappearances, more than any other country bar Iraq. This includes opponents of the government, journalists and activists. In its role as Commonwealth Chair Sri Lanka would be responsible for addressing the human rights of other member states. I could see the irony if it wasn’t so chilling and tragically sad." "Nick Clegg has promised that during the Commonwealth summit the UK Government will be highlighting the abuses that have taken place, and continue to happen, in Sri Lanka. How? Polite conversation over canapés is not only not good enough, it’s downright shameful.
The Sri Lankan External Affairs Ministry rejected the charges made by the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute that it had denied its officials visas to visit the island as “an attempt to sully the image of Sri Lanka”. The Ministry said the visa applications were made for a seminar organised by IBAHRI and the Bar Association of Sri Lanka, and it was due to the failure of the organisers to follow due process of hosting such an event that it was unable to facilitate the visas.
Published: 16:45 GMT Indian media has reportted that Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is 'unlikely' to visit Sri Lanka for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, due to take place next week. Rediff quoted 'high level Congress sources' who have insisted that Singh boycott the event. A high level Congress meeting headed by party leader Sonia Gandhi was reportedly held for over an hour, on whether to attend the summit in Colombo. See the full report here . Meanwhile, IBN Live has reported that 'sources close to the development' say a decision will be made soon, with P Chidambaram, who...
As part of a campaign calling on Commonwealth members not to allow Sri Lanka to become chair of the organisation, Amnesty International New Zealand produced the video below. They also had written this letter for delegates attending next week's CHOGM summit. "Dear Commonwealth delegates, Welcome to Sri Lanka, the Pearl of the Indian Ocean. Sri Lanka is a country famous for tea, gemstones and spices, a land where journalists can be disappeared for speaking out against the Government and where human rights abuses are commonplace. Visit some of the most beautiful beaches in the world or take a drive to the sites of some of the worst atrocities committed during the 26 year civil war. See some of the island’s amazing wildlife or visit the hospital where Sri Lankan women gave birth as bombs fell around them. Take a trip to the area east of the Nanthi Lagoon where thousands of innocent civilians were killed believing they were safe in Government declared No Fire Zones .
The Chairman of the Justice and Peace Commission (JPC) of the Catholic Diocese Jaffna, in a report released on today, called for immediate assistance to victims of coercive population control. The report, which outlined the complaints from women in three coastal villages who were subjected to birth control implants, urged the Northern Provincial Health Ministry, to remove the implants and assist the victims that were suffering from side-effects. Noting that a number of the victims had been Catholic, the report said , “We are having serious doubts about the motive behind these kind of state...