Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird has stated there is 'no room for moral ambiguity' on Sri Lanka as Prime Minister Stephen Harper boycotts the increasingly controversial Commonwealth Heads Of Government Meeting due to be held in Colombo. Writing in iPolitics.ca, Baird noted that Canada had made more than 30 public statements on Sri Lanka and that the opposition were united behind the Prime Minister's decision. Extracts have been reproduced below. See the full piece here . "Canada takes its membership in the Commonwealth very seriously. It is for this simple reason that we believe in upholding the basic principles it stands for: freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Without them, what does the Commonwealth stand for?" "The Commonwealth failed to put any pressure on a regime that has so blatantly ignored international calls for change... As a consequence, we gave this regime a free pass to continue down this path. " "This was not a decision taken in haste. It was carefully considered with one aim in mind: for Canada to send a message about our displeasure with an organization that has failed to stand up for its fundamental principles. How can an organization like the Commonwealth reward a country like Sri Lanka, not just with hosting a summit, but by allowing it to chair the organization for two years? And after no meaningful reconciliation following a brutal and violent struggle?"
In a preview of a report analysing media violence in Sri Lanka, Tamils Against Genocide (TAG) has determined that the Sri Lankan “state repression of the media mirrors the state’s wider ethno-chauvinist policies”, placing Tamil journalists at a greater risk of violence than their Sinhalese counterparts. Examining data from, Journalists for Democracy (JDS), TAG found that of all the reported murdered or disappeared journalists listed by JDS since 2004, 37 are media workers of ethnic Tamil origin while 4 are ethnic Sinhalese and 2 Sri Lankan Muslims. The advocacy group went on to observe that approximately 75 per cent have taken place in the majority Tamil-speaking regions of the island. Extracts of their piece have been reproduced below. See the full piece here . "Sri Lanka has gained a reputation as one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists alongside Afghanistan, Somalia, Eritrea and North Korea." " Yet considering that much of Sri Lanka’s post-independence period has been entrenched in ethnic violence, the central question of race has been absent in the analysis of media attacks." "Indeed, often ethnicities of attacked media workers remain unspecified in the reporting of human rights and news organisations. With the erosion of ethnic labels in the reporting of violence against media personnel, some core reasons for the Sri Lankan states repression of media personnel elude us."
The Canadian Council for Refugees has called ‘more consistency in Canada’s response to the serious human rights abuses that continue to occur in Sri Lanka’, as evidence of asylum seekers being deported to torture has surfaced. Applauding Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s recent statement on Sri Lanka, particularly the noting of “absence of accountability for the serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian standards during and after the civil war is unacceptable”, CCR called for this approach to be congruent. The statement read, “ On the other hand, CCR is shocked by Canada’s treatment of Sri Lankans who fled to Canada to escape those human rights violations, most particularly those on the MV Sun Sea who arrived on the West Coast in August 2010 .” CCR also noted a recently disclosed memo from the Canada Border Services Agency, calling on its officers to “use all legal means to detain the passengers as long as possible, to try to have them declared inadmissible and to argue against them being recognized as refugees”. See the memo here .
An investigative report by Jaffna based organisation, The Social Architects (TSA), confirmed that public health officials committed serious violations of women’s rights to informed consent, reproductive autonomy and health. Following recent news of coercive birth control in the North-East, TSA visited investigated areas and villages where Internally Displaced Persons had been settled to rebuild their lives. Following research in the regions, whilst under constant surveillance of the military, the organisation reached eight conclusions. The following conclusions were found in the report: 1. Women in these villages lack adequate access to primary care. 2. Women lack adequate access to quality contraceptive services. 3. Public health workers asked women to come to a government sponsored nutrition clinic under false pretences. 4. Government health workers coerced women into taking implant. 5. Government health workers did not provide adequate counselling and women did not give full and informed consent. 6. Government health workers failed to conduct adequate medical pre-screening and to provide post-implant care instructions. 7. Public health employees failed to provide information to women who accepted the implant. 8. Women feel unsafe asking doctors questions. Government employees have told their subordinates to remain silent on the issue-perpetuating a culture of impunity.
The Sri Lankan government has said it will review its diplomatic ties with Canada, after Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced that he would boycott the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting over Sri Lanka’s human rights record. Speaking to reporters, Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said that the government may summon the Canadian ambassador in Colombo to discuss future relations between the two countries. "The government hopes to discuss diplomatic relations with Canada and the issues they keep raising," the minister said, adding that Harper had his "own political...
In two letters sent to the Guardian today, Britain's decision to go to the Commonwealth Heads Of Government Meeting in Colombo,and the Commonwealth's decision to allow Sri Lanka to host it, came under fire yet again. Michael Ellmanfidh, Officer for the Commonwealth, International Federation for Human Rights, wrote to the Guardian stating, " The Commonwealth is making a major mistake in holding its heads of government meeting (CHOGM) in Sri Lanka (Report, 9 October), when that country is in serious breach of the values set out in the Commonwealth charter , and has even failed to comply with...
Britain has cut funding to the Commonwealth over concerns about its performance and leadership, reported The Telegraph . A former senior official said that Whitehall has imposed cuts of £3million over two years from its grant to the troubled organisation, which is facing increased criticism over the venue of its forthcoming summit in Sri Lanka. Britain is the largest contributor to the Commonwealth, giving £16million a year for the organisation’s activities. The official further said that there is increasing unhappiness with Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma, who was accused of being a “...
A recently released affidavit from a Tamil man who was deported from Canada to Sri Lanka, reveals he faced brutal torture for almost a year, whilst being held in detention by Sri Lanka. Sathyapavan "Sathi" Aseervatham claimed he was held without charge for almost a year and faced regular torture after being deported from Canada in July 2011. The affidavit was released by his lawyer, Gabriel Chand after Aseervatham passed away in a car accident two weeks ago. It wasn’t released while his client was alive as Chand claimed it would put his client at risk. Aseervatham had said, “My body was...
Writing in the Globe and Mail, Canadian Senator Hugh Segal has applauded Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s decision not to attend the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Colombo, stating it would legitimise ‘a multitude of sins’. Segal is Canada’s Special Envoy to the Commonwealth and the Canadian representative on the Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group. Extracts from his piece have been reproduced below. Read the full piece here . "As he pointed out, this was not an easy decision. Canada was one of the founding nations of the Commonwealth. All governments know and understand that there is a certain diplomatic simplicity in “going along to get along.” No confrontation, no hard feelings. But on this issue, the Commonwealth has sadly taken the path of least resistance. This is no credit to the Secretary General, the Commonwealth Secretariat or the member countries."
The government of Sri lanka has banned protests in its capital Colombo, ahead of the upcoming Common Wealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Colombo, reports the Asian Human Rights Commission. The government has allegedly banned protests under the Public Security Regulations and enforced ban on protests, marches and a display of banners and black flags during the first 3 weeks of CHOGM .