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 .
Effigies of TNA leaders were burned in Mullaitheevu today reports Colombo Telegraph . Expressing their anger towards the decision to take oaths before Mahinda Rajapaksa, the people of Mullaitheevu burned effigies of Northern Provincial Chief Minister C. V. Wigneswaran, party leader R. Sampanthan and M. A. Sumanthiran MP. Elected councillor Ananthy Sasitharan, disillusioned with the party, is also reportedly considering boycotting tomorrow’s oath taking ceremony before Wigneswaran.
A cross party group over MPs are set to criticise British Prime Minister David Cameron's decision to attend the Commonwealth Heads Of Government meeting in Sri Lanka, later this year, reported the Telegraph. The report is due to be published next week, with sources telling the Telegraph, "There are some people on the committee who feel that it was regrettable that he decided to attend and want to express that. Others feel that as the Prime Minister of the UK it would not necessarily be helpful if he decided not go." In 2012, the Foreign Affairs Committee had called on David Cameron to boycott CHOGM, but the report was rebuffed by the UK's Foreign Office. News of the upcoming report comes as another MP, Simon Danczuk, once again brought the issue of CHOGM up before the Prime Minister on Tuesday. Speaking on the case of murdered British national Khurum Sheikh, Danczuk said, "Justice continues to be denied and the key suspect is a close ally of the Sri Lankan President... Is the Prime Minister comfortable meeting this president at the Commonwealth head so of Government next month and what will he say to him?” The British Prime Minister replied, “Thank you for the question. I think it is right that for the British Prime Minister to go to the Commonwealth conference because we are big believers in the Commonwealth and making that organisation work well and indeed work for us." “But I think that it is right in going to the Commonwealth conference we should not hold back in being very clear about those aspects of the human rights record in Sri Lanka that we are not happy with."
Four years after the end of the armed conflict in Sri Lanka, Tamil grievances on the island have yet to be solved, reported The Guardian. The paper went on to say that despite an apparent economic boom, much of it spurred by foreign aid and loans, by some measures conditions had actually worsened for the Tamils, even according to government figures. "But progress is patchy – up to half of respondents in some areas said they had insufficient food – and by some measures things are worse than before. If rates of infant or maternal mortality in parts of the north have improved, in others they have risen, government statistics reveal." Tamil civilians in Kilinochchi, speaking anonymously about the current situation to the Guardian said, "Before, it was safe for women, now it isn't … Before, we could talk freely, now we can't" "OK, so there is some development but that is not real freedom … this is not true peace."
In an opinion piece written for the Hindu, TNA parliamentarian, M.A Sumanthiran, made a long awaited response to the recent Supreme Court Judgment on the devolution of land powers. Extracts reproduced below. “ The timing of a judgment by Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court recently on devolution of land powers — just two days after a historic election for the Northern Provincial Council — is of great significance. ” “Now, in a sudden instant, the Supreme Court tells us that these powers were in fact never devolved; that the way in which the Thirteenth Amendment has been understood for 25 years was erroneous; that the Thirteenth Amendment only meant for the Province to administer whatever land the Centre — in its beneficence — thought fit to give away. ” “The timing of the judgment is critical. The fact that it came two days after the historic election for the Northern Provincial Council where the people overwhelmingly voted for devolution and self-governance, but before the Council became functional, has received much comment. More critically however , the judgment arrives at a juncture where the government has explicitly committed to denying the Northern Provincial Council constitutionally mandated powers over land and law and order. ” “The government has now constituted a Parliamentary Select Committee — composed primarily of members opposed to any meaningful devolution — ostensibly to recommend a further weakening of devolution. The arrival of this judgment may be perceived by the government as easing its own burden and enabling it to hide behind a judgment of the Supreme Court. The government should be clearly told that this position is untenable and that it has a duty to make good on its promises of extensive devolution made to India and the international community. ”
In a protest, organised by the human rights advocacy group, Tamil Solidarity,on Wednesday the 9 th of October, British Tamils demanded that representatives of the government boycott the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting (CHOGM). Coinciding with the Canadian prime minister’s announcement of his decision to boycott CHOGM, the British demonstrators demanded that David Cameron followed suit. The demonstration, which was held outside downing street, individuals and speakers from the Tamil Solidarity organisation addressed the crowd.
Officials from the Ministry of External Affairs removed the flags of the Northern Province and India from the venue of the meeting between Northern Province Chief Minister Wigneswaran and Indian Foreign Minister Salman Kurshid. Ceylon Today reported that sources claimed that the flags were removed as the Sri Lankan flag was not hoisted at the venue, and if the national fag was missing, no other flags should be flying. Wigneswaran ignores national flag – Ceylon Today (09 Oct 13)
A senior Sri Lankan economist has claimed that the government will soon face difficulties in borrowing from abroad, due to austerity measures in other countries affecting the global economy, coupled with the Sri Lankan Central Bank’s planned, “less accommodative”, monetary policy, reported the DailyMirror . “This means the terms which we can borrow abroad will get tightened. So, the terms on which we borrowed over the last two, three years will not be available,” Dr. Indrajith Coomaraswamy told a recent forum. Sri Lanka’s debt ratio is also higher than that of other comparable economies, said...
Canada’s special envoy to the Commonwealth, Hugh Segal, accused Commonwealth secretary-general Kamalesh Sharma of "acting as a shill [a stooge] for the Sri Lankan leadership, defending their every mistake". Speaking to the Guardian on Tuesday, Segal said that Sharma had concealed legal advice on the illegality of the impeachment of Sri Lanka’s chief justice. Defending Sharma’s position, a spokesperson said "the advice was sought in confidence and it was not necessary for [Sharma] to discuss it in public". Writing in the Globe and Mail on Tuesday, Segal defended Canadian Prime Minister Stephen...