Australia's Greens launched a campaign to call for the suspension of Sri Lanka from the Commonwealth until a credible independent invesigation into alleged war crimes takes place, reported The Australian.

Greens senator, Lee Rhiannon, reportedly expressed hope of 'building bipartisan political support' for the suspension of Sri Lanka.

The Greens have the backing of several human rights activists and jurists.

John Dowd QC, a member of the International Commission of Jurists and former New South Wales attorney-general explained,

"If Sri Lanka is used as a host, it ignores the fact that war crimes have been committed. The Commonwealth has to realise it can't keep being polite when one of its members is guilty of (such) crimes."

Senator Rhiannon added,

"We will be looking at whether delegates of the Sri Lankan government may be refused a visa to visit Australia for CHOGM if it can be proved they do not meet the 'character test' and 'public criteria test'."

A British Tamil man has been arrested and held in Sri Lanka for over four years without charge under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), reports the Guardian.

Father of two, Viswalingam Gopithas, from South London has been under Sri Lankan custody since April 2007, accused of trying to supply night vision equipment to the LTTE.

Reports have also emerged of other British Tamils, including a fifty-one year old woman, Vasugi Kaunanithy, being held by Sri Lankan security forces under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, since August 2011.

“We must be clear about the fact that Sri Lanka is a rogue nation. It has carried out genocide against the Tamil people, and we must do all that we can to stop the persecution of the Tamils once and for all.”

“We must make a distinction between murder and genocide—genocide is scientific, organised killing”.

“Britain must take a brave and principled lead—just as we did in Kosovo and, with France, in Libya—and do all that it can to ensure that a full independent international investigation of war crimes takes place.

Those of us who believe in justice want the people responsible to be held to account, just as all of us would agree about Colonel Gaddafi, Radovan Karadzic and Charles Taylor.

We cannot allow the international community to slip back to the cosy days of 2009, when the UN disgracefully ignored calls for a war crimes investigation, or when the Secretary-General spoke of Sri Lanka’s ‘tremendous efforts’.”

“The allegations of war crimes and other human rights violations committed by both sides in the military conflict are of great concern to us.

The UK has consistently made its position clear: Sri Lanka needs to address accountability through an independent, thorough and credible process that meets international standards and allows the people of Sri Lanka to move towards reconciliation and lasting peace and security.”

Leaked US embassy cables reveal how then Ambassador Robert Blake warned Sri Lanka that mass civilian civilian deaths would ensue, if its military stormed the government-declared safe zone.

A March 2009  cable, detailing a meeting with Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Bogollagama, said:

“Ambassador recalled continuing reports he has heard that the military intends to take the safe zone by force and told the Foreign Minister if the government did so thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, could be killed.

“If such casualties occurred the government would be accused of war crimes and its actions would diminish Congressional and public support for future US assistance to Sri Lanka.”

Sri Lanka warned

Blake, now US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia, went on to urge Sri Lanka to think “very very carefully” on the next steps to be taken after the military surrounded the government-declared safe zone.

Thereafter, Sri Lanka launched a massive air, sea and ground offensive, escalating the bombardment of civilians.

The following month, in another meeting with Bogollagama, Blake said that,

“comparisons are already being made to what transpired in Rwanda where the international community did not do enough to prevent a catastrophe.”

Blake added that if they pursued the military option then Sri Lanka could expect “escalating international criticisms.”

“The Ambassador said such actions could include suspension of aid to Sri Lanka, closer scrutiny of IMF lending, possible war crimes investigations, and perhaps other actions.”

"The climate of impunity that may have been created, lack of support that may be given, really need to be discussed."

US Assistant Secretary of State, Robert Blake, speaking at a news conference to mark the end of his three day visit to Sri Lanka, urged the Sri Lankan government to ensure accountability, stop paramilitary activity in the North-East and pursue devolution through talks with the TNA.

“We are not in the business of making threats to our friends.

There is a need for a credible process of accountability for those who have violated international humanitarian law and there will be pressure for some mechanism to ensure that this takes place.

However we hope that (such pressure) is not necessary.”

"The solution to achieving a just and lasting peace in Sri Lanka is not just about accountability," he added, however.

Highlighting the recent mock protest orchestrated by Douglas Devananda's EPDP, Blake condemned the use of paramilitaries in the North to maintain law and order, insisting the government must make progress on disarming such groups.

“I am concerned about human rights.

I discussed with relevant officials the importance of disarming paramilitary groups, on which progress is being made.

It is important to deploy Tamil policeman in the north so the military no longer needs to perform these functions.”

 “Paramilitary groups are not allowed to carry weapons in public.

While I was in Jaffna I myself, experienced the power of the EPDP who was able to prevent me from meeting with some university students.”

Officials from the European Union and the United States have welcomed the informal discussions at the Human Rights Council in Geneva and called for a speedy process to bring accountability for crimes committed during the warin Sri Lanka.

United Nations Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillai used her speech at the opening of the UN Human Rights Council Session (HRC) to criticise Sri Lanka for its human rights record.

Whilst talking about the ‘insufficient regard for human rights’ by the anti-terror measures adopted by several member countries, she pointed out Sri Lanka as a prime example of a state which undermines human rights to combat terrorism.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has sent the UN panel of experts’ report on wartime mass killings in Sri Lanka to the UN Human Rights Council on Monday, the Associated Press reports.

See NDTV’s report from Vanni (broadcast Sep 10, 2011) which includes:

-  survivors' accounts of mass killings of Tamil civilians during the final months of the conflict,

The United States and other governments must move without further delay toward an independent international investigation into mass atrocities during Sri Lanka’s armed conflict, and desist from lending credibility to Sri Lanka’s sham domestic investigation, Tamils Against Genocide (TAG) said in a statement Monday.