Cameron to demand Sri Lanka war crimes investigation
(Reuters) – British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Thursday he will demand that Sri Lanka investigates allegations of war crimes and human rights abuses when he visits the country for a meeting of Commonwealth leaders next week.
Cameron said he wanted to “shine the international spotlight on the lack of progress” in the Indian Ocean island since the end of a long civil war in 2009.
Defending his decision to attend the biennial Commonwealth leaders’ meeting in the capital, Colombo, Cameron said he would have a better chance of securing changes if he pressed ahead with his visit to the former British colony.
“I will demand that the Sri Lankan government independently and transparently investigates alleged war crimes and allegations of continuing human rights abuses,” Cameron wrote in an article for a London-based Tamil newspaper.
Human rights groups have urged leaders to boycott the November 15-17 meeting to put pressure on the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said he will not attend, citing concerns over allegations of extra-judicial killings, harassment of minorities and the detention of politicians and journalists.
South African peace campaigner Archbishop Desmond Tutu said he supported a boycott, urging the world to “apply all the screws that it can”.
The Sri Lankan government says its rights record has improved since the war and has rejected the criticism as unsubstantiated.
Tens of thousands of civilians died in the last months of the war between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels, who lost their fight for a separate state for Sri Lanka’s Tamil minority, a U.N. report estimated.
Cameron said he would become the first foreign leader to visit the north of the island since the country’s independence from Britain in 1948. The war ended in 2009 when government forces surrounded the rebels in a small area in the north.
“Four years after the conflict, no one has been held to account for grave allegations of war crimes and sexual violence, journalists are routinely intimidated and thousands of people have yet to find out what has happened to their missing relatives,” Cameron wrote.
Britain’s opposition Labour said Cameron had failed to exploit his visit to push for improved human rights.
“The British government’s handling of this issue has been characterised by misjudgements and missed opportunities,” Labour foreign affairs spokesman Kerry McCarthy said.
(Reuters)
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No problem.
Then also “Rajapaksa to demand British war crimes investigation” (independent international).
Oh have they forget these tamil murderes did to that country. Bombs were explode like fire work and murdering innocent people by these cowered tamil bastards were beyond belief,
Thanks Mr Mahinda Rajapaksa for eliminating these criminals. He brought the dignity of sinhalese people back.
Don’t worry what the world say he did the right thing.
yes manjula your correct Mr.MR Should demand that
The common wealth was inspired by the british in order to safe guard their colonial interests and for a while it was described as neocolonialism. The head of the commonwealth until recently was Britain though they did not contribute much to foster the development of the commonwealth. Britain like the european partners in colonialism has no influence in their colonies except involve in covert operations to ginger vested interests of the free world.
Yes this initiative ought to have been taken by the GOSL, unfortunately GOSL is preoccupied with keeping pace the immediate needs …like water for all, health housing and education.
I think the conference should address those issues tabled on the agenda and not be intimidated by Mr Cameron.
Mr Cameron engage Mr Rajapaksa and discuss the terms of this investigation and provide the reosurces.
This is an excellent opportunity for GOSL to show case the vast strides we have made in developing the N and E since the LTTE had been totally eradicated, after 30 years of vile terrorism, which was tacitly aided by UK and USA and openly by Norway, to their utter shame, the hypocrites!
I still cannot understand why the President had not ordered the making of a high quality documentary, in response to the CH4 vile canards by Callum Macrae in the pay of diaspora Tamils, which would reveal the truth. The truth is the terrorism acts of LTTE, their war crimes and crimes against humanity for 30 years and how Norway and the imperial West kept mum about it. Their is ample video evidence gathered from their own LTTE bases which were overrun by our defence forces in Humanitarian Operation. We have also ample archive video evidence from newsreels.
PLEASE GET DOWN TO THIS HON PRESIDENT AND RUN THIS DOCUMENTARY OVER AND OVER DURING CHOGM MEETING IN TV CHANNELS AND HAND EACH DELEGATE A COPY OF IT FOR THEIR PERUSAL.
That will be our answer to CH4 lies and to counter arguments by David Cameron based on CH4 lies of the Tamil diaspora and TNA.
Sri lanka also demands for british soldiers war crimes arround the world what british solidiers did past times example FALKLAND island belong argentina country but still britain contorls the country,it was heavy wars happends 25 years ago between argentina and british solidiers because of FALKLAND island.Thousands of argentina peoples and army was killed by britains soldiers,that time britain prime minister was late Margar thatcher she was during the war starightly given bettle field commant to kill peoples.
Please anyone could forward this my message depends minister and presidents also.