CHOGM 2013 In Sri Lanka, Dilemma Faced By Member Countries
Dr. G K Nathan
The biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) will be held in Sri Lanka from 15th to 17th November 2013. Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa made repeated attempts after the end of conflict on 18thMay 2009 to hold CHOGM in Sri Lanka and to show to the world normalcy has returned to the country, even though the Tamil homeland in the North East Sri Lanka is under military occupation, denying fundamental rights. The first attempt was at CHOGM2009 in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago; the second attempt was at CHOGM2011 in Perth, where it was decided to hold CHOGM2013 in Sri Lanka. The favourable decisions was made in the hope that lapse of four year period, after the end of conflict in May 2009, would be long enough to heal the wounds between the Sinhala and the Tamil Nations. On the contrary the key members of the Commonwealth of Nations (the Commonwealth) have reservations about the progress claimed to have been made between the Sinhala and Tamil Nations after the 26 years long Sinhala-Tamil military conflict ended. The underlying reason of inequity between the Sinhala and the Tamil Nations, which started immediately after Independence from the Colonial power the UK in 1948, remains unresolved, which led to military conflict between the two Nations. During this four year period more and more evidence has emerged about war crimes and crimes against humanity and the expectation of the Commonwealth that four year period between the end of conflict and scheduled CHOGM2013 in Sri Lanka is long enough to establish accountability for the alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity leading to reconciliation has not been met. Screening of shorter version of the film, No Fire Zone produced by Callum Macrae, as a documentary on the UK Channel 4 shown this month “No Fire Zone” puts the onus on the Heads of Commonwealth of Nations to change the direction Sri Lanka is heading, ignoring the Commonwealth charter which also upholds the International Bill of Human Rights. President Mahinda Rajapaksa, as the Commander-in-chief of the Sri Lanka armed forces, has the responsibility and the final authority to act against persons on available evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the public arena. He is in denial that war crimes and crimes against humanity occurred, but claims that he liberated the Tamil Nation with “zero casualty”. International human rights organizations and media in Australia, Canada, India and the UK are challenging the credential of President Rajapaksa to hold CHOGM2013 in Sri Lanka and assume the Commonwealth chair-in-office for the next two years? The great dilemma for the Commonwealth Heads of Government to be or not to be at CHOGM2013 in Sri Lanka is the result of United Nation initiated inquiries and investigative report from others..