Thursday, June 7, 2012

The Tamil torture case has exposed Britain's flawed deportation policy

Asylum seekers are not being given the protection they need in the UK, as the torture of 'Hari' returned to Sri Lanka has shown

Donna Covey guardian.co.uk, Thursday 7 June 2012

'Hari' was deported back to Sri Lanka, where he claims he was beaten with electrical wire and burned with cigarettes. Photograph: Teri Pengilley for the Guardian

'Hari' was deported back to Sri Lanka by the British government

The horrifying testimony of Hari, a Tamil man tortured by Sri Lankan officials after the UK sent him back to his country, is one more shameful example of how this country currently treats people who seek safety here. Given the distressing description of Hari's 17-day torture ordeal and the methods used, who can blame him for holding the UK government responsible for the scars on his back?

Evidence that shows it is unsafe to return people to Sri Lanka grows by the day. Just last week, the UK's high court stopped the removal of 40 refused asylum seekers to Sri Lanka on the grounds that their human rights would be violated. Human Rights Watch have this year alone reported 13 cases of refused asylum seekers who have been tortured on return to the country, and have called for the UK to halt all returns. The charity Freedom From Torture has consistently raised this as a serious issue, with a "steady stream" of clients who have been recently tortured, including individuals who were forcibly removed to Sri Lanka from the UK.

The human cost of sending people back to Sri Lanka can no longer be ignored, and it's clear the UK government should stop removals without delay. Yet the message does not seem to be getting through. The Home Office's response to this appalling story – that it will continue to return people "who do not have a genuine need for our protection" – is simply unacceptable. By this it means it will not only continue to return people to Sri Lanka, but also to other countries where torture and human rights abuses are well documented, such as Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Why can't the government acknowledge the situation in these countries and halt returns, offering some form of protection to people who have been refused asylum until it is safe to go back?

Like many of the asylum seekers we see at the Refugee Council, Hari gave evidence to show he had been tortured and beaten in his own country, but he was still refused asylum. Every day we work with women who, despite surviving sexual violence in their own country, are refused asylum here. Of the women accessing our therapeutic services in 2010-11, more than 30% were from Sri Lanka, the vast majority had been tortured or raped, and just under half had been refused asylum in the UK.

The Home Office's own statistics show that it is often very difficult for people seeking asylum here to get the protection they need. In 2011, out of 17,496 decisions made on asylum applications, 68% were refusals. Of those that appealed, 26% were overturned, showing that at least a quarter of people were given a wrong decision in the first instance. Refusal rates are also higher for women – in particular, 80-89% of women's claims from Sri Lanka were rejected each year between 2006 and 2010. It is clear that too many people are being wrongly refused asylum in the first place.

While the UK Border Agency (UKBA) has made some steps in recent years to ensure the right decisions are made first time round, a number of flaws remain. In particular, a lack of access to good-quality legal representation throughout the asylum process means people are not supported to give all the information they need to back up their claim, and this is getting worse following recent cuts to legal aid. Vulnerable groups face particular problems in getting their claims recognised because the system is not set up for their specific needs: women, for example, who need to disclose traumatic and personal information to support their claims, often struggle to access female interviewers and interpreters. There is often a lack of awareness about the situation for women in their countries of origin. Many of our clients also cite being met with a culture of disbelief by immigration officials, which puts them at an immediate disadvantage.

As a result, the UKBA is failing to identify people who are at risk of torture, persecution or worse, on return to their own country, and are wrongly refusing people the protection they need. We want the UKBA to urgently develop policies and practices that reflect the reality of the situation in the country of origin for all asylum seekers, and to recognise that the situation in some countries is particularly dangerous for women.

On Friday, more than 100 refugees came together in Brixton to celebrate the protection offered to refugees over the last 60 years, as part of the jubilee celebrations. It was a moment to be proud of Britain. However, Hari's story today reminds us that, if we want to maintain this proud tradition, we still have a long way to go.

As Its President Dines With The Queen, Sri Lanka’s Torture Of Its Tamils Is Revealed

June 7, 2012

By Jerome Taylor -

Jerome Taylor

Further evidence has emerged of the brutal treatment of Tamils by Sri Lankan soldiers during the closing stages of the country’s civil war. Video footage obtained by The Independent shows soldiers gloating over a pile of more than 100 Tamil corpses, including dozens of women who have been deliberately stripped of their clothes to expose their breasts and genitals.

The videos are part of a growing body of evidence which has emerged over the past two years – much of which was recorded by Sri Lankan soldiers – revealing how many Tamils were tortured, summarily executed and often humiliated after their deaths for the entertainment of their victors.

The latest footage – which was smuggled out of Sri Lanka by a man who used to work at an internet café frequented by soldiers, and passed to The Independent – emerged as thousands of angry Tamil demonstrators massed outside the Commonwealth’s headquarters in London yesterday in protest at a lunch hosted by the Queen, which was attended by Sri Lanka’s controversial President, Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Angry chants could be heard as the Queen entered Malborough House off Pall Mall and organisers were forced to cancel a planned speech by Mr Rajapaksa following security concerns.

Tens of thousands of civilians, soldiers and Tamil insurgents were killed in the final stages of Sri Lanka’s 30-year civil war, which ended in 2009 with the destruction of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam separatist group.

Obama ambassador pick vows to keep hounding Sri Lanka on human rights

By Julian Pecquet - 06/06/12

President Obama's pick to be U.S. ambassador to Sri Lanka vowed to make human rights a priority during her confirmation hearing Wednesday.

“If confirmed I can [assure you] that human rights issues … will be on the top of my agenda,” said Michele Sison.

Sison made the remarks after lawmakers made it clear during the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing that they want the administration to keep the pressure on Sri Lanka to punish human rights violators on both sides of the civil war that ended three years ago.

“Recent reports by the Department of State, the U.N. and international human-rights groups cite forced disappearances, arbitrary detention and torture, and repression of media and political opposition as ongoing problems,” said Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), the author of a resolution calling for greater accountability in the country. “The United States should continue to work with the international community to push for greater accountability and protection for human rights in Sri Lanka.”

Casey went on to urge Sison to keep up the pressure on the Sri Lankan government if she's confirmed because the issue “is not going to go away until the world sees results.”

Sison made a similar pledge in her written testimony to the committee.

"If confirmed," she wrote, "I stand ready to lead our efforts to support Sri Lanka as it moves forward and to use U.S. assistance strategically to promote reconciliation, strengthen democratic institutions and practices, and foster economic growth, particularly in the north and east."

Disapearence in Sri Lanka between January and Aprial 2012

Thursday, 07 June 2012

Fifty two incidents including abduction, attempted abduction, Disappearences and missing after being taken away by the CID and police for questioning have been taken into notice by our organization from the media, other organizations, websites and individuals between 01st January to end of the April, this year.

Losses In Public Enterprises: However Much They Are Justified They Are A Violation Of Public Property Rights

June 7, 2012

By W.A. Wijewardena -

Dr. W.A. Wijewardena

The Annual Report of the Ministry of Finance and Planning for 2011, just released, has, among many others, one important positive message for the nation. It has reiterated the Government’s commitment, as it had done earlier too, to improving the performance of what it calls State Owned Business Enterprises or SOBEs to ensure their sustainability, social responsibility and strategic role in the economy. There is a four – fold strategy which the Government will pursue to attain this goal: management reforms, corporatisation initiatives, best corporate practices and higher investments (p 16). All these solutions are what a private company will do in a similar situation. Later in the report, it has diagnosed several ailments from which these SOBEs are suffering. These ailments, reproduced below, have been known all along to the country’s policy authorities. Though several attempts have been made in the past under such reform programmes as privatisation, peopleisation, placing them under a public enterprise reform commission or PERC and later replacing PERC with a strategic enterprise management agency or SEMA to do the same job and so on, these ailments have not answered to any of the medicines prescribed for them previously.

Diagnosis of ailment: Incompetency of those in control Read More

Video: Those seeking revenge have not stopped; SF

THURSDAY, 07 JUNE 2012

Former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka said that the goals of those ‘seeking revenge’ have not been completely stopped despite his release. “Even though I have been released the goals of those who imprisoned me which include the need to suppress me and take away my political rights have notcompletely stopped as yet. These agendas are still continuing but we will fight them bravely and are not afraid of them” he said.

Fonseka struck a defiant tone when he addressed the media at the High courts today stating that no one can suppress his vision for the future of this country. “Just because they put me behind bars or suppress us they have not been able to suppress my vision for the future of this country. Even in the future I will keep to my promises that I have given to my people before I was imprisoned".

"I will fight for democracy and the rule of law and will also fight for economic sustenance of the people of this country. We don’t want anything back from the country and will always look to give back to our country and to this end I am fully committed towards our peace and democracy loving citizens” he said.

The case for against Fonseka for harbouring Army deserters was postponed to the 21st of June.( Daily Mirror online)

Click here to view pictures

Sri Lankan minister 'forced' to leave the city

PTI
Coimbatore, June 07, 2012

A Sri Lankan Minister was on Thursday forced to cancel his participation in a function here and leave the city based on police advice shortly before Tamil Eelam supporters staged a protest against his visit. Sri Lankan Agriculture Minister Reginald Cooray left the city this morning for Chennai without attending the function at the Sugarcane Breeding Institute here after police advised him to move apparently getting wind of the planned protest.

Apparently unaware that Cooray had left the city, around 50 workers of MDMK, Periyar Dravida Kazhagam, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal and other outfits gathered in front of the hotel where he had checked in last night on arrival and raised slogans against him and the Sri Lankan Government over the alleged war crimes against Tamils in the island.

All the activists were arrested, police said. About an hour before the protest, police escorted Cooray to the airport from where he took a flight to Chennai, they said.

In January, Thirukumaran Nadesan, brother-in-law of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, had to face protests in Rameswaram.

Citing the protests, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in March last to discourage frequent visits by Sri Lankan VIPs to Tamil Nadu and allow such visits only after consulting the state government.

District and police officials refused to state whether they had prior knowledge about Cooray's visit.

PB to be blamed for economic downfall

Wednesday, 06 June 2012

The President has asked two journalists from private newspapers to publish articles that would give the impression that treasury Secretary Dr. P.B. Jayasundera is responsible for the current economic downfall and has also directed several ministers to take shots at PB.

A senior official from the Presidential Secretariat said that Senior Minister for International Monetary Relations, Dr. Sarath Amunugama has recently made a statement that some state officials hindered the country’s development process as part of this plan.

Amunugama addressing a meeting of about 10-15 persons in Galagedara on the 3rd said that some state officials have prevented the country from getting important resources and that instead of encouraging investments in to the country, they discouraged investors from coming into the country.

The Minister said that such officials would be revealed and stern action would be taken against them.

Jayasundera was the second most trusted government official of the President after his relative and Chief of Presidential Staff, Gamini Senarath. However, the President’s relationship with Jayasundera has got distanced after hearing many issues raised by various persons.

Jayasundera’s main opponents are Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal and Transport Minister secretary Dhammika Perera. They have aligned themselves with MP Namal Rajapaksa and commenced a strategic operation against Jayasundera a few months earlier.

Namal has said various things to the President against Jayasundera resulting in the President distancing himself from Jayasundera.

Apart from Nivard and Dhammika, Minister Wimal Weerawansa is also angry with Jayasundera. He is also a member of the operation that is trying to kick Jayasundera out of the government.

A media campaign is to be launched against Jayasundera in the next few days and Dhammika Perera has already made an initial payment of Rs. 50,000 to the journalists who are preparing reports on Jayasundera for the campaign.

Nivard Cabraal has informed the President through Namal that Jayasundera had leaked information to the media about the controversial transaction between the National Savings Bank (NSB) and The Finance and that he was closely linked to Mano Tittawela, who is very close to former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge.

The official who gave us the information said that this was the key issue that has caused a distance between President and Jayasundera.

The President had previously on several occasions prevented Jayasundera from retiring from the service when he had made several requests to retire. Jayasundera at such occasions had told his staff that he could not forget the President’s help to clear his name when former Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva issued a verdict against him.

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Tamils protest at diamond jubilee lunch over Sri Lanka president's presence

Mahinda Rajapaksa forced to abandon speech over allegations he has presided over torture and other human rights abuses

Caroline Davies and Alexandra Topping guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 6 June 2012

'Hari' a Tamil asylum seeker from Sri Lanka

Tamil asylum seeker 'Hari' told the Guardian on Tuesday that he was tortured after being deported, including beatings on his back with electrical wire and being suspended upside down by his ankles. Photograph: Teri Pengilley for the Guardian

More than 1,000 Tamil protesters demonstrated outside a diamond jubilee lunch for the Queen in protest over the presence of the president of Sri Lanka as he was forced to abandon a keynote speech in the City of London on Wednesday.

Mahinda Rajapaksa, accused of presiding over human rights abuses after allegations of war crimes by Sri Lankan armed forces, was a guest, along with David Cameron, at the lunch in London hosted by the Commonwealth secretary general, Kamalesh Sharma.

Demonstrators descended on Marlborough House, Pall Mall, with some wielding hanged effigies of the president. Their chants echoed around the forecourt as guests arrived. Police estimated there were 1,200 protesters, though the Tamils said there were more.

The protests are over alleged war crimes and human rights abuses. One victim told the Guardian that he was left scarred and suicidal by torture, and accused the British government of forcibly deporting asylum seekers who are then tortured in Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan said he was tortured over 17 days after being deported from the UK last year, and accused by his torturers of trying to ruin diplomatic relations with Britain by passing on allegations of other human rights abuses by state officials.

Rajapaksa was jeered as he swept through the main gates of Marlborough House in a Range Rover, which did not carry a flag because of security concerns.

Full Story>>>

SL Reduces 60%Troops From Tamil Dominated Jaffna
June 6th, 2012

Bowing to international pressure, Sri Lanka today said it had “drastically” reduced its troops’ presence the former war zones of Tamil-dominated Jaffna peninsula from 50,000 to 15,000.

“The number of troops in the Jaffna Peninsula, at present has been reduced to around 15,000, a reduction of over 60 per cent troops deployed at the beginning of the humanitarian operation,” military spokesman Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasuriya has said.

He said at the peak of the military campaign launched against the Tamil tigers in 2006, there were 50,000 troops deployed in the area, whose strength had been brought down to 15,000.

The army spokesman said that troops had been thinned down after making a “threat assessment, ground situation and capabilities in meeting these threats.”

Western nations had recently demanded that Colombo thin out forces from the former war zones in view of improvement in the situation there.

The troop withdrawal comes even as Sri Lanka government recently protested over comments by British High Commissioner John Rankin, who had suggested that the government should thin out forces from the Tamil areas. The envoy had also suggested that the military presence in the north and east also be reduced to the levels in the south.

The High Commissioner was summoned to the foreign office to lodge a formal protest over his remarks.

Written by PTI

Nominee for US ambassador to Sri Lanka says human rights top priority

By Associated Press, Updated: Wednesday, June 6

WASHINGTON — The nominee to be the next U.S. ambassador to Sri Lanka says human rights will be at the top of her agenda.

Michele Sison said Wednesday that serious allegations of violation of international human rights law committed during the island nation’s civil war have yet to be investigated and have slowed reconciliation.

“One cannot have true reconciliation,” Sison told her Senate confirmation hearing, “without that accountability.”

Sri Lanka’s quarter-century civil war killed more than 80,000 people. It ended in May 2009, when government forces crushed the rebels who had fought for a separate state for ethnic minority Tamils, claiming decades of discrimination by the Sinhalese majority.

The island is now at peace, but reports of rights violations persist and the government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa is under international pressure to probe abuses by both sides in the final months of the war. A U.N. report found that thousands died and that Sri Lankan troops deliberately targeted civilians. It said Tamil rebels used civilians as human shields.

Democrat Sen. Robert Casey urged an independent investigation into alleged war crimes, saying the issue would not go away “until the world sees results.”

He said Sri Lanka has yet to implement recommendations made six months ago by its own reconciliation commission, and cited figures from the Switzerland-based Internal Displacement Monitoring Center, that nearly 100,000 Tamils are still displaced. He said the military presence in the island’s north and east was obstructing their resettlement.

Sison said the U.S. was looking for “near term progress” by Sri Lanka, particularly in setting a date for provincial elections in the country’s north and demilitarization of former conflict zones.

Sri Lanka has resisted calls from human rights groups to allow an international probe into the war crimes allegations.

Sison has served as ambassador to Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates. She is currently assistant chief of mission for law enforcement and rule of law at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.

A woman is raped every 90 minutes in Sri Lanka

( June 06, 2012, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Women and children are at the receiving end of serious crimes due to political interference and the failure of the police to carry out law and order in the country states Socialist Women’s Union (SWU) and pointed out that a woman is raped somewhere in Sri Lanka every 90 minutes.

SWU points out that this state is due to the introduction of the free economy to the country which destroyed human relationships and created a society that decides everything on money. This was stated by the National Organizer of the SWU Samanmalee Gunasinghe at a special media meeting held at the head office of the JVP at Pelawatta today (5th).

Speaking further Ms. Gunasinghe said, “The SWU holds the media meeting not just to speak about one or a few incidents. We would like to draw the attention of the society to the serious tragedies children and women are confronted with generally.

Police Judicial statistics show that 5 instances of raping of women take place in the country daily. However, the real number is thrice this which means 15 women are being raped daily. In other words a woman is raped in the country every 90 minutes. Statistics show this situation has escalated from 1990. There were 665 rape incidents reported in 1990, 542 in 1995, 1397 in 2007, 1592 in 2008, 1624 in 2009, 1854 in 2010, 1636 until 30th November, 2011. Also, 48% of the recorded crimes in 2011 were rapes of women. 89% of them were raping of girls under the age of 16. Also, 4000 of the 15,000 cases that are being heard in courts are regarding violence against children. It has also been revealed that 90% of the women are abused when using public transport.

As the Socialist Women’s Union we have a broad analysis regarding these crimes. Why do these crimes committed against women and children? According to newspaper reports more than 20 such incidents occur daily. It is evident that the main cause of this situation is the result of open economic policy that created a society that craves for money and tries to earn it by hook or by crook. During the first days open economy was introduced children too were sold to foreigners. Also, children were used as sex slaves to earn money. Murdering of children and women too has gone up. We have reached such a stage that economic factors have taken precedent over human relationships.

The SWU requests all women not to wait till any crime or violence is committed against them or others around them but to rally to defeat this state. All women’s organizations as well as women individually should rise against this state. They should struggle for the right to live without abuse and harm. The SWU is prepared to give leadership to all just struggles of women. We invite all to rally with us to build a protective society for all.

Members of the Executive Committee of the SWU Chandramali Perera and Sriya Ganegalle, Member of the SWU Samudra Warnakulasuriya too were present.

Guest Post: The Mosaic Institute On Our Recent Sri Lanka Program

by Daniel Kitts Wednesday June 6, 2012
ednesday June 6, 2012

On a May 18 program I produced discussing how to move Sri Lanka forward after many years of war (above), some of our guests criticized the work of the Toronto-basedMosaic Institute and its work in fostering dialogue between the Tamil and Sinhalese diaspora communities in Canada. John Monahan, Executive Director of the Mosaic Institute, has chosen to respond to those criticisms in the following guest post.

With the recent recognition of the three-year anniversary of the end of the long civil conflict in Sri Lanka, public attention has turned again to the work undertaken by the Mosaic Institute since 2009 with respect to the “Teardrop Nation.” Unfortunately, there are some who have misunderstood or misconstrued this work. We are pleased, therefore, to take this opportunity to clarify what it is we have done with respect to Sri Lanka, and why.

Gagged Tamils in Jaffna symbolically protest British unitary legacy

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 06 June 2012, 15:10 GMT]
Marking the day the diamond jubilee celebrating Queen of England dining with Mahinda Rajapaksa, the president of the genocidal State of Sri Lanka, Eezham Tamils gagged in the island chose to symbolically burn the unitary constitutions of British legacy in Ceylon, starting from 1833, and the republican constitutions of 1972 and 1978 of Sri Lanka, at a British colonial cemetery in Nalloor, the last capital of the Tamil Kingdom of Jaffna. A group of students arriving in vehicles symbolically laid the 7 unitary constitutions in the form of placards at the St. John’s cemetery in Jaffna, and after placing a wreath burnt them on Wednesday. As attack and intimidations by the occupying military have silenced the activities of the Jaffna University Students’ Union, another set of students outside of the university carried out the protest even under the gagged circumstances, sources in Jaffna said.

The constitutions that were symbolically burnt were the 1833 Colbrooke-Cameron constitution that for the first time brought in a unitary state in the island by joining the territories of the Eezham Tamils, Kandyan Sinhalese and the coastal Sinhalese, the 1910 Mc Callum constitution, the 1920 Manning constitution, the 1931 Donoughmore constitution that was implemented amidst boycott by Tamils, the 1945 Soulbury constitution that also became the constitution of independent Ceylon, the 1972 republican constitution of Sri Mao that proclaimed a Sinhala-Buddhist State and made Tamils to resolve for independence and the 1978 JR’s presidential constitution that made state genocidal to Eezham Tamils.

Student representatives anonymously told media that they wished to send the message to the international community and even under conditions of death threats, wished to extend support at least symbolically to their kith and kin spontaneously demonstrating in London and elsewhere against the insult added to injury by the British regime inviting genocidal Rajapaksa to dine with the Queen on a historic occasion.

The British colonial cemetery was chosen for the protest with full consciousness, they said, as now the so-called international community and India only wish to continue the British colonial legacy in protecting Colombo-centric, unitary, Sinhala state in the island.

The act of the youth is of great significance when legacy-continuing leadership of Eezham Tamils in the island, leadership claimants in the diaspora and main leaders in Tamil Nadu keep quiet or play stooges to the designs of the so-called international community and India, political observers in the island pointed out.

'Killing fields' protest: Queen's Diamond Jubilee lunch hit by 3,000 strong march in central London

Police estimated that more than 1,500 pro-Tamil demonstrators turned out on the streets but eye witnesses at Pall Mall said there were closer to 3,000.

The Queen attended a lunch today with leaders of the Commonwealth as protesters massed outside.

She attended the event alone as the Duke of Edinburgh remained in hospital with a bladder infection.

She was joined by more than 70 guests, including Prime Minister David Cameron and leaders from across the association of nations, as they arrived to angry scenes.

A large group gathered outside Marlborough House in central London in opposition to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse's presence at the meal.

Their chants echoed around the forecourt as guests arrived.

Mr Rajapakse was jeered as he swept through the main gate in a Range Rover. His car did not carry a flag because of security concerns.

The Queen spent a brief moment with Mr Rajapakse and appeared to fleetingly shake hands with him as she met guests at a reception in the Blenheim Saloon inside Marlborough House.

He was seated on the table directly to the Queen's left with Babli Sharma, wife of the Commonwealth Secretary- General, Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba and his wife, and New Zealand Prime Minister John Key and his wife.

The 11 tables were named after flowers, with the Queen seated on the Golden Wattle table.

Mr Sharma welcomed the guests, saying: "It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all on this very special day in the history of the Commonwealth."

The guests were served a Brie and avocado terrine followed by wild sea bass then an apple crumble souffle, apple pie ice cream and caramelised apple.

The meal was accompanied by South African wines.

Heads of state and representatives from Australia, Canada and the African nations were welcomed by Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma.

The Queen wore a floral print silk dress in shades of blue and grey by Stuart Parvin and a blue wool crepe hat to the formal lunch.

She seemed relaxed as she was handed a bouquet of flowers by nine-year-old Aduke Badale, the daughter of a member of the Commonwealth Secretariat staff.

Sri Lankan president Mr Rajapaksa, who has been accused of presiding over human rights abuses after allegations of war crimes by Sri Lankan armed forces, earlier cancelled an address in the City of London amid concerns about the protest.

Today's protest was the first major Tamil demonstration in London since a series of massive demos across London three years ago.

Then tens of thousands of Tamil protesters caused huge disruption on central London and made several attempts to storm Parliament, costing Scotland Yard more than £12 million in overtime costs.

Police said today they were monitoring the gathering at the corner of St James Street and Pall Mall, close to where the Queen was attending the lunch.

Channel Four's foreign affairs correspondent Jonathan Miller tweeted: "Tamil protesters are wielding effigies of Rajapakse hanging from a gallows."

Veno Siba, 22, a student from Ilford, said her parents left Sri Lanka to seek asylum 20 years ago.

She said the president should not be "eating with the Queen" when he is accused of committing war crimes.

She said: "We came here to stand and protest that he's coming to London. How can the Queen not have seen what he's done?

"It's affected many people in many ways because they've lost family members or had people go there on holiday and not return."

Mr Rajapaksa was due to give a keynote speech at a special Diamond Jubilee meeting of the Commonwealth Economic Forum on Wednesday morning, but the event's organisers, the Commonwealth Business Council, stated on its website: "After careful consideration, the morning sessions of the Forum … will not take place."

A spokesman for Scotland Yard said it had agreed to guarantee the president's security but the CBC had "decided it was not in their interest to stage the event" because of the extent of the policing required and the likely disruption to the City of London.

Fred Carver, campaign director of the Sri Lanka Campaign, welcomed the news, calling it a "testament" to the campaign.

The protest was also aimed at the Hilton hotel on Park Lane where the president is staying.

There were huge protests in 2009 when the 26-year war in Sri Lanka, which claimed an estimated 70,000 lives, ended with government forces defeating the Tamil resistance.

The protests come after a Sri Lankan man, who was left scarred and suicidal after two weeks of torture, accused the British government of forcibly deporting asylum seekers who are then tortured in Sri Lanka.

The victim told the Guardian newspaper he was tortured over the space of 17 days after being deported from the UK last year.

His torturers accused him of passing on to British officials information about previous beatings at the hands of state officials and other human rights abuses to ruin diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Now the jubilee celebrations are over, what next for the Commonwealth?

guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 6 June 2012 Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah

Commonwealth leaders meet with the Queen later, but reform is needed to ensure its institutions add value in the modern world

The Queen and female heads of state at the last Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Perth, Australia in 2011. Photograph: Handout/Getty Images

From Gary Barlow's backing musicians to flags fluttering on the flotilla, the Commonwealth featured prominently in the diamond jubilee celebrations. And when Commonwealth leaders sit down to a special lunch with the Queen later today, there will undoubtedly be much toasting. Yet, behind the pomp and pageantry of the weekend, lies an international association that has had few public political successes in recent years and shows signs of genteel decline. And there's likely to be little discussion today of how the Commonwealth will add value in the modern diplomatic world.

The Commonwealth deserves its role in the jubilee celebrations. Remarkably, the Queen has overseen the independence of no fewer than 43 countries – all of which have chosen to join the Commonwealth despite many becoming republics (only Zimbabwe has since left) – and she has actively promoted this association of equal and independent states.

But for those of us who believe in the Commonwealth as a unique international experiment in promoting shared values around democracy, development and human rights, the celebrations have been bittersweet. A growing momentum to reform and revitalise the Commonwealth's institutions seems to be running out of steam.

Ahead of the last Commonwealth heads of government meeting(CHOGM) in Perth, Australia, last October, an eminent persons group came up with a set of recommendations to rebuild the Commonwealth's profile. Many of their key reforms – such as the creation of a commissioner on democracy, the rule of law and human rights – were kicked into the long grass. Attempts to enshrine shared values in a charter are still being discussed by officials, but the final product is unlikely to go beyond existing international commitments.

Some of the Commonwealth's most enduring successes – its role in ending South African apartheid, for example – arose from creating dialogue between countries with different outlooks who nonetheless managed to agree a way forward.

Today, there seems little appetite for tackling some of the thornier issues that should be on the agenda. For example, the Commonwealth could be actively working to end the criminalisation of homosexuality in its member states, or clamping down on the arms trade.

And leaders attending today's lunch need not look far to see perhaps the thorniest issue of all. The Queen will be joined by both Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa, whose country will host the next CHOGM, and Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper, who has said that he will not attend CHOGM unless the Sri Lankan government addresses human rights violations.

Rajapaksa will rightly claim that his government has received no formal Commonwealth sanction and that he has the backing of the vast majority of member states. Harper's concerns are shared by several member states and almost all Commonwealth NGOs. The problem is that Commonwealth institutions seem unable to lend a helping hand with reconciliation or development in Sri Lanka, or to be able to demonstrate that they can resolve political differences.

Without the former, Sri Lanka and its supporters will see the Commonwealth as just another UN-style forum for punitive resolutions; without the latter, the next CHOGM may be marred by deep faultlines and further scepticism about whether the Commonwealth stands for any shared values.

The Prince of Wales closed Monday night's diamond jubilee concert by talking about the Commonwealth's "unity in diversity". The Commonwealth's political leaders must now show that this is more than just a platitude.