An Open Letter To The Heads Of Government Of The Commonwealth
By Rev. S.J. Emmanuel -September 7, 2013
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Rev. Dr S.J. Emmanuel
Open Letter
Dear Heads of Government,
I write, on behalf of the Global Tamil Forum (GTF), to humbly ask you to boycott the 2013 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Colombo. This is not a request I make lightly, given my strong support for an association which has shown real leadership on key issues such as the end of apartheid in South Africa. However, the 2013 CHOGM will seriously weaken the Commonwealth’s commitment to core principles of human rights and democracy and will implicitly endorse the actions of PresidentRajapaksa’s regime – a Government accused of responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity and the on-going perpetration of egregious human right violations.
Days after the end of the country’s brutal armed conflict in May 2009, President Rajapaksa gave unequivocal commitments to the UN Secretary-General to protect the rights of citizens; ensure the economic and political empowerment of the Tamil majority areas; work towards a lasting political settlement; and take measures to address the violations of international humanitarian and human rights law during the war.
However, the recent damning critique of the ground realities in Sri Lanka by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, has exposed the emptiness of President Rajapaksa’s promises. Speaking at the end of her visit to the country in August, she expressed her grave concerns regarding the “curtailment or denial of personal freedoms and human rights […] persistent impunity and the failure of the rule of law.”Incredibly, a number of human rights defenders, journalists, citizens and relatives of those missing or disappeared, who had the chance to meet with the High Commissioner, were subsequently intimidated by the security forces. “This type of surveillance and harassment appears to be getting worse in Sri Lanka, which is a country where critical voices are quite often attacked or even permanently silenced”, said Ms Pillay. Sri Lanka “is heading in an increasingly authoritarian direction.”
Her statement is yet more evidence of the significant international concern regarding the situation on the island. The UN Human Rights Council has adopted two resolutions on Sri Lanka, since March 2012, which have demanded accountability and reconciliation and raised a number of issues concerning the promotion and protection of human rights. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, International Crisis Group and many others are unanimous in their condemnation of the Rajapaksa regime.Read More
