“The Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Colombo was the occasion for renewed demands that the state account for the brutal ending of its war with the Tamil Tigers in 2009. But Sri Lanka’s appalling human-rights record does not only apply to its violent past: today too civil-society organisations are under heavy authoritarian pressure.”
Via http://www.opendemocracy.net/opensecurity/dhananjayan-sriskandarajah/sri-lanka’s-twin-challenges#.Up5rBiTpqfA.twitter
source: www.opendemocracy.net
“The Commonwealth Summit has now ended. It was broadly seen as a complete disaster for both the Commonwealth and Sri Lanka. Only 27 of the 53 invited Heads of Government attended.”
via: http://blog.srilankacampaign.org/2013/11/the-commonwealth-summit-aftermath.html
source: blog.srilankacampaign.org
Another hotelier who also requested anonymity said, most of the mega tourism events organized by the government and government agencies had been banes for hotels instead of boons. “Some of the hotels are yet to be paid for accommodating IIFA delegates,” he said.
source: www.dailymirror.lk
Ultimately one does not need a Commonwealth astrologer to predict that the regime will use the next few days to present the summit as a great triumph and all its critics and detractors as stooges of the LTTE. The Government would never admit that from the point of view of international relations the summit proved to be a PR debacle of unprecedented magnitude. In the words of Michael Ondaatje “In Sri Lanka a lie well told is worth a thousand facts“.
The only problem being that in Sri Lanka the lies are told increasingly well.
Via http://groundviews.org/2013/11/17/chogm-2013-a-lie-well-told/
source: Groundviews
Lowest HoG count at Colombo summit
Only 24 countries participated at heads of government level at the Commonwealth summit which began in Colombo on Friday — the lowest heads-of-government count in recent decades. Among them were nine presidents and 15 prime ministers.
A record number of heads of government participated at the CHOGM 1999 in Durban South Africa. The 1997 Scotland summit drew 42 heads of government.
The Commonwealth summit in 2011 in Australia saw 36 heads of government, the Trinidad and Tobago summit in 2009 had 34 heads of government and the Uganda summit in 2007 had 36 while Malta in 2005 and Nigeria in 2003 had 38 each.
At CHOGM 2013, five countries were represented by vice presidents while eleven countries were represented by foreign ministers. The remaining nations were represented by other ministers, high commissioners and senior officials.
Via http://www.sundaytimes.lk/131117/news/chogm-showgm-highs-and-lows-of-govt-s-magnum-opus-73694.html
source: Sundaytimes.lk
The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) is due to start tomorrow. The last few weeks has seen series of violations of Human Rights and Commonwealth principles in Sri Lanka, which is the host country and expected to lead the Commonwealth in the next two years. Victims of human rights violations, their families, activists, local and international journalists, UN experts and opposition politicians from Sri Lanka and Commonwealth countries who are critical of the government have been amongst those targeted. Pro-government protests have been allowed to go ahead, even as Police obtained a court order preventing protests in the Colombo city today and tomorrow. In this article are some incidents reported, based on testimonies of victims, eye witnesses and media.
Read the full list here.
source: www.groundviews.org
With her trademark solemnity, Queen Elizabeth read and signed a new 16-point charter in March this year affirming Commonwealth principles that included democracy, human rights, freedom of expression and separation of powers.
Her next move was to announce that she would not be attending the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting for the first time in 40 years.
Via https://newmatilda.com/2013/11/15/has-queen-politely-joined-chogm-boycott
source: newmatilda.com
A BBC cameraman was physically restrained by security officials at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo
The BBC’s James Robbins and his cameraman Duncan Stone were attempting to film Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, at a media event before the formal opening of the Commonwealth meeting.
Source: Colombo Telegraph
The Families of the Disappeared, an incredibly brave Tamil group from Mannar, were blocked by police from going in the other direction. They ended up holding a demonstration in the road where police held around 50 people for 6 hours without food or water. This is the third time the Families of the Disappeared have been blocked from reaching Colombo for a demonstrationhttps://pbs.twimg.com/media/BY8He9ECYAEO0rr.jpg
Meanwhile at that demonstration Ranil Wickermasinghe, the ex PM and leader of the opposition, had his car attacked by a mob of demonstrators: https://twitter.com/Tharaka_/status/400578034274549761/photo/1/large
And Sri Lanka Campaign for Peace and Justice received also a death threat.
The prime minister of Mauritius announced today he will stay away from this week’s Commonwealth summit in Sri Lanka because of the host’s poor human rights record.
source: The Economic Times
Le Premier ministre Navin Ramgoolam ne se rendra pas au Sri Lanka pour participer au Sommet du Commonwealth, qui se tiendra du 15 au 17 septembre novembre. C’est le ministre des Affaires étrangères, Arvin Boolell, qui représentera le gouvernement mauricien à ce sommet.
source: http://www.defimedia.info
Read the guide in full here.
source: Groundviews
In the media pack given to all arriving journalists at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) being held in Sri Lanka next week is a 222 page book called “Corrupted Journalism“.
Channel 4 News Editor Ben de Pear writes in response to a 222-page book entitled Corrupted Journalism given out to journalists attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Sri Lanka.
via: http://www.channel4.com/news/sri-lanka-corrupted-journalism-and-channel-4-news
source: Channel 4
Very serious charge, if it can be corroborated. Major General Mahinda Hathurusingha is current Commander Security Forces Head Quarters in Jaffna:
“Large numbers of women regularly suffer sexual abuse perpetrated by members of the Sri Lankan armed forces. One lawyer described to us the evidence collected about these crimes. In one case they have text messages from Major General Mahinda Hathurusingha to the ‘comfort women’ he frequently abuses.”
source: http://lee-rhiannon.greensmps.org.au
The government on Saturday decided Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will not attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Colombo, after succumbing to domestic political pressures besides realising a prime minister visit wouldn’t bring it desired results on Tamil cause.
source: www.hindustantimes.com
