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    After The Circus

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    Thavam
    The Commonwealth summit hosted in Sri Lanka was overshadowed by criticism of the country's poor human rights record during its civil war. While Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa had hoped hosting the event would draw attention away from these issues, he was repeatedly questioned about his government's failure to hold anyone accountable for alleged war crimes. The summit saw low attendance and some leaders backing out due to human rights concerns, leaving Rajapaksa facing pressure to take further action on investigations.

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    After The Circus

    Uploaded by

    Thavam
    223 views4 pages
    The Commonwealth summit hosted in Sri Lanka was overshadowed by criticism of the country's poor human rights record during its civil war. While Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa had hoped hosting the event would draw attention away from these issues, he was repeatedly questioned about his government's failure to hold anyone accountable for alleged war crimes. The summit saw low attendance and some leaders backing out due to human rights concerns, leaving Rajapaksa facing pressure to take further action on investigations.

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    After the Circus

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    The Commonwealth summit hosted in Sri Lanka was overshadowed by criticism of the country's poor human rights record during its civil war. While Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa had hoped hosting the event would draw attention away from these issues, he was repeatedly questioned about his government's failure to hold anyone accountable for alleged war crimes. The summit saw low attendance and some leaders backing out due to human rights concerns, leaving Rajapaksa facing pressure to take further action on investigations.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as ODT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as odt, pdf, or txt
    223 views4 pages

    After The Circus

    Uploaded by

    Thavam
    The Commonwealth summit hosted in Sri Lanka was overshadowed by criticism of the country's poor human rights record during its civil war. While Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa had hoped hosting the event would draw attention away from these issues, he was repeatedly questioned about his government's failure to hold anyone accountable for alleged war crimes. The summit saw low attendance and some leaders backing out due to human rights concerns, leaving Rajapaksa facing pressure to take further action on investigations.

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    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as ODT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as odt, pdf, or txt
    of 4

    After the circus

    Banyan-Nov 18th 2013,


    HAS the circus left town? Can I lease return to Colo!"o now?# as$e% a &witter user, the !ornin' after lea%ers of the Co!!onwealth en%e% their !eetin' in the Sri (an$an ca ital) &he circus is 'one) &he olice chief has 'iven hun%re%s of olice!en three %a*s off to recu erate) A%vertise!ents toutin' the su!!it as a victor*#+hoste% in %efiance of %e!an%s that the venue "e chan'e% "ecause of the countr*,s %is!al hu!an-ri'hts recor%+will soon "e off air) Sri (an$ans are %ivi%e% over what the e- ensive shin%i' has achieve%) .ost woul% a'ree, however, that "a% u"licit* to s the list) International covera'e focuse% heavil* on %isa earances of eo le %urin' an% after the civil war, !e%ia su ression an%

    ersistent alle'ations that war cri!es were co!!itte% in 200/ as &a!il &i'er re"els were crushe%) &he resi%ent, .ahin%a 0a1a a$sa, ha% ho e% these !atters woul% sta* hi%%en "eneath new ave!ents s eciall* lai% in the ca ital for the su!!it, or that the hun%re%s of 1ournalists who conver'e% on Colo!"o woul% "e %istracte% "* lan%sca e% ar$s, coloure% fountains an% a !a'nificent line-u of 'ar"e% ele hants) 2ut at three ress conferences he atten%e%, he was 3uestione% re eate%l* a"out his failure to hol% an*one accounta"le for the %eaths of nearl* 40,000 civilians at the war,s en%) &he Co!!onwealth Secretariat,s !o%erator as$e%, crin'in'l*, whether an*one ha% an* 3uestions not a"out Sri (an$a an% hu!an ri'hts) &he* %i% not) &he resi%ent an% his haw$ish 'overn!ent shoul% have e- ecte% as !uch) &he !eetin' ha% "een rece%e% "* "o*cott calls) 5ri!e !inisters of Cana%a an% .auritius $e t awa*, citin' hu!an ri'hts concerns) 6ivin' into ressure fro! otential coalition artners in &a!il Na%u, the In%ian ri!e !inister, .an!ohan Sin'h, also "ac$e% out) In all, onl* 24 hea%s of 'overn!ent showe% u +the lowest such count for a Co!!onwealth su!!it in %eca%es) .ore trou"lin', however, were so!e who %i% co!e) &he 2ritish ri!e !inister, 7avi% Ca!eron, use% his visit to tell the 'overn!ent it !ust carr* out a cre%i"le, trans arent an% in%e en%ent investi'ation into alle'e% war cri!es "* .arch) If it fails, he warne%, 2ritain woul% use its osition in the 8N Hu!an 0i'hts Council to ress for an international in3uir*)

    &he Sri (an$an 'overn!ent is "ristlin') Its su

    orters as$ who .r Ca!eron thin$s he

    is to issue %ea%lines to a soverei'n countr*) &he local ress accuses hi! of la*in' for the votes of &a!ils in 2ritain) Sri (an$an !inisters sa* forei'ners have no ri'ht to !e%%le in their affairs) 2ut ai%es whis er that, "ehin% close% %oors, the 'overn!ent $nows forei'n 'overn!ents are no lon'er "u*in' its e-cuses) So!ethin' !ore !i'ht have to "e %one, ro"a"l* "efore the Hu!an 0i'hts Council convenes in .arch) 9ne o tion for .r 0a1a a$sa is to turn to South Africa for 'ui%ance) Its resi%ent, :aco" ;u!a, has share% with the 'overn!ent an% the &a!il National Alliance, which runs Sri (an$a,s northern rovince after an election in Se te!"er, a su''estion for a truth an% reconciliation co!!ission) It is har% to "elieve that .r 0a1a a$sa will actuall* follow throu'h) .ost of the ro osals !a%e "* its own (essons (earnt an% 0econciliation Co!!ission <the wor% truth# was avoi%e% in the title= are *et to "e i! le!ente%) It or%ere% the ar!* to investi'ate a han%ful of war-cri!es alle'ations !entione% in the co!!ission,s re ort) &he ar!* e-onerate% itself) 7o!estic ressure to %o so!ethin' !ore !a* "e sustaine%) &he Islan% news a er, a nationalist one that "ac$e% the war a'ainst the &i'ers, sai% in an e%itorial on Nove!"er 18th that .r 0a1a a$sa shoul% not e- ect his ro"le!s on this issue to 'o awa*) &a!il an% other oliticians !a* also ush har%er) &he su!!it over, so!e activists fear a 'overn!ent crac$%own as forei'n attention !oves on) 5eo le who !et with .r Ca!eron %urin' a visit to the North, inclu%in'

    relatives of the %isa

    eare%, !a* "e at articular ris$ of harass!ent an% inti!i%ation)

    >et the resi%ent,s o ularit* a!on' !a1orit* Sinhala 2u%%hists is li$el* to 'row) Alrea%*, the* see hi! as a victi! of an international cons irac* to "rin' a"out re'i!e chan'e in favour of a !ore lia"le 'overn!ent) ?ith In%ia an% the ?est loo$in' less frien%l* than ever, it !i'ht "e articularl* te! tin' for .r 0a1a a$sa to lean closer to China in the co!in' !onths) However .r 0a1a a$sa will re!ain as no!inal hea% of the Co!!onwealth for the ne-t two *ears, where %e"ate a"out his countr* is also li$el* to flare) Havin' as$e% to "e in the s otli'ht, the Sri (an$an resi%ent can har%l* co! lain a"out the circus now) <5icture cre%it@ AA5=

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