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| Obhrai lays wreath at Elephant Pass. Photograph Colombo Gazette |
The Canadian delegate to CHOGM, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Deepak Obhrai was in Jaffna on Tuesday, undertaking a fact finding mission.
Meeting with Tamils in the North-East, including the Chief Minister of the Northern Province, C.W. Wigneswaran, Obhrai visited the premises of the Tamil Jaffna based newspaper, Uthayan, reports Colombo Gazette.
He laid a wreath at Elephant Pass in memory of those who were killed during the armed conflict. The Sri Lankan newspaper, Island, wrote, 'a senior government official 'alleged the flowers had been for those who died fighting for the LTTE.'
The Island added:
'Asked whether Sri Lanka would protest to Canada against the laying of flowers, the official said that the Commonwealth Secretariat should explain its position. He said that the Canadian Prime Minister’s representative was accompanied to the cemetery by the Canadian High Commissioner in Colombo Shelley Whiting.
They entered the cemetery in spite of a Sri Lankan official accompanying them requesting them not to lay flowers there.
Officials alleged that other delegations visiting Jaffna, too, would try to follow the Canadians. Among those expected to visit Jaffna were British and New Zealand delegations.
Earlier, Obhrai cancelled a media briefing scheduled at Canadian High Commissioner’s Colombo residence on Monday at 6.00 p.m.'