"Does anyone specifically have a question that's not on Sri Lanka or human rights?" the media spokesman for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting implored journalists at a press conference held by host president Mahinda Rajapaksa.

 

The normally diplomatic Richard Uku had just unwittingly summed up a CHOGM that can only be described as extraordinary for all the wrong reasons

 

Most CHOGM attendees have refrained as far as possible from embarrassing Mr Rajapaksa over questions about his regime's human rights record. Much of the talk at CHOGM focussed on Sri Lanka's positives, especially its promising post-conflict economic prospects.

 

But British prime minister David Cameron broke ranks. ...

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has defended giving military hardware to a country the United Nations has accused of war crimes, saying the gift of two ships to stop people smuggling will "preserve lives at sea".

But critics say this is ‘collaboration’ with a regime that has come under fierce criticism for its human rights record.

The Channel 4 news team pulled out of Sri Lanka before the close of the Common Wealth Heads of government meeting after facing extensive intimidation and harassment, today.

Writing on  the Channel 4 News website, the editor, Ben de Pear explained the reasoning behind his decision to leave Sri Lanka.

Extracts produced below.

“Tonight there will be no report from Channel 4 news on this important summit form Colombo, as despite having been invited to Sri Lank, granted visas and even accredited for the event, after a difficult week it became impossible for Channel 4 News to operate as journalists in this country.”

“After being invited to visit any part of the country - as were all CHOGM journalists publicly by the president – when we took a train to the north of the country, even the train was met and stopped by another organised protest.”

“We were then forced into a van by police and driven back to Colombo.”

“The government has tried to exclude us from CHOGM press conferences.”

UNP MP Sajith Premadasa said earlier today that his party is against foreign intervention in Sri Lanka’s domestic affairs.

The Canadian government has hit out at claims by Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma that Sri Lanka had done enough to address human rights concerns.

Canadian Foreign Minister Deepak Obhrai said to the Colombo Gazette that there was a clear deterioration in democracy, rule of law, freedom of the press and the freedom of religion.

“I went to the local newspaper there (Uthayan – Jaffna) and saw horrific pictures of journalists being killed and the press being attacked. What is very disturbing to us, aside from the attacks on the journalists, is that nothing has been done to catch the culprits; nothing has been done to provide security to the people. This is the lack to what we are saying is tangible results to achieving the Commonwealth principles,” he said.

The International Crisis Group, in a report released this week, highlighted the ongoing rights abuses in Sri Lanka and reiterated the need for provisions of self rule in the North-East and a possible international independent investigation into war crimes.

See extracts from the executive summary below. Full report can be found here.

“Sri Lanka’s ethnically-exclusive regime continues to close political space and consolidate its power.  The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) won a landslide victory in September’s long-awaited northern provincial council elections. Yet, President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s administration is reluctant to allow devolution to begin, preferring to maintain de-facto military rule in the north.”

Extract’s from an opinion in the Sydney Morning Herald by Ben Doherty, South Asia correspondent:

Sri Lankan President, Mahinda Rajapaksa, once again rejected calls for a potential international investigation into alleged war crimes committed at the end of the ethnic conflict.

The charitable arm of the Commonwealth, the Commonwealth Foundation, has been involved in a row at the leaders’ summit in Colombo, after staff complained of being intimidated by Sri Lankan officials angered by British minister Hugo Swire who raised human rights concerns on the island, The Guardian reports.

Staff say they were shouted at and trailed by police after a meeting at which Mr. Swire raised the issue of human rights.

Extracts from the newpaper’s report (full text here) follow:

Sources at the Commonwealth Foundation, which promotes non-profit organisations in former British colonies, said the Sri Lankan government had attempted to "take over and control" events it had planned.

British Prime Minister David Cameron put Sri Lanka on notice Saturday to conduct an "credible, transparent and independent" investigations into allegations of war crimes by March or else he would lead a push for action at the United Nations.

But Sri Lanka remained defiant, with government ministers dismissing Mr. Cameron’s warning as “nothing new” and accusing him of interfering with Sri Lanka’s sovereignty.

"Tamil journalists, who had gone to reporting the intentional disruption by authorities of peaceful demonstrations held by family members of missing persons and Tamil people demanding justice, were threatened by individuals believed to have been members of the security forces dressed in civil clothing, further illustrating that intimidation of Tamil journalists continues to take place on the island."