CHOGM starts today,row over Sri Lanka

On the table will be issues ranging from the global economic situation to development challenges,food security to climate change,and to what many appears more pressing,the reform of the Commonwealth.

But even before Perth 2011 gets underway,questions are being asked about CHOGM 2013 which is to be hosted by Sri Lanka. Allegations of war crimes in the final days of its offensive against the Tamil Tigers have led to calls for a rethink on the choice of venue for the next meet.

A brief compiled by the Australia chapter of the International Commission of Jurists wants Sri Lanka’s envoy to Canberra,former navy officer Thisara Samarasinghe,probed for alleged war crimes — a charge he denies.

It is alleged that the Sri Lankan navy fired on civilians as troops closed in on the Tigers. There is no proof that Samarasinghe was involved in the attacks but those seeking a probe argue that he held a command responsibility for the actions of the rank and file.

The ICJA is not alone in mounting pressure on member states over Sri Lanka. In an open letter to CHOGM leaders,the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative and other groups underlined: “We believe that the moment to re-consider Sri Lanka’s suitability as a host for Commonwealth¿s most emblematic meeting must be at Perth.”

“In a recent response to one of our organisations,the Commonwealth Secretary-General stated that the decision for Sri Lanka to host the 2013 CHOGM was taken by CHOGM 2009 and that it needs no further confirmation from CHOGM 2011. He also informed that the Commonwealth is waiting for the report from Sri Lanka’s Lessons Learned and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) to decide its policy on the country. The report is due in November 2011 after CHOGM 2011,when it will be too late for any further consideration of the CHOGM venue.”

“Providing space for Sri Lanka to be the host of CHOGM 2013 will only serve as a declaration of the Commonwealth’s indifference to human rights concerns,” the letter stated.

When The Indian Express asked Vice President Ansari for his comments on calls to change the venue for the next CHOGM,he said: “That decision (of Sri Lanka as host) was taken in Port of Spain in 2009. That’s the end of the matter.”

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa is already in Perth. In an interview to FIRST,the official CHOGM publication,Rajapaksa,responding to a query on what lessons could other countries learn from Sri Lanka’s experience of internal conflict,said one of the important lessons is to “develop home grown solutions to conflicts within one’s nation”. “This is not the rejection of the experience of others but an understanding of how such solutions could be best tailored to suit our own needs… imposition of outside values that do not suit the specific needs of a society emerging from conflict cannot help in achieving sustainable peace and healthy reconciliation,” Rajapaksa said.