Looming challenges

Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister for South Asia Alistair Burt’s visit to Sri Lanka this week was short but emphatic. His spate of meetings and speeches have shown the writing on the wall as far as the international community’s intentions are concerned and places even more responsibility on the Government parties to take pragmatic steps in the best interests of the people and the country’s reputation.

Just a few days after the US delegation headed by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State James Moore told journalists that a second “procedural resolution” would be tabled at the UN Human Rights Council sessions later this month, Burt has indicated that the UK is likely to support the US as well. He has reiterated that the UK remains committed to its relations with Sri Lanka and that they are keen to see the full implementation of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) recommendations. It is already eminently clear that Canada will also support the US.

Parallel to these developments was the reported denial of visa for former Indian Chief Justice J.S. Verma who was to lead a fact-finding mission to Colombo on the impeachment of Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake. This resulted in him pulling out and could have result in more countries taking a closer look at the events that led up to the controversial removal of Bandaranayake.

Verma was scheduled to arrive in the island late on Thursday night heading a mission commissioned by the International Bar Association. The delegation originally comprised four officials including UK House of Lords Cross bench member Baroness Usha Prashar, IBA Human Rights Institute Program Lawyer Shane Keenan, and British Barrister working with the IBA’s Human Rights Institute Sadakat Kadri.

Verma confirmed to the Indian press earlier this week that he would arrive in Sri Lanka on 1 February. The respected Indian Jurist told the media in India that the delegation would spend several days engaging in interviews with members of the Judiciary, Sri Lankan Government officials, and members of the legal fraternity. It is yet unclear whether the mission will still continue, but Sri Lankan Government support is likely to be lukewarm at best. India’s leanings still remain opaque, leaving Sri Lanka vulnerable.

So far the Sri Lankan Government has trotted out its usual arguments of double standards and international conspiracies. Yet, straining British relations could have serious impact on the economy. There are over 100 British companies operating in Sri Lanka, including familiar names such as HSBC, Unilever, and Standard Chartered. British Airways is returning later this year and over 100,000 tourists boosted the industry in 2012. In fact, the UK is Sri Lanka’s second-largest trading partner after India.

Each year, around 8,000 young Sri Lankans choose to study in the UK. In addition, 27 UK colleges and universities offer British-accredited education here in Sri Lanka. In 2014 a British university is to open up the first in-country foreign campus. All this indicates that Sri Lanka needs to tread carefully in addressing the concerns expressed by these countries.

With the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) coming up in November, the Government has to brush up its international engagement to promote its peace dividends. The need of the hour is to reassure Sri Lanka’s people and the world that the Government is committed to promoting democracy and rule of law.