Tuesday, 5 November 2013 01:12
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Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma refused to agree to calls for an international investigation on Sri Lanka over alleged human rights abuses.
When asked in an interview on the BBC yesterday about UN calls for an international investigation, Sharma said the Commonwealth does not have a position on something which he says is “not practical”. Sharma says the Commonwealth Secretariat is engaging with Sri Lanka on advancing human rights and he says the Secretariat has a lot to show for it. “We have a National Plan for reconciliation together with the human rights commission, we have also with the human rights commission a two year plan on torture by state institutions in which also we are getting the Commonwealth experience included in it,” he said.
Asked about the impeachment of the former Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranaike, the Commonwealth Secretary General insisted that he had raised concerns over the issue.
Despite concerns raised ahead of the Commonwealth summit in Sri Lanka this month, Sharma said that the level of participation expected this year is no different to past summits. (Colombo Gazette)
