Sydney, Oct 28 (ANI): Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has slammed Tamil protestors in Perth over continuing allegations of war crimes during the end of the civil war in 2009, saying that the "eradication of terrorism" was the basis of Sri Lanka's prosperity.
Rajapaksa defied calls for Colombo to be denied the right to host the next Commonwealth leaders' meeting, telling a gathering in Perth yesterday that reconciliation after Sri Lanka's brutal civil war was well under way.
"When the next CHOGM is held in Sri Lanka, it is my firm belief that it will be a memorable experience for you, my dear friends," The Age quoted him, as telling the Commonwealth Business Forum.
Greens leader Bob Brown had said yesterday that Australia should boycott the 2013 CHOGM in Colombo if Sri Lanka did not adequately address issues of human rights and democracy.
Senator Brown said the government should follow Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who has threatened that Canada will stay away unless Sri Lanka acts.
"If CHOGM is held in Colombo with nothing done about the war crimes and civil rights, that could be the end of the Commonwealth," Senator Brown said, adding: "It would raise a big question mark over the Commonwealth if it can't bring Sri Lanka to do the right thing."
Earlier, around 60 members of Perth's Tamil community demanded that Rajapaksa should be arrested and charged with war crimes over atrocities in his country that eventually led to the defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2009.
Tamil speaker Yogan Tharma said Rajapaksa had been given a "red carpet welcome" to CHOGM, but he was a war criminal who should be arrested.
"His place is not in the parliament, it's behind the barb wire. Please Australia, put him into jail, don't send him back home," he shouted to the crowd.
Over 7000 people are estimated to have been killed in 2009 in the final months of the three-decade conflict with the separatist Tamil Tigers. (ANI)
|
|
Read More: Tharma
Comments:
