Talking tough to Sri Lanka: Why India should learn from Cameron

Sri Lanka has reached “nowhere near enough improvement” even after four years since the defeat of the LTTE, and the country must account for the past and respect human rights today, according to British Prime Minister David Cameron. Colombo as the location of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) gives the member countries an “opportunity to raise our concerns clearly and directly — and to focus the eyes of the world on Sri Lanka,” he said. “Together we must say clearly to the government of Sri Lanka — our hosts — that there must be accountability for the past and respect for human rights today.” In an Op-Ed article in the Times of India, titled “ In Colombo, We Will Stand Up for Our Beliefs”, he said, “We need to see more progress: genuine freedom of expression and a free media, an end to the intimidation of journalists and human rights defenders, action to stamp out torture, demilitarisation of the north and reconciliation between communities.” [caption id=“attachment_1229319” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Cameron has said he will be attending the CHOGM in Sri Lanka. Reuters[/caption] Cameron also stressed the need for a “thorough investigation into alleged war crimes”. If it doesn’t happen soon, an international independent investigation will be needed. This, in fact, was the call made by the UN Human Rights chief Navi Pillay as well. “This won’t always make for easy conversations, but diplomacy isn’t about ducking difficult decisions. We will only protect the values that are precious to us if we take action when they are at stake,” he added. The Guardian reported on Tuesday that Cameron was pressing for a meeting with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa to raise allegations of war crimes and abductions. Quoting Downing Street sources, the report said “the UK had made it very clear that Cameron wanted a substantive meeting with Rajapaksa, and officials are confident that he will get one, but the Sri Lankan side had not agreed to it.” India’s foreign minister Salman Khurshid who arrived in Colombo on Wednesday amid protests by the Tamil Nadu state assembly as well as political parties in the state, except the Congress, also banked on diplomacy to justify his presence, but he chose to spare Sri Lanka of any criticism. Instead, he focussed on the need for engagement for the benefit of Tamils in the North. “We are doing a lot for Tamils of northern areas in Sri Lanka. We are involved in a big project of building 50,000 houses (in the war-ravaged areas), laying roads and erecting infrastructure. Nobody is saying you should not be doing this,” he reportedly said. “If we are not here, how can we be doing these things,” he asked. Khurshid said he would speak to Colombo on the sidelines of the meeting to convey India’s views and concerns on issues such as devolution of power and attacks on Indian fisherman. Although multilateralism and the need for direct engagement were grounds for justifying their participation, there was a stark difference between what Cameron and Khurshid said. While the UK premier minced no words about Sri Lanka’s alleged war crimes of the past and continuing record of human rights violations, the latter stuck to New Delhi’s standard line on helping Tamils. In fact, India has never used words such as war crimes and human rights, even when the international community was incensed and Tamil Nadu was on the boil. Sri Lanka’s alleged war crimes and human rights record are not on the CHOGM agenda. However, there is increasing demand from various quarters that heads of governments should use the opportunity to raise them. “The world will be watching to see if Commonwealth leaders speak out for the victims of abuses or stay silent on behalf of the summit’s host,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch (HRW). Although Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh skipped the summit under political pressure from Tamil Nadu, particularly in view of the parliamentary elections next year, he chose not to cite any reason for his absence. In contrast, another notable absentee, the Mauritian prime minister Navin Chandra Ramgoolam said he was staying away because of the island’s poor human rights record. “This is a decision taken by a sovereign Mauritius in the face of the absence of progress in Sri Lanka on the respect of human rights,” he said, adding “human rights is more important than anything else”. The absence of Ramgoolam is significant because Mauritius will host the next CHOGM in 2015. The country has a sizeable Tamil population (10 per cent) and the PM’s decision is guided by domestic sentiments. In comparison, India chose to to prioritise on geopolitical compulsions than domestic politics. When it finally did yield to its political interests in Tamil Nadu, which sends 39 members to the Lok Sabha,  it was not only late, but was feeble too.