David Cameron Presses Rajapaksa Over War Crimes, British PM Denied Sri Lankan Media Reports
By Jonathan Miller -
A spokesman for the British Prime Minister has denied media reports from Sri Lanka on Thursday that David Cameron had had a “cordial” meeting with Sri Lankan President Mahinida Rajapakese during diamond jubilee celebrations in London.
Amid confusion as to the exact direction of British foreign policy towards Sri Lanka, Channel 4 News has learned that the British Prime Minister in fact demanded accountability for alleged war crimes when the two leaders met .
David-Cameron-
Sri Lankan government does need this to be investigated… and we need to make sure we get to the bottom of what happened
In May 2009, following the brutal end of a long civil war, President Rajapakse had promised the United Nations Secretary General that allegations of war crimes committed by Sri Lankan forces would be properly investigated.
The United Nations Human Rights Council said this year that a proper, independent investigation had yet to take place.
Mr Cameron and Mr Rajapakse were photographed standing next to each other at a jubilee lunch hosted by the Commonwealth Secretary General for the Queen on Wednesday.
Hundreds of Tamil protestors had gathered outside Marborough House and burned and hanged effigies of the Sri Lankan President as he and other heads of government arrived for the lunch. The President was driven past the protestors in an unmarked police Range Rover.
The Sri Lankan Daily Mirror quoted the President’s spokesman, Bandula Jayasekera as saying that Mr Cameron and Mr Rajapakse had held a “cordial” meeting and that the President had briefed the Prime Minister “on the development in the country” [sic].
Mr Jayasekera told the Colombo Gazette that “Mr Cameron and Mr Rajapakse had held “one-to-one talks”. The paper said that “the details of that discussion [were] not immediately made available by the President’s office.”
Now it is clear why those details were not made available. Their “one-to-one” was not what most people would consider a “friendly” chat.
“The Prime Minister raised the issue of making sure that allegations of war crimes in Sri Lanka were properly investigated,” said Craig Oliver, the Prime Minister’s spokesman. At the request of Channel 4 News, he had checked directly with Mr Cameron during a prime ministerial visit to Norway on Thursday.
We have been unable to contact Mr Jayasekera for a response to this. Last night, the Sri Lankan president left London for Rome, where he is understood to have arranged an audience with the Pope at the Vatican. Recent efforts to secure an interview with the president by Channel 4 News were brusquely rebuffed by Mr Jayasekera.
The Sri Lankan government used an earlier presidential visit to London for apparently propaganda purposes at home, presenting Mr Rajapakse as being warmly welcomed – when that is not in fact what happened.
In December 2010 the president’s planned address at the Oxford Union debating society had to be cancelled because of security fears over planned demonstrations. The president was later photographed with the then Defence Secretary, Liam Fox, during a private meeting at the Dorchester Hotel, where Mr Rajapakse was staying.
The pictures appeared on the president’s website and in Sri Lankan newspapers and were presented as official British government endorsement of the president.
Following the screening of the award-winning Channel 4 documentary Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields last year, the Prime Minister said the “extremely powerful programme” had referred to what he called “some very worrying events”. The events in question were the reported killing of an estimated 40,000 Tamil civilians by government forces at the end of the Sri Lankan civil war in 2009.
Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons, Mr Cameron said that “the Sri Lankan government does need this to be investigated… and we need to make sure we get to the bottom of what happened… ”
In March this year, Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt said that a follow-up Channel 4 documentary War Crimes Unpunished “reinforced the need for that investigation.”
The following week, the United Nations Human Rights Council passed a resolution calling on Sri Lanka to initiate “credible and independent actions” to ensure justice and accountability.
Channel 4 news
British slaves wants to capitalise the event, saying MARA meet Cameron . LOL LOL
if they are proud Sinhalese or what ever it is why this Jayasekara man telling lies?
Kamalika Rathnayaka - June 7, 2012
8:23 pm
“The Prime Minister raised the issue of making sure that allegations of war crimes in Sri Lanka were properly investigated,” said Craig Oliver, the Prime Minister’s spokesman. At the request of Channel 4 News, he had checked directly with Mr Cameron during a prime ministerial visit to Norway on Thursday.
I WONDER why this so called Sri Lankan president didnt ask about British crimes?
Kamalika Rathnayaka - June 7, 2012
8:26 pm
Kamalika
I thought Mr. Cameron has to clear his backyard before he points at Sri Lanka. What is he going to do with Mr. Blair for the carnage created in Iraq and Afgan? Is Mr Blair a “Warr Griminal??”
There is a saying “Shrimp does not know he has shi# on his own head”. Better remnd him that SL is not a colony of UK.
Mark Webber - June 9, 2012
6:37 am
Fabrication and false propaganda is the trait of srilanka supporters and the state media. They hood wink the srilanka mass with lies, and they believe and be happy, thinking everything is hunky dory.They do not know their president has been disgraced in British soil for the second time.
chokoholic - June 7, 2012
9:11 pm
Yeah yeah yeah Blair hoodwinked the British people beautifully with that BIG lie about Saddam hiding WMDs in Iraq hahaha. Oh, by the way chokoholic did you find any???? Today, the pauperized British are brutalized by the British police when they protest against the British government hahaha. Yeah yeah yea everything over there is hunky dory alright!!! Throughout their lives The British people are brainwashed and are duped in to living a fantasy by their perpetually lying Bullshit Broadcasting Corporation media. You never saw the financial crisis coming now did you you dumb fool you thought the west is all rosy but look at the bloody mess you stupid idiots have got yourselves in to hahaha. And yeah, this Cameron is not our prime minister for him to be lecturing us on human rights uninvited to do so. Sri Lanka is a sovereign nation and this is why we sent that Miliband guy empty handed last time because he had no business over here.
Chuck - June 10, 2012
6:08 am
UK has become Divided Kingdom the country’s deteroration of economy situation of Great Britin people.Is desperated of economy CRIME of way Greate Britin Ruling Parties mishandle entire system of G7 Member country. Subsequentaly of CRIME of unaccountablity of ongoing system badly damage living condtion of PEOPLE OF GB.
The result of Economic CRIME one of most prosperous nation in the world,hunger,unempolyment malnourshed childern,ragged and exhausted,pull down by poverty and crumbling public services and gap between RICH and POOR.Neddless to GB nation of people things are set to get worse.
Even IMF world Bank has warned long-term damage to GB economy if recovery remain slow pace.The youth unemploymant is too high,the policy of cut,cut and more cuts want reduce fiscal deficts.
Economy in double-dip recession,since 1975.The economy credibility of David Cameron was in tatters.
the millions of ordinary Britons life thteran crime of day to day life.
The ongoing situationsimilat to greece.
The pillar of GB economy has erath quick,David C should address of this CRIME of Economy of agonay of GB nation life.It is better to look for Great Nation economy and people, who ahd made ecrich ongoing civilization.Other undermine people of GB will GRAET CRIME.
A.Amaratunge - June 8, 2012
1:01 am
Jonathan Miller got no any other job than giving false information to world he was with thousand of teerorist with him and burning flag of legitimate country infront of him and praising what they are doing in so call UK, UK cannot grantee the security of the forum organised to celibrate this Queen duo to terrorist presssure , don’t warrry one day UK will suffer same way what SL suffered 30 years from tamils who migtaed SL same way from indi, don’t deport any tamil terrorists to SL keep them in UK , now SL is peasefull country without them
kris - June 8, 2012
3:45 am
Just another history from state terrorist. tamils migrated from india.. go and study the history before make any comments here which make others to think what type of fool you are. if you are a fan of JHU and other Buddhist extremest who always underestimate tamils, then you are in the bad position now. RIP
niv - June 8, 2012
7:55 am
Sorry, This comment is a reply to Kris’s comment above..
niv - June 8, 2012
8:15 am
Forgive me, but pray answer where the Sinhalese came from?
Perhaps the best solution is to arm the Veddha’s and send both ‘trouble makers’ (Sinhalese and Tamils) back to India.
Oh! And the Muslims also – as some Buddhists can’t stand them!
Despite the problems in Britain it must be said that the effort they have made to include the minorities and extend their umbrella over all communities (even in the face of extreme hatred) is remarkable really. Maybe Sri Lanka can learn from it. Question is, does Sri Lanka want to!
Davina - June 8, 2012
1:38 pm
Hey Niv
Do not underestimate tamil!!!!!! Oh my oh. Never by the majority of SL, because they (LTTE tamil blood suckers) always overestimate themselves. That’s what happened to your beloved terra leader VP podian. I am damn sure he is not RIP but having good time in everlasting hell for the merits he collected for 30 odd years.
The way you loosers are going, your turn is not far from there too.
Mark Webber - June 9, 2012
6:21 am
Why in this web news publish only Anti Srilanka ( Anti Rajapakshe) news…Any reason for that ..
chuti - June 8, 2012
2:55 pm
Rajapakshe presses David cameron over war crimes in Iraq and Afganistan?
How will Cameron answer ??
dagobert - June 8, 2012
3:17 pm
So, Cameron wants to “get to the bottom of this”, does he? Cameron says he wants to get to the bottom of what happened during a civil war when one party successfully concluded the war, with significant casualties on both sides over a long thirty years, but I feel that he wants to see only the bottom of the final few weeks of the war!
Why? Is he not concerned about the thousands upon thousands of victims of the war over the years? Have human rights considerations been adhered to by the losing party, when it deliberately targetted civilians in public places like bus depots, trains, places of worship, shopping centres and banks?
On another note, Cameron’s predecessor Blair, is directly responsible, in tandem with his comrade in arms, George “Dubya” Bush, for the most heinous crimes against humanity, when they obliterated two million innocent Iraqis just a few years ago. Can he explain why Iraq was attacked, occupied, and destroyed? What crime had Saddam Hussein or any other Iraqi done to deserve this?
Who would be wanting to get to the bottom of that naked aggression and gross war crime of the highest order (as defined by the Nuremburg commission) and the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice is said not to apply when the US (the main perpetrator of genocide, from Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia to Iraq in recent times alone)administrators are scot free?
Lasantha Pethiyagoda - June 8, 2012
4:42 pm
How naive for people to believe in these staged wars the world over by the American Zionists. Human life means nothing to them. The British have been made to eat humble pie when they step out to question and many a VIP had retracted their stances after initial probes on War Crimes. David Cameron is no exception. If he has not already retracted his probe on War Crimes, he will be made to very soon, if he is to survive as a Political figure.
gamini - June 9, 2012
5:58 pm