Reports have surfaced in Kenya that the African country is engaged in quiet lobbying of other Commonwealth Member states on the continent to boycott the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Colombo next month.
A report in the Kenyan Star newspaper quotes diplomatic sources as saying that Kenya was pushing several other African leaders to boycott the Colombo summit over the Commonwealth’s failure to take a decisive stance against the prosecution of President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto at the International Criminal Court.
President Uhuru
According to the report, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Nigeria, South Africa and Zambia have been “roped into the plan and may miss out in the meeting.”
“Kenya is determined to force in a favorable and decisive action against the ICC trials against its president and deputy president. The Commonwealth miss would be part of this bigger agenda which the world must appreciate has been forced on Kenya by the court,” the newspaper quoted a source as saying.
The Kenyan Star said that another government source had confirmed: “It is almost a foregone conclusion by now that Kenya will not show up. And with it, East Africa and other African countries. By that time, the president is supposed to be at the ICC. The deputy president will be in charge here.”
The Commonwealth meeting would also be taking place three days after the start of the Kenyan President Uhuru’s trial on November 12.
While the Sri Lankan Government will have the satisfaction of knowing the Kenyan proposed boycott has nothing to do with its own rights record as in the case of Canada, any collective boycott by African states will be seen as a colossal failure of its new foreign policy to look to Africa and Latin America for solidarity. External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris has consistently hailed the decision of the Government to pursue greater ties with African nations, because the support of the developing countries towards other developing countries, or South-South cooperation was more forthcoming at a juncture when Colombo is increasingly distancing itself from the Western, pro-Human Rights lobby.
Fathima Fukushima / October 22, 2013
Kenyans are Tamils. They certainly look like Tamills.
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Thiru / October 22, 2013
To a crazy person anybody can look like a Tamil!
I won’t be surprised soon or later everybody will look like a Muslim to you.
Or worse still, you might begin to think that after all you are a Tamil yourself.
You are what you are not because you are stupid, but you are crazy.
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The Professional / October 22, 2013
Your brain appears to have been damaged by radiation from Fukushima Nuclear Reactor. Unfortunately there is no cure for that. Only way is regular prayers. So start praying from today and I am sure CT readers would join in prayer wishing you safe journey back to where you came from.
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Sirimal / October 28, 2013
The Professional@,
I see the same OR even more damage to have occurred in Rajapakshe Administration. Yesterday, the bugger boasted to have fulfilled all the pledges, but FULL Y forgetting
A) the failure of re enforcement of rule of law
B) abolishing the Executive presidency with the current 2/3 parliamentary mandate
C) Not making genuine efforts to handle highly corruption issues
Dont you think that the participation the CW summit without studying properly the depth of damage perpetrated by Rajapaksh govt to the humanity in the war end 2009, is undoubtedly a great betrayal from those countries. In that case, if I were from Afro states, I would dare to say, the Kenyans are doing a good job.
Majority of member states from Africa are far poor countries, but they respect human rights.
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Peacelover / October 22, 2013
Lorenso alias Fathima Fukushima take your shit to Lankaweb !
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I am Sri Lankan Muslim / October 22, 2013
Fathima Fukushima, I am Zahira College Boy… :)
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Ela kollage Thaththa / October 23, 2013
Who the hell is Zahira? Is it another college which teaches how to become a jihadist through the evil versus of Koran? Fukushima is a porky who sings in the streetfor food. “Im a little piggy, Oink Oink Oink, Oink Oink Oink. Lol
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Sophia / October 28, 2013
I have seen the Zahira when you drive from Paliyagoda to Borella.
That should be a muslim colleage as I feel.
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Burt / October 23, 2013
When your so frightened even a shadow looks like a ghost. LOL
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Lanka liar / October 23, 2013
Definitely not Sri Lankans. They cant lie like them
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Lanka liar / October 23, 2013
Looks like you have a Halal Mouth
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modeya / October 22, 2013
come on fathima fuck. keep your comments above the belt.
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Diogenes / October 22, 2013
Eh,Fathima Eczema; Kenyans are Tamils? Who told you ? Another Pukzema like you might say Sinhalese are Eskimos! And Sinhala Buddhists are Troglodites!
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RajasH / October 22, 2013
African Muslim countries come over here for CHOGAM and they starve as there is no Halal meat….because BBS is protesting against Halal.
so they have no choice but to boycott
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Rationalist / October 23, 2013
RajasH
That is Right Bodu Bala Sena, keep hacking the Muslims. The African Muslims will read your anti Muslim Posts and stay away from CHOGM. Then whom will MR and Gota show off their ‘Developments’ to? UK and Australia are far more advanced and will not be impressed, by your ‘Development’!
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vishvajith / October 22, 2013
So the world splits to two camps, Human Rights and Non Human Rights. Cool. I will stay with the former. Our Pres. Percy is in the former camp too. Must align with him, no ?
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IOSalli / October 22, 2013
No, it’s not. World split into two camps, non Human right without power and non Human rights with power. Powerful people force weak people to comply with human rights
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kp / October 23, 2013
i find it ironic that people like you are demonizing the same thing that states people must have basic rights… it’s like shooting yourself in the face. adorable to watch, really.
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IOSalli / October 23, 2013
but what I have said is correct. Don’t u think ?
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IOSalli / October 22, 2013
What a retarded leader is he. He cant understand they can enjoy party here and blame Sri Lanka
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Javi / October 22, 2013
Kangaroo Courts have been set up only for Africans. – it’s the spring action of the kangaroo.
Monkey courts are to be set up for Asia- it’s the spring action of the monkey.
Neither belches nor farts but the Camel does so they end up in their own Spring.
Hanuman ki Jai
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Rahula Gunasekera / October 23, 2013
If Kenyans look like Tamils, then that means Kenyans look like Sinhala people too lol. The way Sinhala is spoken it even sounds like Tamil and we even eat the same food as Tamil people.
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Sophia / October 28, 2013
We must not lie just ignoring facts. No doubt that we need to respect all equally, but tamils have their own culture, tradition and their behaviours unique to them while the sinhalese have theirs for their own identities. However, we are all sri lankans. If yo would see it in Europe being mingled with migrant srilanken tamil communities, you would easily notice that they are more traditional than sinhalese have ever been. Many would put the ashes and dots on their foreheads, no matter what others would see… even in hard winters, I have seen some are on tamil costumes… no matter, their health could worsen…. Even europeans today easily notice this clearly today than in the past. From their bringing up, Sinhalayas are more liberal than tamils from SL have been. I believe that has lot to do with the religion of each folks. I as over 40 year old have not seen lanken buddhists that have been violent until BBS made by Gota started to do so. Truthfully saying, most of the tamils that live in Europe as refugees are totally isolated. Second generations seem to have raised their heads but not many among have achieved this as statistics prove. This I know myself from Swiss and German statistics. That has lot to do with the education of the parents of each family. They though migrated to Europe or other places, have not had proper school education in the home country. May be our politicians since Independence have fully neglected the rights of lanken tamils. Even majority of young tamils are cornered in Switzerland and Germany. Each every corner of the switzerland, you would see tamils running kiosk, no matter they cant communicate in German, French or any other language of the country where they are. To me, like aborigines folks, tamils are very traditional and would not want to go out of their culture, what they are is unique to them. I dont think that Sinhala communities in Australia do behave the same way.
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Sophia / October 28, 2013
Apologies, I added all these, not to harm them, but they have truly been neglected by lanken politicians. It is the education of peoples pave them the way forward. This we have seen in the US today at the time, Orleans was hit by hurricane a couple of years ago. Most we got to see there were poor black folks. I myself asked some white americans why was that it seems the disaster has only focused the afro american communities, so they responded to me that only Afro americans live in those natural catastrophic areas of the US.
Wherever the minority folks are, be it in a team, area or country, they have mostly been neglected by the majority.
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kris / October 24, 2013
All bullshit of journalists, working for another agenda, Kenya confirmed they are coming to CHOGM
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