The CHOGM meeting is scheduled to begin on November 15. The government of Sri Lanka has banned protests in the city of Colombo in the month of November. The government has taken this action under the Public Security Regulations and directed that protests, marches and any display of banners and black flags is banned during the first three weeks of the month. The special regulations will be in place in areas that are to be occupied by CHOGM delegates during the three weeks of activities in November.
It is in this strange atmosphere that the Commonwealth Heads of Government are to meet. In its long history the CHOGM has never been held at any time under such a tough security situation where the citizens of the country are prevented from letting their views be known to the delegates of the Commonwealth. The imposing of such conditions is completely opposed to the very spirit of the Commonwealth and its core values.
Many big meetings involving the heads of many states have been held in Colombo since its independence in 1948. On no such occasion have such draconian security measures been imposed on the city even during the periods of insurgencies in the south as well as in the north and east.
Already the Prime Minister of Canada has announced that he will not attend this meeting in protest against the undemocratic and repressive practices of the Sri Lankan government. From around the world many other organisations have also expressed strong protests against the holding of this meeting in Colombo.
The result of this security regulation will be the arrest of any persons and the taking of legal action against Sri Lankans and others who would want to exercise their democratic rights during the time of this meeting.
The problem that the Commonwealth heads of government have to face now is as to whether they would wish to attend a meeting under such a chilling atmosphere where they will be denied the opportunity to listen to the views of the people of the country as well as others who wish to make their opinions known to the delegates at this meeting.
*Statement from the Asian Human Rights Commission
Ben Hurling / October 10, 2013
There we go. Gota’s Paranoia to the forefront again. A total control freak.
I see no reason why citizens of SL should abide by Gota’s wild fantasies.
Freedom of exppression and right to peaceful protest are guaranteed by Sri Lanka’s constitution.
Civil disobedience is the name of the game! If one feels like protesting, protest they must. CHOGM or No CHOGM!
Cheers!
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Native Vedda / October 10, 2013
Ben Hurling
“There we go. Gota’s Paranoia to the forefront again. A total control freak.”
This is Sinhala/Buddhist paranoia.
“I see no reason why citizens of SL should abide by Gota’s wild fantasies”
Because he single handedly won the war. This the price you pay for killing innocent people.
“Civil disobedience is the name of the game! If one feels like protesting, protest they must. CHOGM or No CHOGM!”
Civil disobedience undermines the state. For statists, state is important than the people.
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Ben Hurling / October 11, 2013
I am hoping for a peaceful, yet gigantic demo along streets of Colombo during CHOGM.
We have seen such protests whenever G8, G20 or WTO bigwigs gather to discuss how best to ruin the planet.
Sri Lanka needs to show corrupt CW Jetset and paranoid Gota true strength of the people.
Not least the vitality of one of Asia’s oldest democracies. However flawed.
PS: Any attempt on Weliweriya tactics will surely backfire all over Gota’s face. And will ensure the end of Rajapassa era.
Cheers!
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Silva / October 12, 2013
Ben Hurling,
You are totally correct!
“..We have seen such protests whenever G8, G20 or WTO bigwigs gather to discuss how best to ruin the planet..”
So why mustn’t Sri Lankans who are suffering tremendous hardships under Rajapakshas? Every opposition party, trade union, organization, professional et al must gather in massive numbers to Colombo during the time the clowns come to Colombo and let them know the real situation here and also appraise them of their total insensitivity, irresponsibility, irrationality and guilt of staging this fiasco in Rajapaksha Sri Lanka. The regime will try to suppress, attack and disperse the protestors but then the grim picture would send a clear signal to the clowns as to how lower they have rendered themselves by attending and holding this thing here.
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Dinuk / October 10, 2013
Surprise surprise! The British clown David Camaron says he is attending the Commonwealth summit to raise the HUMAN RIGHTS and DEMOCRACY issues! CHOGM has become the pretext for the Rajapassa dictatorship to abolish citizen’s right – including freedom or movement and expression and yet Camaron is talking about defending rights by attending! What a bloody British colonial hypocrite this Camaron!
The British PM should BOYCOTT the Rajapassa dictatorship’s CHOGM show and ask them NOT TO BAN PROTESTS in the name of SECURITY in – November if he is concerned about people’s RIGHTS and refuse to attend CHOGM circus if the ban on protests in not lifted.
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Don Stanley / October 10, 2013
Commonwealth of irrelevant clowns (CHOGM) which is a British colonial relic now morphed into a platform for third world military dictators has no earthly purpose in the world today and should be SHUT DOWN!
Like the Hambantota white elephants (Port and airport) Rajapassa has found another white elephant – the Commonwealth of Nations – a British colonial white elephant that has ZERO purpose in the post-colonial world – to waste funds on – merely to boost his ego and indebt Lanka for generations to come!
Lankan citizens and joint opposition must protest this useless Commonwealth organization and the waste of public funds on it to boost the Rajapassa military dictatorship!
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Dodo / October 10, 2013
Lankan citizens whose funds are being wasted on the CHOGM circus to boost Rajapassa’s military dictatorship, should defy the ban on protests and have a massive protest in November at the CHOGM circus!
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MrRetort / October 10, 2013
Why Pira Gura will give Sri Lankan fairy tales and Sharma would also do tap dancing to suit the music of MR AND HIS COMBO.
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Michael / October 10, 2013
It is nothing short of a comedy that this farcade of a summit is taking place in this country in the first place. If one goes through the post war period as one who lived through the 30 year war i can say with all honesty that never have people of this country experienced an autocratic regime as this. What is even more frightening is that the regime has control over every sector of government , media and judiciary that a normal person is rendered helpless. Laws are passed and gazzetted citing parliamentary approval when more than 50 parliamentarians shamelessly crossed over paying scant respect to the voters who elected them based on the policy of the party they represented. The judiciary needless to state is nothing more than cloak that blows to the dictates of the regime so much so that the very essence of law does not exist. Criminals are made state witnesses where evidence is circumvented or quashed. A Chief Justice was impeached in what can be cited as a Guinness world record violating all norms and procedures. In this background it is ludicruous to even suggest Sri Lanka as host of uncommon wealth. In that case one should invite Mugabe whose regime is no different to this. BRITAIN as always gets it wrong in seeing the wood from the trees.
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sooriya / October 10, 2013
Good decision..Country get an opportunity in very rare occassion…Morons can protest everyday…we support this decision…welldone..!!!
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Yoosuf / October 10, 2013
Gooness gracious this stupid govt is showing their true colours so soon. These fellows never give a hoot about the democracy or good governance. All they want is showcase the world that SL is overflowing with sugar and honey. We can just imagine what is up the sleeves after the CHOGM.
Infact the leaders of the countries, if they really care an iota of this dastarty act ( if it is to happen ) should boycot the meeting. Then ONLY these stupid fellows will learn something out of it.
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Thiru / October 10, 2013
Whoever gave the idea and supportd it for having the CHOGM in Sri Lanka in November is anti-democratic – to say the least.
Commonwealth lawyers association has insisted sternly that it should not be held in Colombo.
May human Rights Organizations have said the same thing. Many Tamil organizations worldwide have urged them not to have it there.
Instead of removing Sri Lanka from the Commonwealth after two UN reports clearly showed the complicity of Sri Lanka in war crimes, the lawless Sri Lanka is confirmed to hold the meeting.
This clearly shows an international conspiracy to ignore the un-democratic ways of the Sri Lankan state. Even after UNHCHR Navi Pillai confirmed the authoritarian nature of Sri Lankan regime, the Commonwealth, whatever that means, insists on having it in Colombo.
What is behind this mystery, I simply don’t understand.
Poor Sharma, he is there to defend Sri Lanka for reasons best known to him, may be it is privileged information to him only.
Now to cap it all, no democratic protests will be tolerated during CHOGM. Do the members participating have any sense of shame to participate under these circumstances? The strongman Mahinda shows contempt to the values of the commonwealth by banning protests. Imagine what he will do when he assumes the headship?
Doesn’t it sound like a cruel joke? Won’t the 147,000 Innocent civilians, some buried alive, in Mullivaaikkaal turn in their graves?
Sad to say this is the state of international politics today.
New world order, I suppose.
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D.E.M. Ocracy / October 10, 2013
I SINCERELY HOPE THAT THIS GREAT ARTICLE WILL BE READ BY AT LEAST SOME PERSONS IN THE GOVERNMENTS OF THE RELEVANT COUNTRIES. CONGRATULATIONS CANADA FOR TAKING SUCH A STAND, WE SRI LANKANS SALUTE YOU.
HOW COME THAT AUSTRALIA AND LONDON HAVE GONE TO SUCH LOW LEVELS THAT THEY ARE ATTENDING….. WHAT ABOUT THE HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS THAT ARE BLATANTLY TAKING PLACE DAY IN AND DAY OUT…… SHAME SHAME SHAME THAT THEY DO NOT TAKE A STAND.
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punchinilame / October 10, 2013
The UK Govt. issued travel warnings to its tourist when GLP protested
over this. Will the 52 nations consider it safe to come over in
November, when true democratic practices are prohibited, ad-hoc by
MoD, probabaly under Anti-terrorist regulations?
It is not too late to shift the venue, as has happened in the past –
just 2 weeks before the gathering.
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Chandra Seneviratne / October 10, 2013
Never in the known history of any civilized country where an international conference of Head of states was held under a state
of emergency of suspending the operation of the normal law of the land.
It is similar to JRJ had signed the Indo-Lanka Peace accord with Rajiv Gandhi under the state of emergency.
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justice / October 10, 2013
The ban may be extended for the next two years as sri lanka will be the head of the commonwealth during this period,and foreign dignitaries will be visiting often.
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Leo76 / October 10, 2013
I like to read all the comments about ‘human rights’ and have a good laugh. Has anyone forgotten how people get tear gassed, baton charged and shot with rubber bullets at almost every G8 summit? These champions of ‘human rights’ have the most blood on their hands having supported in some way almost every war that has been waged by their own kind.
Just wake up people and stop being like bloody parrots just reciting everything they hear on that old record.
The UK is attending and why not?? They support liver eaters and beheaders in Syria! Actually, we should ask them not to come for all the ‘human rights’ violations they have been involved in on a far larger scale. You are all hypocrites and sheeple who cannot think for yourselves. I feel sorry for people like you actually.
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Javi / October 10, 2013
What are you trying to hide “Badagini”
In the UK they still have designated spaces for protest similar to G8.
If forces attack the unarmed they are taken to task sooner or later as much as the perpetrator would be and that is democracy not bloody hypocrisy.
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Hooker / October 11, 2013
“Unta Lambroghini – apata badagini”
Hooker
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RajasH / October 10, 2013
The CHOGAM delgates will see COlombo is literally a clean city.
Clean of beggars, protestors
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Piranha / October 10, 2013
A clear example of the lack of democratic freedoms in Sri Lanka under Rajapaksa.
No explanation is needed now for Canada’s decision to downgrade its representation.
I wonder how GL Peiris and Rambukweela are going to defend this.
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Chandra / October 11, 2013
Such a shame.
We cant even witness a hunger “lemon puff” strike by Weerawanse or the Boru Bala Sena exposing themselves.
Gota is such a spoilt sport
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Backlash / October 11, 2013
If the shaky regime is to ban popular demos in November that will
be in conflict with Commonwealth Principles. It is time Shri Kamlesh
Sharma reminded his good friends the Rajapakses of the basic rights
in a democracy for lawful protests. Mrs B held her private Tamasha
of NAM in 1976 and not only forced all of us indoors but some of our
cars were commandeered by her regime. It was her relatives and close
friends who acted as consorts and Ladies-in-Waiting. She had to eat crow in a few months from that useless show.
Backlash
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gamini / October 11, 2013
Let alone demonstrations in the month of November during the Summit is banned, currently life is miserable for all with absolute chaos with traffic jams due to revamping of the routes the Visitors intend to travel. Imagine Base Line Road that was completed not so long ago being redone with all the side walks uprooted. So with Horton Place, again it was not long ago Horton Place road was completed.
What is the MR Govt’s objective? To show the Delegates that the Country has developed? How naive for the govt to believe that it could project the country’s development by beautifying the Country and keeping the subjects in want and in shackles banning protest. The work on all roads commenced in mid September and currently is being done in haste to complete in time. Obviously it appears that the govt was not sure whether the Conference will be held due to the threatened Boycott of some members, hence the delay in commencing the works. At the same time the weather Gods are threatening and we might be in a total mess if unable to complete. Are the Gods too against MR?
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kattakarawala / October 11, 2013
CT readers in Sri Lanka might find the site blocked again during CHOGM.
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Noname / October 12, 2013
It is a common practice of state heads protesting against meeting held in places that violates human rights. But, I like what David Cameron is doing. He is willing to come to discuss and show how leaders are to behave. It is easy to say I am not coming – you bad guys!!!
I see the current leaders of SL as nothing more than children who are greedy for toys. They need to be trained and mentored by proper leaders.
Boycotts will only push our leaders to associate with fello violators of human rights.
There are other means to show the displeasure of governance, given the security measures in SL – Online/social media/ peaceful protests by diaporas in other countries.
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Bensen Burner / October 12, 2013
This is clear evidence of the instance of the Rajapaksa regime thriving on fanning the fears of imagined and unfounded threats of militancy and insurgency while telling the world that Sri Lanka is a democracy. Perhaps, they are apprehensive of repercussions of the increasing cost of living, religious intolerance, the decay in the rule of law and the declining justice system. Perhaps the external affairs minister GL Peiris with a reputation of wetting his pants on such occasions is trying to avoid a repetition of this and / or the corrupt Gotabhaya the secretary for defence cannot trust his own organisations like the defence forces and his extremist Buddhist organisations given to violence and their anti western attitudes. Bensen
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Raj / October 14, 2013
Bunch of hypocrites. SL should be expelled from the Commonwealth for not abiding by its Principals, & SL should also should opt out because there seems to be no advantage by being a Member. Forget trade & other concessions, the downsizing of the High Commission says it all & even the hassle of getting a visa to UK implies that Sri Lankans are discouraged from visiting UK
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