MR defies Cameron

17 November 2013 10:01 am

President Mahinda Rajapaksa directly responding to the British Prime Minister David Cameron warned the latter against “dictating” to him.

“Do not dictate to me, I’m not ready to take orders from others. We have a tradition and culture of over 2500 years and a time tested legal system together with a law enforcement process to address any issue,” he told a packed news conference in Colombo a short while ago.

Sri Lanka has refused to allow foreign investigators onto its soil, but Cameron warned Rajapakse he would lead a push for an international probe through UN bodies unless an internal inquiry produces credible results by March.

"Let me be very clear, if an investigation is not completed by March, then I will use our position on the UN Human Rights Council to work with the UN Human Rights Commission and call for a full, credible and independent international inquiry," said Cameron on Saturday.

But Rajapakse reiterated on Sunday that Sri Lanka would not bow to pressure and would complete its own inquiries in its own time.

"This is not something you can do overnight. You must also respect our own views without trying to push us into a corner, so please be fair," he said.

"We have suffered for 30 years, that's why they (the people of Sri Lanka) want a new life. That's why people elected me."

The largely pro-government press in Sri Lanka acknowledged that debate about Colombo's rights record had soured the summit.

Ceylon Today said Cameron's push for UN action had ensured "the festive mood at the Commonwealth parley turned sour", bemoaning how "media obsession over the host country's human rights record had overshadowed the official business".

Mauritius had been due to host the next summit in 2015 but it withdrew in protest against Sri Lanka's rights record.

Malta will now step in as hosts, the organisation's top official announced.

"The prime minister of Malta has invited the Commonwealth to hold CHOGM (Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting) 2015, with Malta as the venue," Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma said.

"It (the offer) was received by all members with acclamation." (SAJ)