ACHR urges PM to attend CHOGM and demand accountability for war crimes

The Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) today urged Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) to be held in Colombo and demand accountability for the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the Sri Lankan Army in the final phases of the war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

"That the CHOGM 2013 will take place with or without Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and that President Mahinda Rajapakse will lead the Commonwealth for the next two years is a foregone conclusion. Dr. Singh should therefore attend the CHOGM 2013 and emphasise that accountability for the war crimes and crimes against humanity as found out by the UN Secretary General's Panel of Experts on Accountability in Sri Lanka is the only means for national reconciliation in Sri Lanka," said Suhas Chakma, Director of Asian Centre for Human Rights.

"In the CHOGM 2013, Dr Manmohan Singh should further announce that if no effective measures are taken by Sri Lanka for establishing accountability and full implementation of the recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), India shall be constrained to continuously support the resolution on Sri Lanka which has been brought at the March session of the UN Human Rights Council since 2012. " Chakma added.