The Commonwealth Heads of Governments Meet (CHOGM) is due to
start in next three days. India
has already decided not to attend the meet due to internal pressure on its
government. In reaction to this decision the host country Sri Lanka has
said that the absence of an Indian participation in the summit is certainly not
a setback for it and it really understands the domestic political compulsions
behind this decision.
The Sri Lankan External Affairs minister Mr. GL Peiris said,
“It will not affect the success of this years CHOGM. The Indian Prime Minister
was invited along with all the Commonwealth Nations’ head of states. Sri Lankan
people would have been a happier lot if he had come. But we understand his
domestic political compulsion which is forcing him to take decision such as to remain absent from the meet” Yesterday the
Indian Prime Minister Mr. Manmohan Singh wrote a letter to the Sri Lankan
President Mr. Mahinda Rajpaksa that he will not be able to attend the CHOGM
meet personally starting from 15th of this month.
 |
Sri Lanka
doesn’t see a setback in India’s
absence at CHOGM
|
In the meanwhile the Indian High Commission in Colombo has confirmed
that Dr. Singh’s letter addressed to Mr. Rajpaksa has already been delivered to
the President’s office.
There was a growing opposition by the Indian state Tamil
Nadu based political parties against the Prime Minister’s visit to CHOGM meet
in Colombo as
they are hardcore pro Tamil parties. They are against the alleged anti human
rights role of the Rajpaksa government in wiping off the terror group LTTE in the northern Sri
Lanka’s Jaffna and surrounding areas.
Dr. Manmohan Singh becomes the second leader to remain
absent after the Canadian Prime Minister Mr. Stephen Harper has also decided
not to attend the meeting. As per the Canada
Premier, Sri Lanka has failed to show any
progress in addressing the alleged human rights violations in the country.
The CHOGM meet is scheduled between 15th and 17th
November in Colombo.
