2013 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting
23rd Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting CHOGM 2013 | ||
---|---|---|
State 27[2] | | |
Chair | Mahinda Rajapaksa | |
Follows | 2011 | |
Precedes | 2015 | |
Key points | ||
Colombo Declaration on Sustainable, Inclusive and Equitable Development Trackle High Debt & Poverty Boycott over Human rights in Sri Lanka |
The 2013 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM;
Background
At the
In May 2013,
Organisation
Venues
Amongst the venues, an unnamed branch of the Sri Lankan government, said that the main summit venue, in the capital,
Summit
Official programme and agenda
The official programme outline a week of activities including three days of meetings for heads of government.[29]
Discussions
In response to questions about the Government's use of torture, Prime Minister Tony Abbott told reporters that while his government "deplores the use of torture we accept that sometimes in difficult circumstances difficult things happen".[43]
The chair of the
Canada and Australia blocked a proposal to establish a
In a speech given at a dinner held in honour of the government leaders, Prince Charles spoke in what The Daily Telegraph described as "a pitch for himself as the Queen's eventual successor as head of the organisation." He spoke of his personal attachment to the Commonwealth: "I feel very much part of the family. It's in my blood, I'm afraid. I have been brought up in the family and I think that what we are renewing here are those family ties, those family associations and family values. I feel proud and enormously privileged to be part of it all."[48]
Outcomes
The final
Controversy
Boycott
There were significant calls from many bodies not to host the summit in
In October 2013, the
The Prime Minister of Mauritius, Navin Ramgoolam, stated that he would not attend the meeting as a protest at Sri Lanka's alleged failure to improve its human rights record[69][70] and was thus withdrawing as the host of CHOGM 2015 as protocol would have required him to attend the summit in order to personally invite other member states. "I have made it perfectly clear that human rights are more important than hosting a Commonwealth summit, regardless of its importance."[71]
In the United Kingdom, the Foreign Affairs Select Committee called on that country's prime minister, David Cameron, not to attend the meeting in light of Sri Lanka's human rights record. Cameron also expressed concern about human rights issues in the country.[26] However, Cameron later affirmed that he would attend.[72] The Channel 4 documentary No Fire Zone, which presented evidence of alleged war crimes by the Sri Lanka Armed Forces, had resulted in increased calls for a boycott.[citation needed]
In Malaysia, Lim Guan Eng, Chief Minister of the state of Penang, and the Secretary General of the Democratic Action Party called on the Malaysian government to boycott the summit as a protest against alleged human violations committed by the island republic against ethnic Tamils there.[59] However, the Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak rejected[citation needed] that and came to Colombo.
The New Zealand Green Party also placed similar calls for a boycott and for the replacement of Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Commonwealth Chairperson-in-office for the next two years.[73][74] However New Zealand Prime minister attended the meeting.
Similar views were floated by South African anti-Apartheid campaigner and Nobel laureate archbishop Desmond Tutu who suggested that the boycott of the CHOGM could be "one of the screws that the world has to apply to help the Tamil population."[75][76] but South African President Jacob Zuma attended the meeting.
Restrictions on media
Prior to the start of the meeting the Sri Lankan government had given assurances that foreign media would be given free and full access.[77]
A team from
A BBC News crew trying to film President Rajapaksa at a CHOGM event on 14 November 2013 were physically restrained by security officials.[92] An Agence France-Presse trying to work in Mullaitivu District on 18 November 2013 were prevented from doing so by the military.[93][94]
Restrictions on protests
In October 2013 it was reported that the government was planning to ban all protests, marches and other demonstrations for three weeks in November, coinciding with CHOGM.[95][96] The government denied the reports.[97] However, on 14 November 2013 the police obtained a court order preventing any protests during CHOGM.[98][99]
A group of Tamils trying to travel to Colombo on 13 November 2013 to protest about disappeared relatives were prevented from doing so by the Sri Lankan military.[100][101]
Restrictions on travel
The Civil Air Services Authority suspended all
Participants
Of the 53 Commonwealth members, only 27 heads of government/state (nine presidents, 16 prime ministers, one sultan and one governor general) attended the meeting, the lowest in decades.[1][80] 22 other members sent other delegates such as foreign ministers, vice-presidents, deputy prime ministers and high commissioners.[80] Three members - Grenada, Kiribati and Maldives - did not attend and Fiji was suspended from the Commonwealth.[104] The participants were:[105][106]
References
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