British Prime Minister David Cameron visited northern Sri Lanka on Friday, the scene of decades of civil war. He is the first foreign leader to go there.
Her convoy was briefly blocked by Tamil women who lost relatives during the conflict. They wanted to draw the attention of the head of the British government to the situation in the region.
Tamil separatist claims have been bloodily suppressed by the army. In 2009, the authorities announced the end of the war. But the Tamil population still claims to be the victim of discrimination.
British Prime Minister David Cameron referred to it in an interview this Thursday on the eve of his arrival in Sri Lanka.
“There are very serious questions that await answers,” he said. “Especially the issue of human rights violations in Sri Lanka, the fact that so many people are missing, the fact that there are no rules guaranteeing freedom of the press. Another outstanding question: the conditions in which the war ended, we remember the appalling images seen on television of the thousands of innocent civilians killed at the end of the war ”.
It is in this context that the Commonwealth summit is being held in Colombo, the capital. Sri Lanka is a former British colony.
The Sri Lankan hosts want to make this meeting a showcase for the country’s renewal. It is partly missed.
Several countries (Canada, India and Mauritius) did not send any representatives to this summit. A boycott to denounce the human rights situation.
The Queen of England is, for the first time, represented by her son, Prince Charles.