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| Similar views were floated by South African anti-Apartheid campaigner and Nobel laureate archbishop ] who mentioned the boycott of the CHOGM could be one the of the screws that the world has to apply to help the Tamil population.<ref name="RT">{{cite web | url=http://www.trust.org/item/20131107144349-hmguw/?source=hpeditorial&siteVersion=mobile | title=Reuters - Boycotting Commonwealth summit may help Sri Lankan Tamils - Tutu | accessdate=9 November 2013}}</ref><ref></ref> | Similar views were floated by South African anti-Apartheid campaigner and Nobel laureate archbishop ] who mentioned the boycott of the CHOGM could be one the of the screws that the world has to apply to help the Tamil population.<ref name="RT">{{cite web | url=http://www.trust.org/item/20131107144349-hmguw/?source=hpeditorial&siteVersion=mobile | title=Reuters - Boycotting Commonwealth summit may help Sri Lankan Tamils - Tutu | accessdate=9 November 2013}}</ref><ref></ref> | ||
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| ==References== | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 02:06, 11 November 2013
| 23rd Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Host country | Sri Lanka |
| Dates | 15 November 2013– 17 November 2013 |
| Venue(s) | Nelum Pokuna Mahinda Rajapaksa Theatre – Opening Ceremony BMICH – Main Conference Waters Edge – Heads of Government Retreat |
| Cities | Colombo, Sri Lanka |
| Chair | Mahinda Rajapaksa (President) |
| Follows | 2011 |
| Precedes | 2015 |
| Website | www |
The 23rd Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) (/ˈtʃɒɡm/ or /ˈtʃoʊm/) will be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from 15 to 17 November 2013. Commonwealth leaders agreed on Sri Lanka as the 2013 host for the meeting when they met in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, in 2009. They reaffirmed this decision at the 2011 CHOGM in Perth, Australia. The Leaders' Retreat will also be held in Colombo.
This will be the first time in 40 years that Queen Elizabeth II will not be present at the CHOGM. Buckingham Palace announced that Charles, Prince of Wales, will be attending in the 87-year-old monarch's place, as she has curtailed her overseas visits due to age.
According to news reports, one item to be considered at the meeting is a proposal to make the position of Head of the Commonwealth hereditary to descendents of Queen Elizabeth II. The four deputy heads may be nominated by the biennial general body meeting of the Commonwealth, on a biennial, rotating, one-time basis, to make up a leadership quintet.
Boycott
The Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper, stated that he would not attend the meeting as a protest of Sri Lanka's alleged failure to improve its human rights record, as he said he would at the previous CHOGM; Deepak Obhrai, the Parliamentary Secretary for the Minister of Foreign Affairs, will represent Canada. Harper further elaborated that Canada may cease its contributions to the funding of the Commonwealth should no action be taken by the organisation against Sri Lanka; he cited the impeachment of the country's chief justice and the execution and imprisonment of journalists and political opponents of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. At the time, Senator Hugh Segal, Canada's envoy to the Commonwealth, exclaimed that the Commonwealth Secretariat was acting "as a 'shill'" for Sri Lanka's government. In the United Kingdom, the Foreign Affairs Select Committee called on that country's prime minister, David Cameron, to not attend the meeting in light of Sri Lanka's human rights record. However, Cameron later affirmed that he will be in attendance. The Channel 4 documentary No Fire Zone which presented evidence of war crimes by the Sri Lankan Armed Forces under the command of Mahinda Rajapakse and his brother Gothabaya Rajapakse has resulted in increased calls for a boycott.
In October 2013, the legislature of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu passed an unanimous resolution demanding that the Indian government boycott the meeting and also sought the temporary suspension of Sri Lanka from the Commonwealth until Sri Lanka takes steps to grant what they call similar rights to Tamils as those enjoyed by Sinhalese. The Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced his decision to not participate in the event on account of the country's poor human rights record. India would be represented at the summit by a delegation lead by External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid.
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 a against the blatant human violations committed by the island republic against ethnic Tamils there.
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.
Similar views were floated by South African anti-Apartheid campaigner and Nobel laureate archbishop Desmond Tutu who mentioned the boycott of the CHOGM could be one the of the screws that the world has to apply to help the Tamil population.
References
- The Commonwealth – thecommonwealth.org. Retrieved 7 December 2012
- "Prince Charles gets higher Commonwealth role as Queen stays home". CBC News. 8 May 2013. Retrieved 10 May 2013.
- "Queen fights to let baby George rule the Commonwealth: Campaign launched to change the rules to allow Charles, William and new prince to take role when King". Mail on Sunday. 28 July 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
- ^ Clark, Campbell (7 October 2013). "Harper raises stakes by threatening to cut Commonwealth funding". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
- Petrasek, David. "Canada Should Play the Royal Card Against Sri Lanka's Government". CIPSBlog. Centre for International Policy Studies, University of Ottawa. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
- "Commonwealth Asks Canada to Drop Sri Lanka Boycott". October 2012. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
- The Canadian Press (7 October 2013). "Stephen Harper cancels Sri Lanka visit over human rights violations". Toronto Star. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
- "David Cameron will defy boycott calls to attend Sri Lanka Commonwealth Summit". Daily Telegraph. 3 May 2013. Retrieved 10 May 2013.
- "TN Assembly passes resolution demanding CHOGM boycott". Retrieved 27 October 2013.
- "Tamil Nadu govt moves resolution demanding Centre to boycott CHOGM". Retrieved 27 October 2013.
- "Tamil Nadu assembly passes resolution demanding India boycott Commonwealth meeting". Retrieved 27 October 2013.
- "India should stay away from CHOGM: Tamil Nadu assembly". Retrieved 27 October 2013.
- "Indian PM to boycott Commonwealth summit in Sri Lanka over human rights issue, says official". The Washington Post. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
- "Penang Chief Minister calls for boycott of CHOGM in Colombo". Retrieved 27 October 2013.
- http://tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=36753
- http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/9364734/Protest-over-Sri-Lankan-abuse
- "Reuters - Boycotting Commonwealth summit may help Sri Lankan Tamils - Tutu". Retrieved 9 November 2013.
- Desmond Tutu says no to Commonwealth meeting to stop violations in Sri Lanka
External links
- Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2013
- Commonwealth Youth Forum 2013
- Commonwealth People's Forum 2013
| Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings | |
|---|---|
| Colonial and Imperial Conferences | |
| Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conferences | |
| Heads of Government Meetings | |