Dasatha News: Canada fury at Sri Lanka choice for Commonwealth talks

Canada is "appalled" that Sri Lanka has been chosen to host the Commonwealth heads of government meeting in November, its foreign minister says.

Sri Lankans celebrates war victory

Mr Baird told the BBC "Canada finds it appalling that the government in Colombo would be given the honour and the privilege and responsibility of hosting Commonwealth leaders.

"The Commonwealth has fundamental values of freedom, democracy, human rights, the rule of law, good governance and the government in Colombo has failed in all of those respects."

Mr Baird said: "We've seen no meaningful attempt at reconciliation with the Tamil population. If anything it's getting worse."

He also said there was "a growing authoritarian trend" in Sri Lanka's governance, adding: "These are all fundamentally at odds with Commonwealth values and we don't think Sri Lanka should be hosting the Commonwealth."

Sri Lanka rejected Canada's criticism and dismissed Canada's objections, saying Commonwealth members had agreed the summit could go ahead.

Responding to the foreign minister's comments, Sri Lankan cabinet spokesman and Mass Media and Information Minister Keheliya Rambukwella told "We have dealt with this human rights issue and we feel they are very biased and very unfair."

Sri Lanka's army defeated Tamil rebels after a brutal 30-year war in 2009.

The entire conflict left hundreds of thousands of people dead since started of the war. Not only general public and military people but also Sri Lanka president R.Premadasa (1993) and Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi (1991) were also assassinated by LTTE. As well as Former Sri Lankan President Chandrika Bandaranayaka was targeted by LTTE and she narrowly escaped with wounds and losing one of her eyes. Further lot of Sri Lankan politicians were assassinated during this war including Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, Minister Laxman Kadiragamar, and Minister D.M Dasanayake.

Both sides were accused of human rights abuses with much focus on what happened in its final stages, when thousands of civilians were trapped in a thin strip of land in the north of Sri Lanka as fighting raged around them. Even though the people wanted to go army controlled area, the LTTE did not allow them to go and the LTTE used the people for their own protection. This caused to increase the civilians’ death during the final month of war.