Pakatan Rakyat lawmakers today urged the government to send a strong message to the Sri Lankan government on its stand against the violation of human rights and war crimes by boycotting the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) this Friday in Colombo on Friday.

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng (DAP-Bagan) said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak should follow the decisions of India and Canada to boycott the meeting this year.

“I hope the PM will follow their footsteps. This is to protest the Sri Lankan government’s lack of accountability for the murders of Tamils during the civil war (in 2009).

“By boycotting CHOGM, Malaysia would be sending a strong message to Colombo that the international community, including the Commonwealth, will not tolerate human rights violations,” he told a press conference at the Parliament lobby.

Similarly, Parliament Caucus on Sri Lanka chairman Datuk Johari Abdul (PKR-Sg Petani) said the government should seriously consider its participation in the meeting, citing several cases of foreign officials and journalists being arrested and intimidated or asked to leave the country.

He said Malaysia had previously boycotted a beauty pageant in South Africa to protest against its apartheid policy and should be consistent when it comes to Sri Lanka.

Johari said Australian Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon and New Zealand Green Party MP Jan Logie were interrogated and deported by Sri Lankan authorities on Sunday.

“I was supposed to join them in Sri Lanka to monitor the social situation and the condition of the Tamil Sri Lankans, who are Hindu, Christian and Muslim.

“This assessment was necessary as we have received reports that the people were still being oppressed by their government although the war had ended years ago.

“I am very disappointed with Sri Lanka’s actions and I urge Putrajaya to reconsider its participation in CHOGM later this week,” he said.

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