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English.news.cn 2013-02-06
21:47:06
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COLOMBO,
Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Sri Lankan government on Wednesday dismissed a threat
from Canada regarding the island's human rights record.
Sri
Lanka's External Affairs Ministry said that the government was well aware of
the importance of securing the rights of its own people and was acting
accordingly.
"Sri
Lanka's human rights record is much better than other countries. The government
knows its responsibility towards its own people and has been working on
maintaining a good human rights record," Foreign Secretary Karunathilaka
Amunugama told Xinhua.
Canada
on Sunday warned the Sri Lankan government, saying if it does not address
issues raised on human rights and accountability there could be a revival of
radicalization by the Tamil Diaspora.
The
Canadian Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Jason
Kenney, who visited Sri Lanka early last month, told a group of Tamil
journalists in Ontario last week that he had conveyed this message to the Sri
Lankan government during his visit.
Kenney
said that during his discussions in Sri Lanka he found that the political situation
was deteriorating rather than improving.
He
said he had reported his views to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper as
well as to Foreign Minister John Baird and the Canadian prime minister will now
make a decision on the level of Canada's engagement at the Commonwealth Heads
of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Sri Lanka in November.
Meanwhile
Amunugama told Xinhua that the Sri Lankan government was making
"full-on" preparations for the CHOGM meeting and government officials
were in discussions with the Commonwealth Secretariat officials.
"The
Commonwealth Secretariat officials have informed all the Commonwealth countries
of the date, time and venue of the meeting, " Amunugama said.
However,
he added that the government had not received any response from any country
stating they will not be attending the meeting in Sri Lanka.
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Editor: Hou Qiang
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