British MPs press for action against SL over MR’s appointment as PM

Parliamentarians in the United Kingdom are exerting pressure on the British government to initiate action against Sri Lanka following the tumultuous political developments triggered by the sacking of the Prime Minister by President Maithripala Sirisena. The MPs have also urged the British government to discuss the prevailing crisis with the European Union and exert joint pressure on Sri Lanka to work within the country’s Constitution.

Some members of the British parliament questioned both Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt and Foreign and Commonwealth Minister for Asia and Pacific, Mark Field on the nature of action taken so far by the British government against Sri Lanka. Gareth Thomas, MP, asked what action the British government would take to reverse the decision by President Sirisena to appoint as the premier Mahinda Rajapaksa, a former leader accused of human rights abuses. In his response, Minister Mark Field said the British government expects President Sirisena to adhere to the Constitution and reconvene Parliament at the earliest opportunity. "We will actively coordinate the response with the international community as concerted international response would be more effective", he added. Siobhain McDonagh, MP, said that her Tamil constituents fear if Mahinda Rajapaksa comes back to power as there will be no justice in Sri Lanka and they would never find out what happened to their relatives, who disappeared nine years ago. Mark Field said that he wholly agreed with McDonagh, and he was also alarmed. "We will some how get Sri Lanka back to the table to ensure that it adheres to its UN Human Rights obligations". Sir. Hugo Swire MP said that President Sirisena’s actions are in direct contravention of the 19th Amendment and the international community continues to recognize Ranil Wickremesinghe as the legitimate Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, Chair and Vice Chairs of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Tamils in the British Parliament, MPs Paul Scully, Sir. Edward Davey, Tom Brake, Theresa Villiers, Siobhain McDonagh, Zac Goldsmith, Wes Streeting, Bob Blackman, Joan Ryan, Stephen Timms, Mike Gapes and Virendra Sharma have, in a written communication, asked Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt what action the British government would take to prevent the Sri Lanka’s political crisis from turning into a widespread outbreak of violence. "A large part of the Tamil diaspora lives in the UK, including many in our constituencies; the thought of Mahinda Rajapaksa becoming Prime Minister causes great distress for Tamils in the UK and back in Sri Lanka. The threat of Rajapaksa stoking nationalist divisions in Sri Lanka, which previously fueled the decades long civil war, is very real and must not be dismissed by the international community", the MPs warned in their communication. When asked for his response, Sri Lanka’s new Foreign Minister, Sarath Amunugama, said that President Sirisena has already spoken to foreign diplomats in Colombo and explained the current situation.