Home » Posts tagged "Sri Lanka"

Tag Archives: Sri Lanka

Government Engagement on Sri Lanka


Although known for its tremendous natural beauty, Sri Lanka has long borne a burden of violence. Following a civil war that lasted nearly three decades, sectarian divides have continued to grow to the point where 2018 saw officials declare a state of emergency in the central district of Kandy. I have taken up my concerns with the Government; last week, I asked the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to promote peace […]

Tags: ,

Westminster Hall debate on Tamil rights in Sri Lanka


Yesterday I attended a Westminster Hall debate on Tamil Rights in Sri Lanka where the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office said the following: …there is now a Tamil leader of the opposition for the first time in more than 30 years. We have a real window of opportunity for all Sri Lankans to work together to secure a stable, secure and prosperous future. Tomorrow, the report of the international investigation by the office of the High Commissioner for […]

Tags: ,

PM’s statement on Sri Lanka calls for Independent Inquiry


Yesterday, the Prime Minister made a statement to the House of Commons on his recent attendance at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Sri Lanka. He took the opportunity to reiterate why he felt it was right to attend the Commonwealth meeting and to better understand the situation of the Sri Lankan people. He formally repeated his calls for the Government of Sri Lanka to set up an independent inquiry into alleged war crimes during the final stages of […]

Tags: , , , , ,

Supporting Wycombe’s Tamil Community


Post Image

On Saturday, I joined the local Tamil community for their annual Tamil School concert. It was one of the most joyful events I have attended. The children were hard working, talented and happy, the parents were proud and the teachers dedicated. It was a treat. We are more usually in touch about the aftermath of the conflict in Sri Lanka and the need for an independent international investigation. Parliament has debated Sri Lanka recently and I was successful in the last […]

Tags: , ,

Human rights in Kashmir and Sri Lanka


This week, I sought and secured a debate on human rights in Kashmir which is to take place on the afternoon of Thursday 15 September, in the House of Commons. I was joined before Parliament’s Backbench Business Committee by Jason McCartney MP, Andrew Griffiths MP, Denis MacShane MP and Nic Dakin MP. We argued for a debate on Amnesty International’s recent report on human rights in Indian-occupied Kashmir, “A Lawless Law”. We pointed out that this would be the first full debate […]

Tags: , ,

Sri Lanka update


A number of my constituents have contacted me about the situation in Sri Lanka and the allegations of war crimes. I wrote to Alistair Burt, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, seeking more information. He recently replied as follows: The UK wants to see lasting peace and security in Sri Lanka. We have encouraged the Government of Sri Lanka to involve all communities in a fully inclusive process which addresses the underlying causes of the conflict. […]

Tags: , , , ,