The governments of Australia and New Zealand on Monday rejected calls for a boycott of this week’s Commonwealth summit in Sri Lanka, after two Green party politicians were detained and questioned in Colombo.

Australia’s Prime Minister Tony Abbott said the Commonwealth had a long history and he respected the institution that has Queen Elizabeth II as its titular head.

The Australian government said a boycott would only further isolate Sri Lanka, where Abbot said civil society was resuming in the Tamil north of the island, after the government crushed the rebels in 2009, ending a 26-year conflict that cost 100,000 lives.

“I will be urging the Sri Lankan government to respect everyone’s rights but I will also be acknowledging a lot of progress has been made,” Abbott told reporters in Canberra.

The Australian Greens called for an international boycott of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting to be held in Sri Lanka from November 15 to 17 after one of their senators was detained in Colombo.

Senator Lee Rhiannon told Australian media she was held in her hotel on Sunday and questioned for three hours by Sri Lankan authorities who accused her of breaching her visa conditions by speaking to reporters.

Rhiannon said she was on a fact-finding mission to Sri Lanka investigating allegations of human rights violations.

She was travelling with New Zealand Green Party MP Jan Logie. They both had their passports confiscated during the incident.

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key rejected similar calls by the New Zealand Green Party to boycott the meeting. He told Television One News on Monday that the purpose of holding the meeting in Sri Lanka was to put a media spotlight on the situation.

Government leaders of Canada and India have announced they will not attend the gathering.

Sri Lanka’s government denies war crimes were committed during the civil conflict.

Related Topics