Sri Lankan traffic policemen on horseback parade through the streets of Colombo on November 5, ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) on November 15.
Sydney:
An Australian senator detained in Sri Lanka returned to Sydney on Monday accusing Colombo of attempting to "shut down" scrutiny of war crimes ahead of a Commonwealth summit.
Sri Lanka is facing international censure over alleged war crimes and its hosting of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) this week has become mired in controversy as demands mount for Colombo to address the allegations.
Australian Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon was picked up by authorities in Colombo and interrogated on Sunday, and said she believed it was because the Sri Lankan government "does not want scrutiny of what is happening in that country".
"The war crimes need to be investigated; the crimes against humanity clearly continue, the evidence is very strong," she said.
"The Sri Lankan government want to shut down those messages."
Rhiannon urged Australia's conservative Prime Minister Tony Abbott not to attend CHOGM, saying:
"Surely they should take a leaf from the Canadians."
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper is boycotting the summit to protest Sri Lanka's failure to investigate its troops over allegations they killed up to 40,000 civilians in 2009, while Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has also pulled out.
Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron plans to attend but has promised to push for an international probe into the alleged war crimes and human rights abuses. New Zealand Prime Minister John Key will attend, but has said this does not imply support for the Sri Lankan government.
Abbott, who is expected to be accompanied by Foreign Minister Julie Bishop at the November 15-17 summit, had previously said he would go because of the importance of the Commonwealth.
Rhiannon, who was detained while preparing to host a media conference with New Zealand Green Party MP Jan Logie on Sunday, had been in Sri Lanka on a four-day fact-finding mission into alleged human rights abuses and press freedom.
She said authorities told them they had violated their visas, a charge she denied.
"For a bit over three hours we are detained and we are told by the immigration officers that they will only release us if we give a statement," she said, adding that she believed her detention to be unlawful.
Rhiannon's detention follows that of two Australian media rights activists this month. The pair, both directors at the International Federation of Journalists Asia Pacific, said they were subjected to lengthy questioning they felt was designed to intimidate reporters both inside and outside the country.
Sri Lanka is facing international censure over alleged war crimes and its hosting of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) this week has become mired in controversy as demands mount for Colombo to address the allegations.
Australian Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon was picked up by authorities in Colombo and interrogated on Sunday, and said she believed it was because the Sri Lankan government "does not want scrutiny of what is happening in that country".
"The war crimes need to be investigated; the crimes against humanity clearly continue, the evidence is very strong," she said.
"The Sri Lankan government want to shut down those messages."
Rhiannon urged Australia's conservative Prime Minister Tony Abbott not to attend CHOGM, saying:
"Surely they should take a leaf from the Canadians."
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper is boycotting the summit to protest Sri Lanka's failure to investigate its troops over allegations they killed up to 40,000 civilians in 2009, while Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has also pulled out.
Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron plans to attend but has promised to push for an international probe into the alleged war crimes and human rights abuses. New Zealand Prime Minister John Key will attend, but has said this does not imply support for the Sri Lankan government.
Abbott, who is expected to be accompanied by Foreign Minister Julie Bishop at the November 15-17 summit, had previously said he would go because of the importance of the Commonwealth.
Rhiannon, who was detained while preparing to host a media conference with New Zealand Green Party MP Jan Logie on Sunday, had been in Sri Lanka on a four-day fact-finding mission into alleged human rights abuses and press freedom.
She said authorities told them they had violated their visas, a charge she denied.
"For a bit over three hours we are detained and we are told by the immigration officers that they will only release us if we give a statement," she said, adding that she believed her detention to be unlawful.
Rhiannon's detention follows that of two Australian media rights activists this month. The pair, both directors at the International Federation of Journalists Asia Pacific, said they were subjected to lengthy questioning they felt was designed to intimidate reporters both inside and outside the country.
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