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divdiv class=story-body readability=66 span class=story-date#13; span class=date14 November 2013/span#13; span class=time-textLast updated at /spanspan class=time12:10 ET/span#13; #13; /span#13; #13; #13; #13; #13; #13; #13; !-- Embedding the video player --#13; !-- This is the embedded player component --#13; #13; #13; #13; #13; #13; #13; #13; !-- wwrights check --#13; !-- Empty country is used on test environment --#13; #13; #13; #13; div class=videoInStoryB readability=1#13; div id=emp-24946858-1433 class=emp#13; #13; #13; noscript#13; div class=warning readability=1#13; img class=holding src=http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/71119000/jpg/_71119034_71119033.jpg alt=David Cameron/pstrongPlease turn on JavaScript./strong Media requires JavaScript to play./p#13; /div#13; /noscript#13; #13; !-- embedding script --#13; #13; /div#13; !-- companion banner -- #13; #13; #13; #13; !-- END - companion banner --!-- caption --p class=captionPrime Minister David Cameron: There are legitimate accusations of war crimes/p#13; !-- END - caption --#13; #13; #13; #13; /div#13; !-- end of the embedded player component --#13; #13; !-- Player embedded -- #13; p class=introduction id=story_continues_1David Cameron has promised to send a tough message to Sri Lanka's government over alleged war crimes after it warned him not to question ministers at the Commonwealth summit./p#13; pThe UK prime minister, who has rejected calls to boycott the meeting in Colombo, said there had to be proper inquiries into events in 2009./p#13; pBut Sri Lanka's government said he had no right to bring up the subject, as he had not been invited on that basis./p#13; pMr Cameron arrives later on Thursday./p#13; pHis attendance at the biennial Commonwealth heads of government conference follows talks with his Indian counterpart, Manmohan Singh, who is among those avoiding the event./p#13; span class=cross-head'Appalling'/span#13; pMr Singh is joined by the prime ministers of Canada and Mauritius, who are staying away in protest over allegations that the regime of Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaska carried out war crimes at the end of a civil war with Tamil separatists four years ago./p#13; pThe UN estimates that 40,000 civilians were killed in the last five months of the 26-year conflict, but the Sri Lankan authorities deny responsibility. /p#13; pIn an interview with the BBC's Nick Robinson, Mr Cameron said: There are legitimate accusations of war crimes that need to be properly investigated. /p#13; pThat is actually what the Sri Lankan government, in its own lessons learned and reconciliation exercise, found - there were more questions to be answered. But it hasn't effectively answered them. They need to be answered. /p#13; pWe should be clear, this was an appalling civil war, a civil war in which obviously the Tamil Tigers, using suicide bombs and child soldiers, did some appalling things as well. /p#13; pBut the end of the war, and this particular set of events where civilians seem to have been targeted - that needs to be properly investigated. /p#13; span class=cross-head'Independent state'/span#13; pTamil representatives and Labour, the British opposition party, urged Mr Cameron to join the boycott, but he argued he could achieve more by using his attendance to shine a spotlight on some of the human rights issues./p#13; pBut the Sri Lankans reacted angrily to that suggestion./p#13; p id=story_continues_2The invitation to Prime Minister David Cameron was not based on that, minister of mass media and communications Keheliya Rambukwella told the BBC. /p#13; pWe are a sovereign nation. You think someone can just make a demand from Sri Lanka?/p#13; pWe are not a colony. We are an independent state./p#13; pAsked about the comments, Mr Cameron maintained he was right to raise questions, adding: That's exactly what I'll be doing./p#13; pAlthough he said he wanted to deliver a tough message to the Sri Lankan government, he pledged not to be completely uncompromising. /p#13; pMr Cameron explained: There are some positive steps that have been taken in Sri Lanka: the fact that they had elections to a northern provincial council; the fact that there is a process of reconciliation, it's just not going as far as we would like it to go. /p#13; pSo on the ledger, there are some things on the positive side, but there are too many things on the negative side. Now that's a frank conversation I think we should be able to have. /p#13; pBritish media in Sri Lanka who have been asking questions about the government's human rights record have struggled to get answers./p#13; pA Channel 4 documentary team was forced to give up on reaching the north of the south Asian state after being stopped by pro-government demonstrators./p#13; span class=cross-head'Deep concerns'/span#13; pA BBC cameraman a href=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24935857was physically restrained/a by security officials at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting as he and correspondent James Robbins were attempting to film Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa at a media event before the formal opening./p#13; !-- Embedding the video player --#13; !-- This is the embedded player component --#13; #13; #13; #13; #13; #13; #13; #13; !-- wwrights check --#13; !-- Empty country is used on test environment --#13; #13; #13; #13; div class=videoInStoryC readability=1#13; div id=emp-24933951-1434 class=emp#13; #13; #13; noscript#13; div class=warning readability=1#13; img class=holding src=http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/71102000/jpg/_71102889_71102888.jpg alt=Sri Lankan flag/pstrongPlease turn on JavaScript./strong Media requires JavaScript to play./p#13; /div#13; /noscript#13; #13; !-- embedding script --#13; #13; /div#13; !-- companion banner -- #13; #13; #13; #13; !-- END - companion banner --!-- caption --p class=captionThe BBC's James Robbins says the PM's determination to put human rights in the spotlight will be tested/p#13; !-- END - caption --#13; #13; #13; #13; /div#13; !-- end of the embedded player component --#13; #13; !-- Player embedded -- pLabour leader Ed Miliband said: My party has been clear that in our view we believe that this lamentable human rights situation meant that the British prime minister - like the Canadian and Indian prime ministers - should not attend the summit./p#13; pBut Mr Cameron, having decided to attend, must now insist on the full implementation of the recommendations of Sri Lanka's own Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission, Mr Miliband argued, in an a href=http://www.tamilguardian.com/article.asp?articleid=9204article for the Tamil Guardian/a. /p#13; pHe also urged the UK prime minister to seek urgent assurances from the Sri Lankan authorities that they will respect the Commonwealth's values on human rights as they respond to any protests that may take place during the forthcoming summit. /p#13; pLabour's shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander was blunter, telling the BBC: The prime minister has blundered, and blundered badly, in his decision to attend the summit./p#13; pMr Cameron, who arrived in Delhi on Wednesday en route to the summit, has met Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh./p#13; pThe UK PM has hailed extraordinary progress on trade and investment since his first visit in 2010, and pledged to cement Britain as India's partner of choice./p#13; pHe is also seeking to reassure Indian nationals about his drive to cut immigration to the UK./p#13; /div/divbrbrcentera href=http://www.wizardrss.comPowered By WizardRSS.com/a | a href=http://www.wizardrss.comFull Text RSS Feed/a | a href=http://www.amazon.com/RFID-Blocking-Cards-Identity-Protector/dp/B00CJHZLEWRFID/a | a href=http://www.wpzonbuilder.comAmazon Affiliate/a/center