Colombo rejects Britain's call for human rights probe

"Every country in the Commonwealth enjoys equal status. We should respect each other and not to interfere in other's issues," de Silva told a press conference on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) here.



Referring to the alleged human rights violation in northern Sri Lanka, de Silva said most people in the north have been looked after, and allegations that the country has violated human rights are unfounded.

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa is the chair of the Commonwealth till 2015. The country is also hosting the CHOGM, which is the most important meeting of the 53-member bloc.

The Sri Lankan government ended a three-decade civil war against Tamil Tiger rebels in 2009 but has come under severe international pressure for its human rights record.

Earlier, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his Mauritian counterpart, Navin Chandra Ramgoolam, decided against attending the CHOGM because of Sri Lanka's human rights record.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, facing domestic pressure not to attend the summit, announced Nov 10 that he would not do so.