Sri Lanka leader's UK speech cancelled due to protests - Reuters UK

LONDON (Reuters) - A prestigious debating society said Wednesday it had cancelled a speech by Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa after planned protests against his visit raised security concerns.
Tamil groups in Britain and their supporters planned a big demonstration in Oxford Thursday to coincide with Rajapaksa's talk at the famous Oxford Union.
They were due to protest at alleged human rights abuses during Sri Lanka's three-decade war against Tamil separatist rebels, won by the army last year.
"Due to security concerns surrounding Mr. Rajapaksa's visit which have recently been brought to our attention by the police, the Union has regretfully found that the talk is no longer practicable and has had to cancel his address," the Oxford Union said on its website.
It said that "due to the sheer scale of the expected protests, we do not feel that the talk can reasonably and safely go ahead as planned."
The decision was not made because of Rajapaksa's political position, the policies of his administration or any allegations against his government, it said.
The Union, founded in 1823, draws its members mainly from Oxford University though it is separate from the university.
CENTREPIECE
The speech was to have been the centrepiece of Rajapaksa's visit to Britain which began Monday.
The Guardian reported Wednesday that lawyers working for Tamil activists were attempting to obtain a war crimes arrest warrant against Rajapaksa and senior members of his entourage under a law giving British courts jurisdiction over alleged war crimes, no matter where they were committed.
The British government proposed legal changes this week restricting citizens' right to seek the arrest of foreign politicians suspected of war crimes.
Rajapaksa has resisted external pressure for an international probe into allegations that both the Tamil Tigers and the military committed war crimes in the waning months of the conflict, during which thousands of people died. He has instead appointed his own panel.
Rajapaksa said in the statement: "I am very sorry this has had to be cancelled but I will continue to seek venues in the UK and elsewhere where I can talk about my future vision for Sri Lanka."
(Additional reporting by Bryson Hull in Colombo)

By Adrian Croft

LONDON | Wed Dec 1, 2010 11:57pm GMT