Prince Charles avoids criticising Sri Lanka's human rights record in his first Commonwealth speech

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Event is a political minefield with Canada and India boycotting it
Sri Lanka is alleged to have shelled civilians indiscriminately, killing 40,000

By Rebecca English, Royal Correspondent In Colombo

PUBLISHED: 04:11 EST, 15 November 2013 | UPDATED: 06:30 EST, 15 November 2013

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Prince Charles steered clear of criticising Sri Lanka's record on human rights on Friday as he made his first address to a Commonwealth summit on behalf of the Queen.

The closest the Prince came to referring to allegations of torture, kidnap and other abuses was when he said the gathering needed to address the ‘security’ of its members nations and referred to the ‘touch of healing’ the 53-nation body can bring.

Although the Queen is Head of the Commonwealth she has decided to scale down her long-haul international travel and asked her son to represent her at this year’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

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Jovial: President Mahinda Rajapaksa of Sri Lanka laughs with Prince Charles, Prince of Wales as David Cameron looks on during the Commonwealth Heads of Government 2013 Opening Ceremony on Friday

But the Colombo-based gathering has turned into a political minefield, with Canada and India pulling out of the summit in protest at alleged war crimes and attacks against his own people by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaska.

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Charles, who is normally nothing less than outspoken about issues close to his heart, will have to bite his tongue as the Queen is required to stay publically neutral on such issues, although critics of the regime are putting increasing pressure on him to raise concerns with the president privately.

In his opening speech, Charles said: ‘At the personal request of The Queen, I am delighted to be addressing you this morning on behalf of the Head of the Commonwealth.

Prince Charles meets Heads of Government in Colombo

Diplomatic: Prince Charles avoided referring to referring to allegations of torture, kidnap and other abuses by the Sri Lankan regime when he made his inaugural Commonwealth speech

A group photo call at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Heads of Governments meeting in Colombo

Seated from left to right Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Prince Charles and Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma, with heads of the commonwealth nations

‘Her Majesty's deep affection for the Commonwealth, and the special importance she has attached to it throughout her reign, are well known to you all. And if I may say so, those very sentiments have been an ever-present cornerstone in my own life also. It is therefore my particular privilege and pleasure to be representing The Queen at this, the 2013 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

‘I am especially pleased to be back among the people of Sri Lanka who, in recent years, have confronted great adversity. My last visit here, in 2005, came just weeks after the devastating tsunami had struck these shores. I visited communities affected by the disaster and met many of the relief workers who were doing so much to help rebuild broken lives and livelihoods.

‘I recall my admiration for the fortitude shown by them all at that time and commend the progress that has been made since in healing those dreadful scars.’

Momentous: Prince Charles giving his speech as a representative of Queen Elizabeth

He said that in the early days of the Commonwealth, India's Prime Minister Nehru declared that the body ‘seemed capable of bringing a touch of healing' to the management of contemporary world problems.

‘More than 60 years later, we should not need to be reminded of the many troubles that beset our world, some of them previously little understood, nor should we underestimate the importance and responsibility of the Commonwealth's role in addressing them,’ he said.

He said the Commonwealth Charter, signed earlier this year, which enshrines human rights in the values of member states, was designed to ‘light the path of all those involved in the work of the Commonwealth.’

Grand entrance: President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Prince Charles walk onto the stage

He added: ‘At this CHOGM, and guided by that spirit, the Commonwealth is being charged to confront the many issues affecting the security and well-being of its nations and peoples.

‘The Queen wishes you well in these vitally important deliberations.’

He concluded: ‘Ladies and gentlemen, each one of us is here because of the hope and the trust we place in the Commonwealth to bring that “touch of healing” to our troubles and deliver the very best future for our people.’

In his own speech, however, Mr Rajapaska was bullish in defence of his handling of the bitter civil war against the island’s Tamil-dominated north.

Handshake: President Mahinda Rajapaksa greets David Cameron ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government 2013 Opening Ceremony

Hundreds of ethnic Tamils protested in the main northern city of Jaffna before British Prime Minister David Cameron's arrival, demanding answers about the thousands who went missing near the war's end in 2009 between soldiers and ethnic Tamil rebels

He said: ‘We in Sri Lanka are stepping into a new era of peace, stability and renewed economic opportunities that have long been denied to my people due to the menace of terrorism that existed for nearly three decades.

‘In ending terrorism in 2009 (when the civil war with Tamils in the north ended) we asserted the greatest human right of all - the right to life.

‘I'm happy to say that in the last four years there has not been a single terrorist-related incident anywhere in Sri Lanka.’

He added that the Commonwealth ‘should not be a punitive or judgemental body’.

The Duchess of Cornwall arrives for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting at the Nelum Pokuna Theatre

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who hosted the last summit and passed over the chairmanship to Sri Lanka's President, urged the president to grasp the bull by the horns, saying that recent events in South Africa and Ireland showed that ‘intractable’ problems could be solved.

Before the Prince made his speech to open the summit, the heads or representatives of the 53 member nations were announced one by one and took their places on the stage.

Britain’s Cameron was seated two rows behind the Prince, with the Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands, Gordon Darcy Lilo, on his right and Rwanda's President Paul Kagame on his left.

Mr Cameron gave President Rajapaska a round of applause when he came onto the stage at the conference theatre (which is also named after him).

The Prime Minister has defied calls to boycott the Commonwealth summit and today will put his concerns - including demands for an independent inquiry into alleged war crimes by state forces - directly to the Sri Lankan president in a face-to-face meeting.

As many as 40,000 civilians are estimated to have died in the final months of the regime's 26-year fight with Tamil Tiger separatists according to the UN, which wants an international probe if no new inquiry is held.

Mr Rajapaksa rejects claims his forces indiscriminately shelled Tamils fleeing the intense fighting as the Tigers - themselves a brutal guerrilla movement - were defeated and of battlefield executions and rapes.

Among the VIPs in the audience were three of the president's brothers, who are the Speaker, Defence Secretary and Minister for Economic Development, and his three sons, who all play for the national rugby team, of which one is captain.

Meanwhile, The Duchess of Cornwall declared herself a ‘huge fan’ of the Harry Potter books and films on an official visit to a public library in Colombo.

Camilla, who supports several literacy initiatives in the UK, described author JK Rowling as ‘brilliant’ and said she was very sad when the seven-book series came to an end.

While her husband tip-toed his way through the minefield that is Commonwealth politics, the Duchess spent the morning at Colombo’s Public Library’s where she recognised the achievements of children from all religious and ethnic backgrounds - Tamil, Sinhalese, Christian and Muslim – in an annual writing competition.

She also presented a prize to Shenuka Corea, the overall winner of the 2012 Commonwealth Essay Competition, which has been run by the Royal Commonwealth Society since 1883.

It is the world's oldest and largest essay competition and is open to all Commonwealth citizens aged 18 or under, offering young people the opportunity to make their voice heard on a global platform.

Wearing a pretty cream and beige Anna Valentine dress, the Duchess arrived to a lively traditional local welcome, featuring brilliantly clad dancers and drummers, before chatting with several of the talented youngsters.

Krishnavi Rathnaranjan, 14, who wrote an award-winning essay on ‘why reading makes you perfect’ told her that JK Rowling was her favourite author.

Camilla replied: ‘Oh I love Harry Potter. Have you read all the books and seen the films? I was very sad when it finished. She is a brilliant writer.’

The Duchess was also asked to light a ceremonial candle before the official prize giving ceremony.

Referring to her husband, who almost set his jacket alight yesterday when he brushed past an oil burner, she said: ‘I hope I don’t set this alight. We’ve already had enough trouble.’

As she left Camilla thanked everyone and promised to return. ‘I hope I will be back before too long,’ she said.

The Duchess is keen to promote the benefits of reading. Her Royal Highness is Patron of the National Literacy Trust, BookTrust and First Story, all of which are UK charities that help to promote literacy in young people.

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Big Ron, Sutton London, United Kingdom, 4 months ago

Sri Lanka should have been thrown out of the Commonwealth for their brutal and appalling human right record.And Charles and our PM should not of attended.

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Dora, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 4 months ago

Do not comment about what you do not know. I live in Sri Lanka. those who live by the sword were killed by the sword. Terrorism was eliminated that is all . Do not lobby in the west yo bring back terrorism to our country. Half the people who advocated terrorism in our countries have migrated to your country as refugees or whatever. They are still fighting in your turf. Politicians have fallen for it for the vote...

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Mikey1066, Kandy, Sri Lanka, 4 months ago

I am British born and bred (1942) I have lived in the island of Sri Lanka for 15 years the island is at peace now people can get on bus with out worrying about the bus being blown up. So Ron dont talk about things you dont fully understand....... the Uk isnt squeaky clean look at Iraq and the so called weapoms of mass destruction..... Sort the uk out its in a huge mess. im very fortunate to be able to live Sri Lanka.... the tigers were an evil organisation with no respect for human life.

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Lady Zil, Zurich, 4 months ago

and to summing up his speech.......blah, blah, blah, blah...blah....

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thommo, solihull, 4 months ago

so he managed to get to 65 without having any sort of a job , then? What does he do for money? Oh, I see, sells biscuits for three times the price of the supermarkets................

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Just Dona, Metropolis, United Kingdom, 4 months ago

I don't think HE'LL have to make the choice between heating and eating...

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nana27, derbyshire, United Kingdom, 4 months ago

can we now hope that Charlie now retires and goes away with his wife somewhere preferably a dessert islandt

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Old Fashioned, Macleay Island, 4 months ago

Dessert Island?

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raja, london, 4 months ago

This may be a quote from a film - with great powers comes great responsibility. Britain being a one of the powerful nation in the world, should act responsibly and fight against oppressive regimes. This world doesn't just belong only to the powerful, but also those who has no voice or strength to fend or fight for themselves..the old , the vulnerable, women and children..they need to be protected from the hands of dictators like rajapakshe, who disguise himself as world leader. We shouldn't do the same mistake in supporting him or befriending him like what we did earlier with dictaors like Gadaffi, Sadam or Bassar- Al Assad. The time has come now to bring Rajapakshe to justice.

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The Seeker, Lo n Hi, 4 months ago

To get a state pension you have to be 65 and have 30 NI contributions. Does he have 30 NI contributions?

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Dave, Southampton, 4 months ago

More people currently 'disappear' in Sri Lanka than any other country in the world (bar Iraq) ... 1 preson every 5 days ... the government denies any knowledge ... but at least Charles and Cameron are having a nice time.

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helay, NY, 4 months ago

stats from past years are shown and they too are manipulated to show a wrong image of Sri Lanka

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helay, NY, 4 months ago

since the end of the war Sri Lanka now has one of the highest growth rates in the world(8% check CIA stats or google)..Highest GDP per capita , Human development ,cleanliness , Literacy rate , life expectancy in South Asia..resettled 250,000 people..Since 2009 two new highways , 2nd airport and a massive harbour..In 2013 SL HDI rated as high for the first time.No single explosion since 2009 in a country where bombs exploded every day..famous sportsman is tamil(Murali)..cricket captan A.Mathews is half tamil..40% in Colombo is tamil..so stop spreading lies and Elam agenda !

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Cell, London, 4 months ago

Great, another scrounging OAP, I'm sick of paying for these spongers. CUT the state pension to the same level as unemployment money - £71 a week.

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micmac, Sydney, Australia, 4 months ago

We have been told Charles is to donate his pension to others, because he has an adequate, taxpaying income despite being 65. Would you be able to live on 71 pounds a week, yourself?