Shift Commonwealth conference out of SL: Minister

Chennai: Union Shipping Minister G K Vasan on Saturday repeated his demand that Commonwealth conference should be moved out of Sri Lanka and India should be represented at the changed venue. "As far as the Commonwealth conference is concerned, as I have mentioned already, it should not be held in Sri Lanka and (the venue) should be changed," he told reporters.

Vasan said this was the "wish of Tamil Nadu," and added that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other ministers (representing India) should participate only after the conference, to be held in November, is moved out of Colombo. Several parties, including the AIADMK and the DMK, have been demanding that the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) be shifted out of Sri Lanka against the backdrop of alleged war crimes against civilian Tamils by the Lankan army during the last phase of armed conflict with the LTTE. PTI