Dissident Myanmar monks living in Colombo yesterday criticised the Sri Lankan government for inviting junta leader General Than Shwe for a state visit.
The monks said Sri Lanka’s increasingly close relations with Myanmar’s military regime would further raise international concern over the island’s human rights record.
They said President Mahinda Rajapakse was “foolish” to become associated with Than Shwe, set to arrive on Thursday.
“The Sri Lankan government has been criticised for their human rights violations and restrictions on media freedoms,” the monks said in statement referring to the conflict against Tamil separatists that ended in May.
“We dare say the situation in Sri Lanka is several times better than in Myanmar,” they added.
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