theguardian.com:Tamils hail David Cameron as 'god' but Sri Lankan president is not a believerBritish prime minister meets refugees in first visit by a world leader to Tamil-dominated north since independence in 1948
- David Cameron meets Tamil refugees in the Sabapathy Pillai refugee camp in Jaffna, northern Sri Lanka. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA -
The refugees of Sabapathy Pillai believed David Cameron had been sent by God to help them get their land back. A swarm of Jaffna women stormed through a line of military police to plead for his help in finding their missing loved ones. Yet only a few hours later, the prime minister left a meeting with Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa no closer to securing an investigation into alleged war crimes, or an admission that many Tamils continue to be persecuted. The prime minister arrived at the Commonwealth summit in Colombo on Thursday night, promising to use his trip to highlight human rights abuses in the host country, following fierce criticism of his decision to attend. But as world leaders and royalty, including the Prince of Wales, gathered in the capital for their biennial meeting, Cameron first headed to meet victims of Sri Lanka's 25-year civil war and those suffering continuing violence. An extraordinary 12 hours followed, as the prime minister became the first world leader to travel to the Tamil-dominated north since independence in 1948, before returning to the capital for a planned showdown with Rajapaksa.